Monday, in the Garden

Hello Monday.  I'm feeling good...the garden is looking great.  Yesterday I spent the better part of some 5 hours updating my resume and reviewing the past 5 years of my blog entries to prepare a proposal for a job that my dear friend Darlene passed onto me, thinking that I'd be perfect for...because she's an eternal optimist.  It took me that long to realize that I didn't want that job, on any level other than having the $ to pay off some bills.  It was a worthwhile undertaking though because I came to a lovely place of understanding...that elusive ideal that is temporary at best, because you'll only understand what you think you do now...later.  Anyhoo...I was to separate my posts into categories that would update a certain website...half way through I had only come up with one post that would work.  My blog is messy...I write all over the place about things I'm interested in...which isn't necessarily for the public, but just a means of playing, and adding beauty to the world and distracting me from the fact that I don't have an art studio any more and so I push dirt around, add physical texture and color to a 3-D experience that also enhances my neighborhood and nourishes my dinner table and provides me with childlike wonder that so many adults lack.

And, allows me a place to express myself.

A desert rose I picked up in the checkout line at Home Depot 10 years ago.  At that time, she was 1.99$ in a 2" plastic black square, 3 transplants up...she's my survivor...I've forgotten her in horrid weather, and lost huge parts of her time and again...yet here she is...looking lovely as ever.

Desert rose blossom

Do you see a simple drawing when you look at this?  I do, and because I do...I won't draw it.  I already did it...and that's enough.  Images of Monet's garden have been floating around the social network right now...it's some kind of anniversary I suppose.  I would like to visit his garden, during the week when there aren't a lot of people present but I don't feel the need to stand in a museum looking at wall after wall of blurry paintings...ever again.

Greg's pimento.  I say Greg's because he stood in line at Sunshine Gardens to buy the starts and planted them...but left to him...they'd have shriveled up long ago...I'm the one who walks the garden daily, escapes into it if I don't like the energy inside...we've outgrown our house.

I seriously do not play enough with the features on my camera or on the computer...this is the first cluster of blossoms on the orange Esperanza I transplanted earlier this spring...I was trying to express how super dynamic and excited I was to see that color...I doubt it translates...who cares.

Bronze fennel is an amazing plant...it just keeps coming back and spreading and the swallowtails are plentiful as ever...as are the fritllaries and monarchs.  

After the addition this year, I'm going to plant this Meyer's lemon in some window view so I can watch the bees loving her blossoms up!

This is my cat, Bob.  He is the most affectionate creature.  Last Saturday we had a garage sale and Bob was the official greeter.  Several people walked back to find me to tell me that they were afraid that he was going to follow them home.  Hilarious.  This morning, on my jog I saw a poster about a lost cat and I always wonder how that can be?  Bob was born in my bedroom...his mom was a rescue cat that came with 6 cats inside her.  When I saw the stripy tabby come out, I claimed him...well, her is what we thought at the time and named her Daikini Fern...which became Daikini Bob.  I am down to 3 cats now...the last ones I'll ever have, because I've come down with Adult Onset Asthma and have since found out that I'm allergic to cats.  Cats find me, because I'm open to loving them and can't ever imagine one leaving of it's own accord.  I kick them out at night so they'll cat around and bring me little furry surprises in the morning and they sleep in the house during the day...unless I'm gardening.  Then they follow me around.  I wanted to write on that poster...what the hell did you do to your cat?  I realize that there are those folks who think cats are horrid and feel like they are saving birds by keeping them inside.  I can see why those cats would run away...I'd just hang myself if I had to be inside all day, every day...I think Bob would too.  He ain't going anywhere.  

I worry more about Bob getting the butterflies...which he occasionally does...but there isn't anything cuter than fat Bob pouncing in the flowers...he's terrific company...he never bores me by telling me the same story or nags me to do what he wants or thinks I should do...he just wants long hard effleurage and wet food.  All the massage therapists out there get this.

I'm glad no one wanted the girls twin antique bed at the garage sale, it's not for sale anymore...I love it.  I think I'll grow Indian corn in it next summer.

Come Summer Solstice, this gas lamp is getting a make over...stay tuned!

I dumped the end of a basil seed package out front...here's what happened after I forgot about it.

This is the first blossom on this little cacti, that I've long since forgotten about...since I bought it at Peckerwood Gardens in '08 or '09...isn't it cute?  Maybe Pam can remember it's name...

Look at that ugly ass building in the background...that's what I see here...if I won the lottery, I'd level that nasty insult to architecture, bulldoze the 3 ginormous parking lots that surround it and let it sit fallow for a year before turning it into a well planned park, with a meadow, trees, food gardens and a luxurious pond with stepping stones right through the middle so toddlers can feel brave and get close to the fish.

And, I'd change the name of this wild baby to something incorporating all the difficult letters in a scrabble game...something a thousand times more passionate...like zyuqkomgitoffameraAArrh or just hairy purple thang that tries to take over my yard every spring...thanks a lot Randy (that may be a bit too long.)

 Loofah growing in the partial shade.

 This is one of my favorite shots of the garden right now...I do believe that this is one of the most luxurious Junes we've had in a long time.

 And...just a few steps to the right, and back....

 Home sweet home.

 The first California poppy this year!  The color of my kitchen.

 The first Bee Balm...so faancy (pronounce double a's like ahhhhh.)

 Lambs ear

 Foxy Bob playing peek-a-boo in the fountain grass.  Isn't he handsome?

 Larkspur, fern leaf verbena, Belinda's Dream...another drawing.

 I never get sick of this flower...it's crazy gorgeous to me.

 So, I leave you with an image of Bob in the artichoke...he's just so beautiful.  There you have it, another nonsensical blog about all kinds of stuff that smacks of an undertaking started on Fool's day...bugs and cats and flowers and rants oh my!

Happy Gardening!  

Crestview Garden Listserve Tour

Crestview, my neighborhood is the only place I've lived for any length of time in my life. I've been in my house for 13 years this August and it is the only home I know. As time goes on and I meet more people in the neighborhood I am overwhelmingly grateful to share my time on earth with such innovative and conscientious beings as these gardeners that I've been meeting on our weekend get-togethers. We've got a list serve where folks post questions and share plants. Last year Paige, another gardening friend organized a tour of a few homes and it's taken off! For the past month we've visited 3-5 gardens, at a slow-meandering rate...several folks have graciously listed plants they would like to have removed to a good home, so we came with trowel and pot in hand. This is Sunday's tour of 3 lovely ladies' gardens.

A view of the front yard.

Beverly, the gardener and her partner Rock actually live in Allendale, but are very active on our list serve and come to the tours. Beverly is a fearless experimenter and inventor. I'm going to show you her 'wild' space and garden first then share with you some awesome observations of a green saint or potentially the truest conscious gardener I've met thus far.

Bee Balm

The space to the right of the photo is recently removed, water loving St. Augustine that she layered 10-15 sheets of newspaper over, covered with leaf litter and then planted with natives.
Textbook responsible.

Looking toward the Veggie garden in the far corner.

Another view of the fairly small back lawn.

Again, the lawn strip separating the gardens that surround the back porch area and separating us from the functional space.

This is Beverly, explaining her plan.

The veggie and herb garden. Notice that the beds are recycled material, and the walkways leaf litter. The various trellises are handmade from her own bamboo, properly planted I might add with various twigs from surrounding trees and vines. They all had a sense of curvilinear wonder and she said she just added pieces over time.

This is her home-made tomato cage!

The recycled cardboard compost containers with stick framework.

I have seen this before but didn't know anyone who actually went to the time and effort to cut and wrap newspaper for seedlings. I've also seen folks use toilet paper and paper towel tubes for this purpose.

Arugula, on it's way out...but more important...the shoes! Back in the 80's we all duck-taped our shoes along with the grungers but without asking, I know this is just making sense...why buy new gardening shoes to ruin them in the dirt! As I looked around I was noticing more and more that nothing in this house goes to waste...I forgot to ask her how full her recycle bin gets?

Here's another composter which makes so much sense it's almost embarrassing that I bought one! I actually gave mine to my friend Randy because it was too big for me to maneuver and the door was too small! No problem here and probably not a quarter the price of mine!

You guessed it! The old tent became a greenhouse! Last summer on vacation we realized...quite expectantly in the middle of a storm that our tent was leaking and I've been wondering what to do with it ever since! Hmmmmmmm.

I had to ask her about this one...it looked like the form of some Death Star and I hadn't seen the containers before. She told me that they were the microwave Healthy Choice meal containers and she just couldn't see throwing them away so she was trying to invent a tumbling composter.

I was really amazed...I wanted to break into her house to see what this woman had done with her doop! But, I held back and simply dug up a few sages from her backyard hoping that the sageness would rub off.

Not to deter from her plant growing ability or charm, she's got that too!
Thank you Beverly for the lesson in ecology and for being the concerned citizen and inspirational steward that you are!

The next garden belongs to a fellow Master Gardener friend of mine who spends every moment in her garden, and collecting species. The Crestview lots are notably smaller than Allendales and Elaine seems to be packing a few garden stores into her tiny jungle!

Elaine is a hoot! She has one of those scientific minds and can pull the correct botanical name out of her bum at any given moment, so it was fun to see her yard full of people firing questions as fast as she could answer!

I hadn't seen this before and still don't know what it is!

The Front...not yard...space.
You have to walk slow and step light. There are collections of all sorts, baubles, pottery, things that alone might seem like junque but in groups are quite charming. Elaine's got a collectors mind and I'll bet she never said no to a free plant and she seems the type to pull off the road real quick on big trash pick-up day, seeing the treasure with an eagles eye.

I have been nursing this plant at my home for a few years now and had no idea it bloomed!

If I didn't have two Boston Terriers, I'd collect gargoyles!

Looks like the side of my house!

Mulched and leaf litter pathways with birdbaths made of found objects and art pepper the cacophony of green and blooming foliage!

I love the rusting wagon planters and baby greens growing everywhere!

Here's Elaine, doing what she does best...recalling the exact name! Impressive!

Here is one of two eclectic home-built greenhouses that sit adjacent to the sprawling plant collection and art garden area.

A view from inside.

Like I said, bird baths and houses were everywhere! I tried, but failed to get a good shot of a sparrow feeding it's young a huge grasshopper! Nice IPM!

Looking East in front of the house.

It was virtually impossible to capture the magnitude and lush texture...what I hope you can see there in the middle is her blooming Brugmansia loaded!

This is the view from the back of the yard looking toward the house. In it you can see some of my favorite friends and neighbors and both of Elaine's greenhouses.

Notice the potted lime in the foreground!

I'm having green-pot envy!

I just love these cheerful blossoms! So tiny and sweet!

I showed this sign to my daugher last night when she was complaining about doing the dishes!

I took several pics of her hen-house but really wanted to get this girl...an Americana I think she called her, I just loved the architectural arch of feathers coming from her nether-region!

My how faaaancy!

Karen on Pasadena was last on the list.

I've noticed this yard for years...it's caddy-corner from my Ex. Oh yea, cue the music; sometimes you get more than a regular ole' garden blog...whether you want to or not!

Beautiful blooming natives tumble gently toward the front door.

Karen's another chicken enthusiast and had a huge outdoor space for her four-fat-girls!

A few years ago I had the same bunch, before the Boston Terrorist got a few of 'em. The Barred or Blacklaced Wyandott is one of my favorite gals (she's the stripy hen to the right.)

This is looking through the Hen yard (Dove cote on the right) to the seriously raised beds leading back to a secret swing and the compost area.

The pond!

The pond was roughly 7x9' with several waterfall steps down creating a lovely trill.

Had to catch this sunning beauty, the emblem of the Capital Area Master Naturalists!

He (I'm presuming...) let me pet him!

Here's the secret seat!

And, as in all the yards seen today...composter!

The delicate lavender blossom of eggplant.

Yum!

The Crestview Garden Listserve is open to everyone in North Central Austin, I believe...we've got folks from Brentwood, Allendale, Wooten, Highland, Shoal Creek and Crestview neighborhoods. We have plant swaps, seed gathering hikes, weekend tours...this coming weekend will feature one of my favorite neighbors' yard. She and her husband are artists and art collectors who have relocated from New Orleans. They grow veggies but also have designed and built a beautiful secluded Japanese garden off of their home office. The nice thing about Crestview is that it's a transitional neighborhood with all sorts of housing, one of the few remaining free pools in Austin and our very own 1953 shopping center with a great "Little Deli" and an IGA with a walk-in beer cooler!!! Yep, I don't think I'm going anywhere all too soon!

If your in the 'hood...sign up! crestviewgardeners@googlegroups.com

Thank you to the gracious-gardeners of Crestview!

Happy Gardening!