Catching My Breath

If you xeriscape, the flooding rains come. If you install a drain, then starts the drought.

Busy, busy, busy. I feel I cannot waste any of these beautiful and unseasonably warm spring days. Just as I couldn't waste any clear, dry winter afternoons. Tonight DH took the boy, who was delightfully muddy after his evening playing with the hose and his wheelbarrow, and I got so much planting done.

I'm happy to say there are more new plants in the ground than in pots: Verbena bonariensis is among the grasses. Monarda 'Peter's Purple' is a background for the bicolor iris. Added some bearded iris beside those African iris. In front of those and the hollies (Little Rascal) are yellow lantana and passed-along daylillies. Bubble gum pink petunias are the front border for a pot of salvia, hollyhock, diamond frost and a mini petunia. More pink petunias will hopefully hide the legs of an Abraham Darby rose. Oh, some New Zealand flax tucked next to the Possum Haw holly.

What else? Moved the white catmint. Pulled out and potted up a Muhly grass 'Pink Flamingo' to plant a forsythia in its place. Finally planted the rest of the white Turk's Cap behind the grasses, we'll see if they survived the winter or the dog. Potted up two big containers for the patio, which has no room.

My back is reminding me how much I amended the bed alongside the shared fence. Ouch. Yesterday I replanted the easternmost Magnolia for the third time. I think I finally got it right. If those howling gales don't return, it might stand up straight for a while.

Catching up to my winter activities, the kitchen garden is 90 percent complete! The gravel path has been installed, a stone border contains it. Roses, hollies, dwarf crepe myrtles, scabiosa, pinks, and lavender have all been planted. The four raised beds are set up and planted with lots of veggies. The broccoli has already been victimized by bunnies and caterpillars. Two of the planted beds are now surrounded by prison fencing. Ha! Now I need to mix up the Bt for those dang caterpillars. Argh.

Veggies planned, starts & seeds:

tomatoes (fingers crossed)
corn
broccoli
peppers
strawberries
sage
parsley
cilantro
basil
chives
Mexican oregano


To do list:

start up fountains
create stepping stone entry to kitchen garden
mulch
install metal edging in new beds
finish pruning grasses in front
plant more grasses in front
finish planting herbs
fertilize front beds
build trellis in kitchen garden
create trellis for brick wall
plant & train crossvine up patio posts
take some Advil and go to bed

Here's a sneak peak of the kitchen garden: Liberty holly on the left, high density planting of strawberries, tomatoes, basil and marigolds in first raised bed, dwarf crepe myrtles, ballerina rose on the trellis, back raised bed with broccoli and corn seeds.

Good night!

Springtime in Texas, my favorite time of year . . . .

The bluebonnets and wildflowers are out in full force. They have peaked just south of Dallas and in Waco. Probably spent in south Austin, but I found some good patches in Georgetown. Hoping to get some good boy in the bluebonnet portraits within the next 24hrs. First I have to figure out what "cute" clothing will actually fit the growing boy. I think he shot up 2 inches in the last two weeks.

Maybe I'll even get to take a mini wildflower hunting roadtrip. Oh, I'm also on a mission to figure out what to do for a garden gate. Something shorter, maybe an old/salvaged gate or make my own. Color would be nice. Or maybe iron, which I imagine DH would object to. Of course he'd probably object to anything that wasn't homemade/cheap. But I'm looking for a killer deal! Gotta check out those funky Austin shops. SoCo here I come . . . .

Spring break at the Wildflower Center

A few pics of our spring break visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Spring comes a little earlier to south Austin than to Dallas. The bluebonnets were just starting to pop out down there. It snowed (!) the day we drove home to the Big D. The snow this year has been crazy!