Looking Ahead--Gardening Goals



Dec 2010--Birdbath through Crepe Myrtles--Elph


I would look back over 2010 like most other bloggists, but I am an optimist at heart.  What has happened has happened, and I have probably already learned several lessons from it.  As for the great things of 2010--they are stored in my heart. So now I press onto the future. 

Here are a few goals Pat and I have talked about for the yard/garden this coming year.  Of course, one thing I will endeavor to do is help out more.  This means that all of my house cleaning, hobbies, and interestes will need to be managed much better in order to help Pat outside in the yard.  I think I am finally in a place in my life where I know I can do what I want, when I want to do it!! 

So, that was a little sappy.  Onwards to the point of this post:  Looking Ahead.  A few goals for the yard for 2011 are--





Frosty Morning--Dec 2010--Taken w/Nikon D3100!!


• Make a large vegetable garden in the front yard where there is full sun
• Cut down at least 4 trees and reorganize wood pile
• Tidy all bulb gardens
• Cindy wants to re-work Turk's Cap garden
• Replace and add more salvias
• Add more lovely herbs to the herb garden
• Read Herb Gardening book and use herbs for soaps, oils, and such
• Get a few Guineas

In sharing the list with Pat, his only comment was:  That's a lot.  Well, yes it is.  But in my mind if I don't set several goals, nothing will get accomplished.  If I have a banquet of goals, surely one or two will be tackled in 2011!  See--I am an optimist--a very cunning one! 

Spring Gardening on a Winter's Day

Sounds like a song...hmmm.  In order to get a jump start on the New Year's Resolution/Goal I went crazy and bought plants that probably should have been planted at least a month or more ago!  In my recent post, I commented that I would tackle the flowerbed next to the house.  Well, not so much today.  That spot, turns out, doesn't get the amount of light I thought it did.  In fact, it gets no sunlight at all.  So back to the drawing board on that flowerbed.  Perhaps in the spring we'll try some hostas or columbine.  For now it'll lay dormant.

Today was a wonderful day to be outside gardening.  It was cloudy and a little breezy.  The temperature was 70 degrees and there were no bugs to deal with!  Below is a picture movie of all the day's events. 

The Mountain Laurel you see towards the end of the clip has been in the ground for about 7 or 8 years now.  Mountain Laurels are native to Texas and are a beautiful evergreen tree.  Pat has pruned it a couple of times, but today it is breathtaking!  Toward the end of March, the bees will be buzzing around the luscious purple blooms which resemble Wisteria blossoms, but are more intense in color.  If you don't have a Mountain Laurel in your garden, I highly recommend this plant.  Because it is native to Texas, heat and drought have no effect upon it.  During the freezes of 2010, it was completely unfazed. The only drawback is it is slow to grow, but it is well worth the wait.

Regarding the Cyclamen, a local gardening show I was watching recommended planting the beauty during the winter, citing that the plant loves the cold.  But reading the tag made me wonder if I had the right variety, as it isn't very happy below 40 degrees.  Since we can still get cold around here, I opted to pot it, hoping that some plastic will protect it if it gets a little colder.  Otherwise, the gorgeous blooms should be a lovely bright spot in the dead of winter!

Current State: Hope for Winter

Lots of Green and Leaf Litter

Current State:  Winter Ho Hum!

Some people say you learn a lot by reading, and that is certainly true.  But I am the type of person that learns best by watching.  A new favorite gardening show of ours is Central Texas Gardner which airs on Saturdays on KNCT (our local PBS station).  The current segment they have up is a show that aired in the fall regarding winter color.  In snapping a few photos today, it is clear to see that we have a lot of green for the dead of winter, which is good.  But we do not have a lot of color.  In watching the segment this morning, I have been inspired to begin work on my New Year's Resolution (which is to help Pat more in the garden) by going out and buying a lot of plants!

Some of the winter color plants they suggested surprised me.  They suggest many plants beyond dianthus and pansies.  Kale, alyssum, cyclamen and dusty miller, all favorites of mine, are among the plants mentioned.  Two plants surprise me.  One is cyclamen, because I always think of it as being a house plant.  And if I recall correctly they can be expensive, especially if it is treated as an annual.  I am not sure I'll be planting cyclamen this time.  Another surprise is alyssum.  I always thought that was a spring flower, but they say it is definitely a cold flowering plant.  On P. Allen Smith's blog, he commented that alyssum will flower, die and even come back in some cases.  That sounds like a good one for me! 

Where I will experiment!

In looking around the garden I found where my experiment will take place.  Because I am a  lazy--uh, I mean--an inexperienced gardener, I have selected the bed near the house--uh, closest to the water source--to plant my winter color.  This is a good bed to select because we haven't really found anything that grows well here other than monkey grass.  Plus it is a small space and will likely catch my eye for attention.

So, what shall I plant? Well, for starters it will largely depend upon what is available at the local greenhouses. A trip to Bonnie's is in store for me this week for sure! I am hoping to find some dusty miller, kale, and alyssum. I am not thinking that planting seeds right now is a wise choice, so whatever I plant will need to be already started. A bag of compost will be necessary, too. Ugh. Sounds like work already!

Winter Mulch

In viewing the segment currently on CTG's website, they talk about the importance of mulching in the wintertime.  Mulch is expensive, and Pat has experimented with a lot of different types of mulches, but one thing he does well is he doesn't rake the leaves.  Or, if he does, he puts all the leaf litter in our flower beds.  What I didn't realize, and probably should have, is this provides protection for all those beneficial garden types such as lizards and garden snakes.  In looking at the bed I will experiment in, I will be sure to carefully remove the leaves and put them back once all the plants are in.  At least that won't cost us any money!!

Frosty Morning

The Spineless seems okay!  Dec 2010

As promised, here are a few pictures with my new Nikon D3100.  Sunday morning brought a light dusting of frost outside which was nice for a different look at our waning winter garden. 

St. Francis looking out for our Roses!

St. Francis looks a little colder than usual, and our Knockout Roses are sending sugar to the roots for protection! 

It didn't take long for me to head back into the house. It was just a little chilly the day after Christmas....a perfect day to rest and relax!

Merry Christmas!

Peace on Earth--Luke 2:8--14 NIV

For unto us a child is born...

   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

     Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

      "Glory to God in the highest,

            and on earth peace to men on

                   whom his favor rests."

Merry Christmas everyone....

my prayer is that you have Peace and Joy this Holiday season and throughout the New Year!

    

One More Night Shot



Full Moon and Crepe Myrtle--Dec 2010

 Uploading this photo to my computer, all I saw was a white speck in the middle of total blackness.  Thanks again to Picasa 3, when I added some light I saw our Crepe Myrtle in the foreground.  Yes, I totally planned the shot that way!

Night Shots

Bradford Pear branch at sunset--Dec. 2010

I apologize in advance for some of these photos.  My best photos are taken under perfect conditions!  However, in preparing for using my new camera, I bought a magazine Getting Started in Digital SLR Photography:  Improve your photo skills and take better pictures.  I have been reading their articles which are very well organized and somewhat easy to understand.  It is opening my eyes to how my trial and error approach to photography was not too far off base.  However, a little well-timed knowledge makes all the difference!

Our tree behind grapevines--Dec. 2010

One article I was reading in another magazine said to take photos of Christmas lights at twilight.  Well, I did try with my little Elph, but apparently an ISO of 400 isn't the right setting to get good night shots with my little camera.  As you can see in this photo of our tree through our "foggy" windows, it just isn't quite right.  I'll get to experiment when I officially receive my new camera later this month!  By the way, if you are prone to camera tilt like I am, Picasa Web 3 has an amazing "straightening" tool.  If I hadn't had that tool, your head would be tilted slightly to the left trying to view the above picture correctly!



Ring of Trees at Sunset--Dec. 2010

This was the sunset the night of the rare lunar eclipse.  I wonder if the upcoming event had anything to do with the gorgeous colors!  Thanks for stopping by!

Retiring the Elph?

Water Boy, above. Antique Rose, left

The photos for all of my posts have been taken with my dear old friend, the Cannon Power Shot Digital Elph SD 450. The zoom is to 3x, has 5.0 mega pixels, and 5.8-17.4 mm--whatever that means. When I revived the blog, Pat knew what he wanted to get me for Christmas. I have it already, but it is tucked away in my closet. I'm too afraid to open the box. But I'll tell you what it is: it is a real camera. For some of you who are already amateur to pros at taking pictures, you might giggle at my next step taking pictures with a Nikon D3100. But for me it feels like I'm 18 months old driving a car! The new camera has a real lens that comes off for crying out loud! And you have to know what you are doing. Scary. But luckily for me, it has an auto feature which I will be using a lot until I get some lessons! So until December 25th my photos will be taken with my dear old friend. On Christmas Day I intend to initiate my new friend. The Elph will not die or go away. I have a feeling he'll come out every once-in-a-while until I get used to my new friend!

Boney's Almanac--Fall 2010



Water Valve Yard Art

 I hope this piece of yard art isn't an omen to how our winter will go.  So far our Fall for 2010 has been very dry.  Pat said he read in the paper that this October to December stretch is the driest on record since the 50's.  My water bill confirms this trend as it has not had the usual drop in usage.

In fact, our growing season is just now starting to slow down.  The Cannas have frozen, the Knock Out Roses are dropping a few leaves, and most of our trees have lost all their leaves.  The weather planner at KWTX has mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures for the coming Christmas week so the trend continues. 

A quick peek at the Farmer's Almanac online suggests we will see pockets of stormy weather throughout the winter season in Texas with chances of wintry mix.  However, our local KWTX weather blog has a slightly different outlook:  warmer and drier than usual due to the La Nina weather pattern.  Boo.  This means I can expect higher than usual water bills!

Yard Art



Pat's Moon

We not only like to add new plants to our gardens, we also like to find art to decorate our landscape.  The best pieces we have are the ones that were given to us or recycled out of other things that are no longer of any use.  One example of a recycling project is when Pat cut up and reused his old bar-b-que pit, Ol' Smokey.  Pat's Moon, pictured above, was cut out of the end of Ol' Smokey.  When we retired Ol' Smokey, we could not bear to throw it away.  It held so many memories of cookouts with the boys when they were little.  Pat used stoke the fire in the pit with a "fire stick," and the boys had to have their own "fire sticks," too.  They would get the ends heated just enough that they would glow.  Then the boys would around the yard with a smoke trail following close behind them!

Matt's Duck Sculpture

When our youngest was in high school, he added to our yard art collection with the masterpiece above. I believe he created the piece out of carefully-selected scrap, then welded it together to form a perfect montage.  He carefully spray-painted just the right parts of it white. The duck heads were added from Pat's worn out decoys. 



Finally, some of our art is purchased, like Mr. Sun.  The angel in the background was a Christmas gift one year.  Sometime in the spring Pat will cut up Dad Boney's bar-b-que pit and place it strategically around the yard.  Decorating the yard with memories adds another dimension to gardening.  More updates will follow!

Langtry--Just for Fun!



Judge Roy Bean's Opera House--Town Hall--and Seat of Justice
taken on our Bike tour of Big Bend in March 2007

 There are many legends about Texas and the people who call her home, but there is none as colorful as the Legend of Judge Roy Bean, Law West of the Pecos.  On our last long motorcycle trip through Big Bend, Pat and I decided to head back home via Del Rio, Texas.  That dusty and lonely journey from Alpine, Texas, to Del Rio made us appreciate what it must have been like to tame the Mountain Basin region of our state.  Even now there is literally nothing between the two towns until you stumble upon the oasis of Langtry!

A very fancy water well

Langtry, Texas, was the home of the infamous Judge Roy Bean and many stories still circulate about him: some are true and some are stretched in true Texas style.  However, my favorite story is his love and devotion to a photograph of Lilly Langtry.  In her honor the Judge changed the name of his town to Langtry, and the saloon and seat of justice to the Jersey Lilly.  The link below the picture takes you to another site about the romance of the Old West and the life of Judge Roy Bean. 

Look closer in the photo above, and you will see some plants Pat and I have proudly on display in our garden.  There are Prickly Pear (which ours are the spineless variety), Texas Sages and Beaked Yuccas.  Visiting this ghost town was a highlight of our trip since we've heard about Langtry and Judge Bean all our lives.  The Texas Department of Transportation has done a superior job of turning this site into a place to visit even though it is miles from almost nowhere!  The picture to the right is of a garden behind Judge Bean's saloon...I mean...Opera house, complete with native Texas plants.

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Irises Irises Irises

Bearded Irises taken 2007

As fall and winter take over the garden, reviewing spring pictures of the past bring a certain hope and anticipation for the 2011 growing year.  One flower I anticipate every year are our Irises!  We have many "categories" of Irises in our yard.  Two main categories are:  Bearded and Louisiana or Dutch Irises.  From there we have several different "classes" of Irises.  We have:

• Grandma's prolific and ever-multiplying Bearded Irises which are a light dusty purple
• Irises that were in the bulb bed when we bought the house
• Louisiana or Dutch Irises and Award-winning Bearded Irises given to us by Mom Boney
• Irises from Auntie's yard

I wish I could say we still have every single Iris that has been given to us, as we have not purchased a single rhizome ourselves.  However, like everything else in our garden, we keep many and lose a few.  The picture above is of some Irises Pat planted in our garden by our back door.  That was the only year they bloomed. I assume they are gone.



Award-winning Irises taken December 2010

 This Iris bed is home to the Louisiana and Award-winning Bearded Irises Mom Boney gave us.  Allow me to clarify--neither Pat nor I grow Irises to enter them in competitions.  These are Irises that have won awards by someone else's hard labors.  Mom bought them from a garden club member who grows these in her yard.  Some of the rhizomes are still here and some are gone due to one heavy foot (mine) while weeding.  This bed is also home to our yellow and purple Louisiana Irises, although the yellow ones tend to show stronger here. 



More Irises beside our home. 2010

 Why so many Irises?  Well, one year I was commenting to Pat how my Daddy hated the little patch of Irises in the backyard of my childhood home.  My grandma tended to them with great care.  However, once the growing season was over, Daddy would mow them down.  She would get so mad at him!  Yet, year after year they would come back even stronger and prettier than before.  I managed to convince Pat that they are the easiest things to grow in a garden.  And for the most part, they are.  But the reality is, I think Pat tends to the Irises as much, if not more, than he does to the rest of the yard!!



Here is a shot of our latest Iris bed.  When we bought our house we had Red-tipped Photinias surrounding the back and side of our home.  They developed a fungus and Pat eventually ripped them out.  What was my suggestion??? Thin out Grandma's Irises and put them in the bed.  They're free!!

Follow-up to Knockout Roses

Pat planted Asters outside our Knockout flowerbed. 2009

In Goggle Reader I came across an article by P. Allen Smith, entitled "Knockout Rose Companion Planting".  He is the gardener that is featured on the Weather Channel and other shows.  This article gives some great ideas for adding even more color to your Knockout Rose garden.  I cannot wait to share it with Pat!!

Bonnie's Greenhouse: Knockout Roses

Knock out Roses in Mom's Garden

Just a quick update about a favorite greenhouse Pat and I shop at regularly.  It's Bonnie's Greenhouse in Bellmead, Texas [near Waco, Texas].  Below is a photo of a Knockout Rose bush Pat's mom bought us last year. 

She insisted on buying us one of every color as she intends to "visit" her rose garden regularly!  We are very appreciative of her gift and know these roses will be a lovely addition to our garden for many years to come.  According to E-How, Knockout Roses were developed by Bill Radler, a rose breeder who won an award for his drought-resistant, hearty rose bush.  I must tell you that compared to the Antique Roses Pat and I bought several years ago, so far the Knockouts are our favorites.  They literally bloom all year round!  There is very little pruning, so far no diseases to speak of, and little to no extra watering other than mother nature's contributions. 

Whether you are a rose fan or not, if you live within 100 miles of Waco, you must plan a Saturday trip to Bonnie's Greenhouse.  They have Knockouts, herbs, annuals, perinnials, and tons of gardening advice for this region of Texas.  Let me know if you get to go by sometime.  I would like to hear what you think!!

If at first you do not succeed: Plant a Kitchen Garden!



December 2010:  Our square foot garden transformed into an herb garden. 

 In my square foot garden  post I gave you a glimpse of our new vegetable garden.  We started the garden in 2006 and over the years we have harvested a good amount of radishes, onions especially, and tomatoes.  Yet the yields have been disappointing and the only thing we suspect is that our garden is misplaced.  There really is not enough consistent sunlight during the day in this area of our yard.  Pat is planning another garden in the middle of our front yard.  This part of the yard has full sun all day long. 

Another reason for the slow demise is I did not realize Pat was not adding manuer every year!  He added some every once-in-a-while, but my mother always added manuer to her garden every single year.  Pat's mom also reminded us of getting river-bottom dirt for our garden.  This is something mother did, too.  Because this garden may not be in the best location, Pat decided to turn it into an herb garden.


Mexican Mint Marigold



Pictured on the right is a new addition to the herb garden, Mexican Mint Marigold.  Clicking on the caption will take you to a master gardener's explanation of all the benefits of this lovely herb.  In addition to this herb we have Chocolate Basil, Fennel, Tarragon, Thyme, and Swiss Chard to name a few. 

Like so many articles in the popular magazines have touted, planting a kitchen garden is fun and low on the "labor" scale.  Herbs really do take care of themselves!  Basil and Parsley are about the only two herbs that need to be replanted in the spring that we have found.  In our front flower bed, we have a huge rosemary bush that has been in the garden for about 7 years!  Our Garlic Chives around one of our oak trees have been there since we moved in about 13 years ago.  For this non-gardener, part-time cook this is the answer to my prayers!

A Southwest Trooper

The Spineless Cactus that barely escaped the 2010 freeze.

Cacti dot the land of Texas.  Some consider Cacti an eyesore or a nusance, but I have come to appreciate the beauty they add to our Texas landscape.

Pat has always had some form of Cactus or succulent in our garden ever since we have been homeowners.  One of our favorites is the Spineless Cactus.  The plant resembles the Prickly Pear which is a common feature of ranchland and the countryside all over our state.  The pads tend to be fuller, and although the name suggests no bothersome thorns, it is best not to grab hold of a pad with your bare hands!

This past winter we had several freezes that killed most of our Spineless Cactus.  I had written it off as being gone for good, but not Pat.  He picked up the green pads that had fallen to the ground and quickly set them in dirt.  They are still in the pots and one day, he will decide it is time to plant more Spineless Cactus all over our yard!!

In the meantime, as you can see from the photo, our Spineless has managed to make a comeback.  The pads started out small at first and quickly grew to full size by mid summer.  This spring we should see some beautiful cactus flowers on the plant.  It blooms every year and the flowers are spectacular!  I will make a note to update this post with the spring flowers provided there are no more setbacks this year.

Current State--December 2010--Year 'Round Beauty



Berries on our Youpon Holly

 Today, I strolled around the garden taking pictures for two reasons:  to keep up with the changing landscape and  in order to begin a series entiled Current State.  At Temple ISD we are learning about lean thinking.  This philosophy of improving systems takes the approach of examining closely what the current state of affairs are.  From there it is possible to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in the system.  So, what does this have to do with a garden?  In this and subsequent posts from this day forward I will document what the current state of the garden is.  This gives that history I was talking about in "Photograph Your Garden".  By keeping a log of the current state of the garden it is possible to see problems and plan for improvements.  It is also an opportunity to examine what is good in the garden.

Youpon Holly--December 2010

Our Youpon Holly trees have been in the yard since we purchased the property in 1997.  These trees are definitely a good thing.  They are evergreen beauties all year round.  They are hearty for this region of the country by resisting hard freezes and tolerating droughts.  But they have a bad side. 

When we first moved in our home, the Youpons were set in a bed with Nandina's (ornamental bushes) in front.  They were pretty, but there is an unsightly problem with Youpon Hollies.  They constantly send up thick, woody shoots.  This is how they reproduce, evidently.  Underneath the top layers of soil, there is a complex system of roots.  The roots send off the shoots, which need to be constantly trimmed.  This isn't a problem if you have time to clip the shoots on a regular basis.  But if you don't, they grow and get thick and hard to clip.  So much so, clipping them gave me extreme arthritis in my in fingers.  Ignoring the shoots isn't an option either. 

Solution:  while driving around town, I started noticing how much Youpons are used in commercial landscaping.  In every instance, at the base of the Youpons was a bed of Asian Jasmine.  This evergreen carpet is dense enough to either keep shoots from growing out of control or is able to blend in with the shoots so they are camoflauged.  So to solve our current state problem we ripped up the Nandinas and planted over 30 Jasmine plants.  It has taken around five years or more for the carpet of Jasmine to cover our front beds, but the journey has been well worth it.  I no longer have arthritis from clippng shoots and all Pat has to do to keep the beds looking nice is weed eat the out-of-control shoots!

Photograph Your Garden

It will not be often that I implore my readers to do something. But this is an exception:  photograph your garden regularly.  This lovely photograph is one that was taken either by myself or my son, Cory.  It probably was Cory because I don't remember taking such a gorgeous picture!



Yucca planted by Pat early 2000.  Photo taken in 2006.


Yuccas grow well in most parts of Texas.  Unless you live in the Mountain Basin region, they will freeze.  In 2006 we had about eight yuccas in our yard.  Here is another shot of our yuccas next to our Texas Sage.  Since both plants are native to the region, it makes sense to plant them together. 



Photo taken in 2007.  Texas Sage and Yuccas

 Sadly, we no longer have our yuccas.  We have had several hard freezes over the years and have lost all but two or three of them.  Of the ones that are left, they are not as hearty now as they were in 2006.  Having photos reminds me of what I love and what I don't love or miss about our garden...honestly!  After seeing this photo again, I am hoping someday Pat will plant some replacements.

What's in a flower?



The sunflowers that were peeking in my window!



Pat loves surprises in his garden.  So one day when I was tempted to pull a "weed" to contribute to the beauty of the landscape I heard, "Don't!"  He grinned after that.  Needless to say, several days elapsed and in the place of a "weed" I laid eyes on a lovely sunflower.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love sunflowers.  They are wonderful and beautiful standing out in a field.  But not in the rock garden where I envision pockets of colorful, carefully placed flowers and herbs. 

My next plan of action, when I realized what was invading my beautiful garden, was to yank it up.  But I couldn't.  Sunflowers have a mighty strong stalk and deep roots.  It would be bad enough if Pat had planted them on purpose.  But these invaders were strategically planted by birds!  The worst thing was when one morning as I enjoyed a cup of coffee, they were peeking in my kitchen window!  Not only did I have to see them in the garden, I enjoyed them all day long! 

For the next three or four years, the culprits came back.  Then they finally moved by the burn pile and have finally thinned out.  Something tells me, though, I haven't seen the last of these yellow bursts of sunshine!

When Life Happens...Regroup

Life definitely happened for Pat and me. With wonderful aspirations of starting a new blog the timing was all wrong. Starting grad school took up most of my time. The rest of the time was taken up with work, helping my husband care for his mother and scrapbooking. This is not to say gardening stopped. Gardening is not my hobby, it is my husband's hobby. Taking pictures of the garden is my hobby!! Nonetheless, with the activities mentioned before, gardening did slow down some. Yet Pat has made some additions and changes to the landscape.

Why try again? In the wee hours following Thanksgiving it hit me. I do have a lot of photos that I have taken which documents the slow changes to our landscape. I also think, now that Mom has passed away, grad school is over, and our boys are getting closer to launching, it is time to return to this blog. It is interesting to see how our landscape has transformed from the first day we owned the property to now.

Just a reminder. I am not the gardener, my husband is. And I do not know botanical names of our plants, so pertinent information will be sketchy. However, what I hope to do is to provide a record of my husband's hobby and to inspire others to take risks with their gardens. The worst mistake can always be uprooted! So, if you will bear with me, 2011 promises to be the year that this blog will launch. If anything, I hope you enjoy the journey and maybe you will be inspired just a little by our garden in the Southwest.

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Photo: Daylily given to us by Pat's Mom