Garden Update

I'm a slow learner in the garden. Moving around my whole life hasn't helped much either, because with each new climate, soil and native plants come a whole new set of 'best practices.' It didn't help that my first experiences with gardening were ideal either...it's made me resistant to amendments here where amendments are essential. For example take the Datura below...nice and purple no? Well, my Chaste Tree and this Datura had virtually gone pale lavender in hue, thanks to the Sylvan mulch (No, I'm not getting paid by the Natural Gardener) the depth of color has returned. To me, that's just amazing.

Datura Metal


Line, pure and simple. There are several lines created by rock, fencing, glass etc. This corner has been struggling along all summer, now it's blooming like crazy and I should cut this stuff back because it's getting a big leggy but I don't have the heart to rob them of their blossoms.

(I know, when will I learn?)
Finally, I have the sound of water in my garden, but just for the photo. I can't wait for Phase II of the water restriction to be lifted! Things are starting to come together for the tour.

The east side of the house has been a dilemma all year, but after one long Saturday and a few months of tossing idea's around we just buckled down and did it. This is a shot of my air conditioning unit...which I think has a cool look to begin with...well, for a box of metal that is. I stained the concrete base and sat some rock down...I like it and think it's a better choice than building a mini-fence to hide it. The side yard is now clear of structures and we get a nice breeze. The original idea was a Japanese Garden theme, but after the old fence posts that I was going to use for a bamboo structure simply fell over, we worked with what our neighbors had...rock... and created some beds with shade loving plants, mostly ferns and cast iron plant.

I still have some lighting, a rain barrel and artwork to add, but for the most part, I think it's quite pleasing to the eye. Okay, back to work...3 weeks 'til the "Inside Austin Gardens Tour" and there's a mess of things left to do!

Happy Gardening!