Thursday Thrills

There is a lot to be thankful for this Thursday. 

1. It may rain a ton tomorrow
2. There are new flowers blooming and almost blooming every day
3. We picked our first squash
4. The "squash beetles" are confused
5. The Hydrangea may bloom soon
6. There are more tomatoes on the tomato plants
7. Life is good!

Here are the pictures...enjoy!!



 

Daylily.  Our Daylilies look a little on the spent side, but this is the first year in a long time that
we actually fertilized.  Looks like we need to research how to care for them, and they'll probably
rebound!

This Daisy mound has been in the circle garden since the boys were in High School--
2001 or 2002 at the earliest.  It is still going, although the blooms
are a little smaller than when they first were planted. 
Nevertheless, we must be doing something right...because they just keep
coming back!

This Hydrangea bush was given to me by Abigail last year for Mother's Day.
Look---it's going to bloom!!!

Well, I declare...you never know what nature has in store for you.  Here is our
Spineless putting on a spring show!!

Here is a beautiful cactus bloom---
but what's inside?  Pat thinks they are
squash beetles---could they be confused???

Finally, my favorite picture today--more tomatoes are growing on our bushes!!

May Blooms & Such--2011

May is turning out to be a better month than April--probably due to the rain and the winds calming down a little.  Among a few other gardening chores I turned the compost pile yesterday, and it is finally showing signs of decomposition--I started it in earnest at the end of February.  I'll update the progress next time I turn the pile. 

Because yesterday was most likely the most beautiful day yet of spring, I decided to take a few quick snaps.  Some of my pictures are probably bright because I still don't know what I'm doing with that fancy camera of mine, and I also experimented some.  Nevertheless...here's what the lens saw:

The spineless will bloom!!

I'll start with my favorite--our spineless cactus!  In an earlier post (don't remember when) I was fearful that the spineless wouldn't bloom because of the lack of rain and the setback it had suffered the winter of 2010. 

But happily I was wrong about that.  Our spineless is loaded with an amazing amount of blooms.  Updates will definitely follow!!

Oxalis--Granny's favorite

I think I was playing around with F-stops and such on the camera with this shot.  Seriously, I do not know what I was doing!  But despite my lack of knowledge, I think the picture turned out okay.  Or perhaps I should say...thank goodness for Picasa!!

Desert Willow in bloom

We'll need a little more rain to get more blooms on the Desert Willow, but it is looking lovely right now!

Easter Lily

When taking this picture, I was practicing resetting the white balance on my camera.  A friend of mine had taught me what to do this week.  I don't know if I got it right or not, but this shot was better than the auto shot I took previously!




Bee Station



When it occurred to us that the the drought was impacting our wildlife, I remembered an article I had read about bees.  It suggested putting out shallow water stations so they can get water.  Pat suggested I use pot saucers until I find something more decorative.  I put rocks in the saucers so the bees can ease in and get a sip.

Squash blossoms!!

Some kind of fly or hornet on the Kalanchoe



And finally, our tomatoes are doing so well this year.  Pat and I are so excited.  Today he plans to water them with compost tea again.  They are cracking a little around the top, but with our temps spiking up and down and everything else...we're not worried about that at all!



Tomatoes!!





Garden Update--April 2011

Dianthus among herbs--2011

There is a reason my posts have been few and far between:  Internet---Internet---Internet.


The blessings of living in the country is you get to have a yard, and a garden, and your dog gets to run the neighborhood. 

The curse is the lack of high-speed Internet.  When the leaves grow--no Internet.  When the wind blows--no Internet.  When the rain falls--no Internet.


Nevertheless, there is still beauty all around.  And whether or not I can report it...I still get to enjoy it!!


Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage...were delicious!



Another shot of the herb garden.  This time in the foreground are:  Romaine Lettuce (delicious), Cabbage (so much better than supermarket cabbage), Parsley, Oregano, Chive, Arugula, Chocolate Mint.  In the background:  Thyme, Dill, Tarragon.



Pat plants a cover crop.

Pat plants a cover crop of black-eyed peas...the official legume of Texas.

Anyway, he wins most of the argument for planting a cover crop which is to feed our garden so we'll have many years of excellent crops.  Then the soil test came back and our soil is extremely fertile.   Who knew?  We are low in phosophorous and potassium?  We were  betting on nitrogen, but we don't have the complete results yet.

Yard wagon and spineless

Our spineless cactus is taking off as well.  After two harsh winters in a row, the solid, aged base is feeding the greenry and sprouting new pads.  I've been hoping for a few blooms, too.  But that may be asking for too much this year.  I'm glad it is rebounding.

What's this I see.  Another spineless cactus in the making?

Snow Day!

Here are a few pictures of our snow in Central Texas.  My prediction for February weather is a little off, but at least this is only the 4th day!  It still could turn out to be fairly mild.  I hope our Spineless Cactus makes it.  I'm not sure if it can take another freeze. 

Spineless Cactus in the snow--2011

Our dead oak tree fell over when the north winds blew in earlier this week.  Luckily it found the perfect spot to fall...right between the Oleander and Texas Sage!

Finally, a nice splash of color among the stark white background! 

Happy February everyone!

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!

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.