Little boy in blue(bonnets)

Luckily I was able to make a few bluebonnet pictures before the boy's bedtime a couple of nights ago, especially since it has been raining non-stop since then. At least it's green and cool now.

You can see more pics from this mini photo session on my other blog, Inside Olivia Photo, here.

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 . . . .

Recent garden shots

The back garden is starting to stir from its winter slumber. Now I'm finally get to see my very own redbud flowers up close! The boy and I were spending a warm spring evening in the back garden when Drew got play photographer for the first time. He throughly enjoyed imitating mommy. The hunter becomes the hunted . . . .

Below you'll see shots of my redbud starting to bloom, my Possumhaw holly budding out between two magnolias, Andrew & Lincoln playing king of the rock, and my three new flying pigs.

Spring festival at Coppell Garden Center

My little man is learning to love going to garden centers just as much as going to the hardware store. We attended a spring festival (balloons, plant lectures & hot dogs) at a garden center in Coppell. They had some cool ideas and fun garden art. Loved how they transformed logs & stumps into very organic planters. Seeing ferns growing out of the reclaimed wood reminded me of seeing ferns colonize fallen logs in Redwood National Park.

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!

Progress!

Big steps were made in the last two days. All (almost all, seems you can never really get rid of creeping grass) of the Bermuda grass was dug out of the flower beds in both the front and back yesterday. This alone took two landscapers a full day.

Today, barrier edging was installed installed in both sets of beds. Two different kinds of composite edging were laid. These are great, not because they are made out of recycled plastic, but because they have rounded edges, which won't cut little feet or doggy paws. And the best part is the edging fronting the flowers beds in the back yard is 5 inches tall. That means it should be much more effective in stopping the nasty grass that runs UNDER and OVER the edging. Regular metal edging, in brown to match the fence and mulch, was installed at the backside of the fence, to keep the neighbor's grass at bay. I saved money this way, hoping that the dog will not trample on edging directly on/under the fenceline.

Then came the soil amendments. I spread 75 bags of compost (which could easily have been double the amount if I had the budget to do so), 20 bags of cow manure, 10 bags of peat humus, 6 bags of expanded shale (pricey stuff), 10 lbs. of green sand and half a bag of organic slow-release fertilizer granuals. The landscapers tilled the compost, manure and humus into the existing compacted soil. I sprinkled the fertilizer, green sand and shale in by hand during planting.

Finally, planting! Eight trees went in the backyard. Hooray! Three 30 gallon 'Nachez' crepe myrtles were planted along the back fence, bordering the alley. Three 15 gallon 'Teddy Bear' magnolias set the anchors for the pathway along the sideyard. I tucked a 15 gallon 'Possum Haw' (deciduous) holly in between a couple of the magnolias along the shared fence. Saving the best for last, I placed the beautiful 45 gallon 'Mexican' redbud as a specimen tree on the southern fenceline, in direct line of sight of the opening of the back (driveway) gate, which will be relocated at a later date.

Now we have to fix the sprinklers. Only one line was cut for planting, but we have to convert many other sprinkler heads to soaker hoses. Also, we cannot add mulch soon enough, will will be bought in bulk. The dog already had black paws this afternoon. But he told me he loves having trees to run around again. Or he was happy to poop. Either way, he's happy. And the boy loved "helping" plant the garden. There are little muddy shoes and paw prints at the back door.

Pictures to come soon.

Getting ready to git 'er done

I'm getting excited. If everything goes as planned, all the foundation prep and planting may be done this coming Tuesday! Of course this is all on the landscaper, whom I found working down the street a couple of days ago. But let me start over . . . .

Landscape plan drawn? Yes (about 30 different times, but I'm finally sticking to one). HOA application for moving fence and creating and adding to garden beds and planting plan? Approved. City permit for fence? Approved.

To do: Rent trailer. Borrow wheelbarrow and tiller from R.Y. Buy all the raw materials for bed prep: 80 bags of compost, 80 bags of mulch, 8 - 10 bags of green sand, 5 - 10 bags of expanded shale (which is very expensive!), approx. 250 feet of composite edging. Haul it home and unload. Whew. That sounds exhausting. Figure out what to do with sprinkler heads and lines in the way of new trees. Dig? Then cross my fingers on Tuesday. Hoping the trees arrive in good shape and the landscaper shows.

BYW, it is really hard to rely upon and watch other people work when you are a control freak.