In My Backyard
Posted: April 16, 2012 Filed under: cottage garden | Tags: artists, cottage garden, garden, Monet, water garden, water lilies 6 Comments »
These water lilies were blooming yesterday in my backyard. Monet would be jealous.
Heavy Cleaning
Posted: April 27, 2010 Filed under: cottage garden, Housekeeping, Noxious Evils, Writers Write | Tags: backyard pond, cottage garden, creativity, garden, loss, water garden, writers, writing Leave a comment »The people down the street owned one of those makeover-for-your-garage franchises. They ran the business out of their house. Other than the trucks, things were fine. At least, until they got ready to move.
That’s when the garage sales started. For three consecutive weeks, junk spilled out of the house and onto the lawn. It was obvious. They organized garages by taking the clutter home with them. At the end of the third week, a driver dodging a bookshelf, ran into a tree, cracking the largest limb into the street. Another neighbor called code compliance.
The garage experts are gone now, leaving a pile of unsellables by the curb. I made this out of some of their garbage.
June Garden Journal
Posted: June 29, 2009 Filed under: cottage garden | Tags: antique bath tub, backyard pond, garden, goldfish, tomatoes, water garden Leave a comment »Today’s temperature was 104°, a record high for San Antonio. These photos were taken earlier in the month. I’ve harvested the tomatoes and given up on the squash, but the flowers are still beautiful. The city expects to go to Stage 3 water restrictions this week, so unless a tropical storm hits the Gulf of Mexico and floats north, summer gardening is over until September. For now, I’m enjoying what my next-door neighbor calls my “urban oasis.”
Butterflies are abundant this month. This guy is perched on a plant called Mist. Since my garden is pesticide free, and I purposely planted extra parsley for the caterpillars, we see more than ever.
This pot has held nearly every kind of plant without success. I should have tried strawberries first! I started too late for a real crop, but I'm inspired for next year. 4 o'clocks round out the rest of the bed.
Echinacea are in the foreground. Salvia, basil and roses grow in the back. I love this jumble of blooms.
Esparanza love the heat. Grandpa Ott's Morning Glories climb the fence on strings of jute.
I managed to harvest quite a few Celebrity tomatoes before the sun roasted the plants. The heat from the brick wall is a problem in this bed.
The canna in the bathtub is a conversation piece. Our goldfish eat the mosquitoes off the surface.
I've been warned about the invasive nature of Cypress Vine, but I couldn't resist planting my patio window boxes. The leaves are lacy and green, and a tiny red flower blooms like a star.
