Tree sale

Bought more plants, trees actually. Finally the tree sale is on and I took advantage. In addition to the 5 trees already purchased, I got 2 'Teddy Bear' Magnolias and 1 'Possum Haw' holly. The holly has a great vase shape already. Hope it will have lots of winter berries. It's a cultivar (cutting) from a female plant, so it should. There are a few buds on the magnolias too, but I may not get to see them since I don't plan to take possession of all my pretties until later in October.

The boy and I worked up an appetite from all the tree hunting. So we brunched at IHOP. FYI: you can totally order chocolate chip pancakes without raising an eyebrow when you are sitting with a two-year-old.

Planning, shopping and planning

Yeah! I'm so excited to have finally reached a decision on my landscape plan. I had a rough layout in my mind and then went to my favorite nursery to be inspired. Word of caution, I do not recommend buying plants, especially pricey foundation plants, without a firm landscape plan in place. Of course that is exactly what I did. My hubby just shook his head. Happily I'm the one in charge of the landscape design and I don't feel the need to ask permission. This way I only need to argue with myself.

So I've been back to the nursery two more times, reevaluating my purchases. I originally bought the most beautifully-formed, container-grown Mexican Redbud. Once I saw it I knew I would regret not buying it as they aren't easy to find in large size with good form. I instantly decided this would be my specimen tree. Luckily it still is on the final plan. This was definitely a keeper.

The second plant I bought was a very large container-grown Lacebark Elm. Oh, it's so pretty and will have beautiful bark for winter interest. But this one got returned (much easier do to if you have not taken any of the plants home and go back the very next day to change your mind). I decided this moderate growing tree would be too big for space and would shade out other potential plantings and the lawn. So I exchanged it for two white 'Nachez' Crepe Myrtles. Another tree I had always admired, in addition to the redbud. These crepe myrtles can get pretty big too, but will still only be half the canopy width of the elm at maturity. Now where to put them, and then what?

The third plant I bought on my first outing was a lovely dwarf crepe myrtle called 'True Blue.' I had never seen the almost blue flower color before on a crepe, so that's why I chose it- blue is my favorite flower color. I have since returned that too, but it's still on my short list. So I may buy it again!

So after all the hemming and hawing, here are my final purchased selections:

• 3 Crepe Myrtles 'Nachez'
• 1 Mexican Redbud
• 1 Viburnum 'Rusty'

My shopping list for the tree sale next month includes 2 'Teddy Bear' Magnolias and 1 holly (either Needlepoint or Nellie R. Stevens) for hedging. Other possibilities include 2 dwarf wax myrtles as evergreens between the crepe myrtles, 3 'Cassandra' hollies for border edging, and maybe a weeping Yaupon Holly or a 'Possum Haw' holly for winter interest. Of course I should be patient and purchase these secondary plants at a later date. We'll see.

Now I just need to send off my plans to the HOA for approval, get permits from the city, move my fence line up, rip up grass, find a landscaper move and convert sprinklers, and to pick up/deliver and plant these big old container plants. Oh, and figure out how to pay for it. Easy, right?

Ain't this cool?

This pic, which I found on one of my fav blogs desiretoinspire.net, grabbed my attention. I want to crawl into this image and walk around this little garden. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in there. It give me lots of ideas for my backyard garden pathways, lighting and water features. Love it.

Summer rain

More rain begets more flowers. Below is a snap from my friend's garden. Her wisteria is blooming again and really taking off. She's had it growing up her pergola for a few years now, but this year it's starting to gobble up the structure. Now she finally has some shade!

I was entertained by toddlers smelling (and picking) the very generous neighbors' roses tonight. The little ones are practicing sharing and sniffing. Very sweet. Luckily the thorns were avoided. Guess I'd better add "sharing" flowers to my front beds.

Rain, rain go away; Hello humidity

Today it stopped raining. We got quite a bit the last two days. It rained steady all day yesterday, which is unusual for this part of Texas. Usually summer storms rush in and out quickly. I guessing those cracks under the fence line are filling in now.

I haven't done anything garden-related, except getting my two newest garden books from Amazon a few days ago. Garden Planner by Robin Williams (not the comedian), is my new favorite. Easy planing ideas, with the great tips on design. The other is Big Book of Garden Designs. Haven't cracked this one open yet.

This is what I've been up to recently.

blogs, blogs, and more blogs

Aside from tending to/being dragged down by a tired two-year-old, I've been sucked into so many great blogs today. Most focus on design. A few are local (yeah, sources!). And a couple mention garden design and outdoor living. Let me share:

Houses Gardens People (dallasdecor.com)

style/SWOON

design*sponge

We had a nice break from the heat the last few days. Cloudy mornings are great for sleeping in. We definitely appreciated the rain too. But I still need to figure out why there are crevices in soil under the fence. Argh.  

Oh, I test painted a dark teel blue on large cards for my office. Not so much. Think I'll stick with shades of chocolate. Maybe I'll work up the guts for a lighter gray blue in the bedroom. Still want to paint the office ceiling dark chocolate brown. Thoughts? Opinions? Send 'em.

Photography in the garden

Garden photography combine both of my passions. Getting it right is a challenge for both the photographer and the garden designer. When both are on, it's brilliant. Even without perfection, the results are usually pretty decent. So keeping an eye on the finalists for International Garden Photographer of the Year will prove pretty interesting. The National Trust in England and Wales even offers workshops and advice to those whom enter. Pretty decent of them.