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!  

Happy HalllllLLLLLOOOOOooooowwWWEEEeenn!

OOOOooohhhh! Isn't it perfect out there? Top of the season to you! It's been a glorious day and I simply must share! Evil, skeletal, rocking, unicorn is all dressed up to scare the ba-jeebus outta little-ones and I can't wait to see 'em out tonight in all their scary finest! Devoted spouse aka... Beer-man is dutifully working on his computer after our busy morning of hunting and planting.

The beautiful Autumn berries are out tempting the fall migration and the wind is blocking out the traffic noise just enough to make the bird-song sharp!

Yaupon Holly

Pigeon Berry


I love it when the peppers turn red on the vine! We put in the last of the fall plants: parsley, dill, sorrel, more Swiss chard, cilantro, winter kale and I had to replace the thyme.

Yikes! Wild outfit for a faaAAaancy Butterfly to wear for Halloween! She's one of many on the Shrimp plant.

Swallowtail

There's an abundant late influx of caterpillars this year! The butterfly garden is full of these beauties nibbling on the bronze fennel!

Our lovely old fashioned, native Fall Aster, feeding the pollinators and providing some cheeriness!

Ruby Grass

The grasses are in tip-shape around town, and in the back yard waiving in the breeze.

Patrick-O'Lantern? hehehe...

Burgundy beans

Spouse found out from reading the last post that I was snorfeling up the beans, so it's become increasingly hard to find my afternoon snack!

Chili pequin (petin)

This is the first year I decided to collect the chili pequin, the birds seem to be ignoring them this year...so spiced oil has been put on the to-do list.

Texas Pecan

We went out early this morning to do our "big people" trick-or-treating and gathered a few bags of pecans that had fallen onto the sidewalk and street!

Mexican Marigold

This is the craftsmanship you get when you let your daughters boyfriend carve the pumpkin...something I'd never do, but I must give a shout out to the Rangers who have put my neighbors in an exceptionally good mood, especially when the Longhorns seem to be "asleep at the wheel"...hehe...local flavor, if you know who lives in this hood.

I thought I'd unveil my new blog name on Halloween...as we're taking a turn for the slacker here at Conscious Ungardening...slacker-gardening is quite scary to the uptight gardener...Boo!

I hope you stick with me as I take a giant step back and consider what can do without me, in my garden.

Happy UNgardening!

GBBD May Flowers

What a blustery month this May has been. Twice this week we opened the front door to giant Sycamore limbs in the front yard. One just missed my car and took out an 8 ft. Cenzio and 3 Autumn Sages. I've had an idea for sculpting the remaining trunk but am waiting for a returned call from my arborist, I take it he's right busy. Anyway, this month's Garden Blogger Bloom Day finds the Govumpella yard with more fruit than flowers, seems April was the big bloom count.

May means the full revenge of the insects and I tried to catch bees, wasps, ants etc. etc. to help round out the senses. It's a buzzing, windy force outside.

The roses have wound down and most are suffering black spot and leaf drop...oh well.

Desert Rose is doing fine, this is her first blossom of the summer.


10 years ago I bought one of those coffee cans of Texas Wildflowers and raked it in the front space. The only flowers that still return are Indian Blanket and Larkspur.

I tried to capture a long shot of the hell-strip with it's yellow show, but the gray light didn't seem to help. There are poppies, hymenoxix, bulbine, yarrow, Gregg Dahlia, Lavender, Autumn Sage, Russian Sage, blooming Oregano, skullcap and red yucca all in show.

My very first post over two years ago was about the first blossom I'd gotten on my pride of Barbados. This year she's covered, and I never get tired of that spitting-streamer-party-wild face she has.

She's huge now, and has put out two babies near by.

Yarrow.

Yarrow, ice plant, lavender, Russian sage and lambs ear.

Heartleaf skullcap has taken over Sabra's lonely swing.

Majestic Sage

Blue Mealy Sage

The first year that Blanco did the Lavender Festival, loving spouse and I drove out and bought 10 plants. The names stayed in the ground for a few years but are now lost. I've got 3 varieties blooming and I don't know their name!

The sweet blossoms of lambs ear.

Pesky rabbits. The beginning of just a little bugly damage!

She's not doing any harm on this larkspur...just a little pollinating.

The swallowtail caterpillars are here!

I put in 3 bronze fennel last year for my butterfly habitat and this year I have 7 volunteers. Last night however, 3 of these guys took out 2!

I caught this guy in the morning light...

And spouse got this shot a few hours later! This spider is a master camoflage artist, Misumena Vatia, on purple coneflower.

Squash alley.

Leave some for us!

The first pepper blossom!

The tomatoes are a coming!

We've got 10 that have survived, there were 13 originally.

The predictable Early Girl.

Tomato blossoms remind me of "Jazz Hands" or "Spirit Fingers!"

Oaxacan Stripe

Tuna!

The first of the Pineapple Guava blossoms, I'm still just stoked that this little shrub made it through the winter!

You can see the buglies if you enlarge this photo. These are the peaches on the island across the street at the CBC, we planted this tree two years ago in November!

Here's the bounty, unless the neighbors or passers by got some first!

First crop of Fuyu Persimmon!

The lone fig. This little guy died to the ground in the freeze so I'm surprised we even got one! My two fig trees are pass alongs from Skip Richter's propagation project of the giant 150 year old fig tree at Boggy Creek Farms.

Blackberries! I'm eating about 5 in the morning and then another 5 or so are ready by the time I get home from work in the afternoon. This year I'm hoping to propagate several more from the mommy plant!

Apricots, a few weeks back...for some reason I had a huge fruit drop, but some still remain.

Kumquat May.

I know...bad pun, and it's a loquat...but this is the last one, and it was delicious...didn't even have to make jam. For more photos of blooming beauties in the month of May, go to Carol's blog May Dreams Gardens and check out the blog roll from around the globe!

Happy Gardening!