Amateur Gardener

We Have A Creek

2021-04-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

We've been exploring our recently purchased "raw" land and discovered we have a creek and natural spring. I would love to add some Spring flowering plants along this creek.

Cold Snow Day In Texas

2021-02-17T09:52:00.034-06:00

The temperature got down to 0 degrees and we were without electricity for 2 days. It's been intermittent power today. We do have water from the our well and have been using the generator to keep the pump from freezing.

Bird In The House During Snow Storm

2021-02-16T15:31:00.048-06:00

A bird flew out of our fireplace while I had a fire going! It's amazing it wasn't burned. It flew around from skylight to skylight (we have 2) for about an hour before I was able to coax it into a box with some birdseed. I was able to release it outside. We've been experiencing power blackouts since yesterday so I decided to make a fire to keep warm. I haven't used the fireplace since 2012 and we had to use some cut up 2x4s we had in the garage as we had no wood stored. Little bird was a welcome distraction from the cold and I'm glad it was able to fly away.

2021-02-15T09:25:00.003-06:00

BURRRRR - it's now 3 degrees and have been experiencing power blackouts since 5:20 am.

Happy New Year

2021-01-07T08:34:00.000-06:00

Just purchased 18 acres. I've got lots of landscaping to do.

Garden 2019 Is Still Humming Along / Wordless

2020-01-25T15:35:00.001-06:00

Polymerous Daylily and Cherry Tree

2019-06-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

I thought this daylily looked a bit odd. It has 4 petals and 4 sepals.
It usually has 3 of each. I'm not sure why this happens. It's called Polymerous.
This plant has had several blooms this season and this is the only flower so far like this.

Decatur Apricot Daylily ( A polymerous)

This is how it usually looks.

My son-in-law & daughter purchased 2 cherry trees for me as

a Christmas gift in 2012 - a Bing and a Stella. One died and one survived. It's

been a very slow grower as this is the first year

for blossoms. Beautiful blossoms and I did get

a few great tasting cherries!! Hopefully it will have more

next year. I guess this is the Stella - self pollinating.

Suburbia Final Came

2019-06-05T09:34:00.002-05:00

I've been on my little somewhat secluded 1/2 acre for 9 years with no neighbors on one side or behind us, just a wooded wildlife laden 6 acres with an unoccupied house. Now have new neighbors and wildness cleared out. It will take some getting used to. We attached lattice to the top of our fence to block the view. Some photos show before and after. Two large barns where built as well. I guess I was a bit spoiled. Oh well - knew someday it would change.

Barn just built where a vacant field was for the last 9 years.
See before photo below.

Before the barn photo.

This is the after photo

The second barn is behind our trees. So view is blocked
pretty good by our trees and lattice.

Before picture - the trees and shrubs hadn't come into bloom yet. Dirt area is
where the 2nd barn was built.

Bench Makeover

2018-05-26T15:14:00.001-05:00

We bought this bench in 2006. (I neglected to get a photo of it in it's delapidated state, but believe me it was a pitiful thing to look at) The paint was peeling and the boards were rotting. My husband was tired of looking at it as well and couldn't sit on it for fear of falling through. So he finally decided to repair it. He removed all the old boards and replaced with all new ones and left the rest to me. Yea!! I wanted to have a lot of color on my porch where the bench now resides. I also painted the bird house to match, which was also purchased in 2006, and in need of a makeover. I just love the new colors and walking up to the front door.

Spring Colors

2018-04-24T19:45:00.003-05:00

Clementine Double
Columbine -
this comes back on its
own every year.

Double Bridal Wreath
Spirea
Third year for this
shrub and its
starting to look
beautiful!!

Poppies coming up.
I don't think
they will bloom
this year. My
sister-in-law gave some
seeds to
me last fall. Not sure
what kind they are

I've started a new bed
in the front of the
house this year. The
azaleas in the back
didn't do well -
so I moved 2 here and
bought a new one
as well. This is
Encore Autumn Bell

Sky Spirit Iris
All the iris are getting
larger and more
spectacular looking in large
clumps of one color.

Hosta

I planted a geranium in a
tree stump - so far so good

Double Red Knockouts that
have survived the disease

Heirloom iris

Spin-off iris

I love all the green with just a little
bit of color mixed in.
This is a surviving single pink Knockout

I've added more of these Purple Oxalis around
the property. They have delicate
pale lavender flowers almost white

In the background is a tomato plant -
it's been unusually cool for this time of year and
I'm just now getting them planted.
Also planted a marigolds, basil and sweet peppers
to try to ward off bugs

This little clematis is still hanging on
It has been a very slow grower

Newly potted caladium

Row of double red Knockouts

I Guess Better Late Than Never

2018-02-25T14:54:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog. My quilt business has kept me out of the garden but now that it has slowed down I have a little time to post. These are LAST years photos. A lot has happened to the garden since then. It has become wild and untamed! Where to start....I am letting one rose/iris bed go as our tree has gotten larger and the spot is now mostly shade. I'm putting grass back in but keeping the part that still has full sun. I'm debating on whether or not to dig up the rose stumps from all the Knockout Roses as they all have Rose Rosetta disease (Witches Broom) and will never recover. We did cut them down to the ground last spring and they all bloomed their heads off for one good show, but then they became ugly with the disease again. I've moved a lot of the iris and daylilies that were in the bed under the tree. I must say - this was the best year so far for the daylilies. They bloomed all summer and into September.

These Knockouts so far have not been affected by the disease

Knockout with the disease that was cut down to the ground - it had this one good show

Another Knockout with the disease

This one is new to the garden - when it first opens it's
very dark in color but turns to a chocolate brown

Navajo Princess. One of my favorites and it bloomed all the way up into September

This is the new dark one that has lightened up to a lighter brown

Savannah Debutante is a double daylily

This one is always one of the last to bloom.

Daylilies In The Garden

2016-06-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

Moonlit Masquerade

Navajo Princess

Old Fashioned Maiden

Barbara Mitchell

Warrior Prince

Beautiful Edgings

Night Beacon

Decatur Apricot

Living Fence Update

2016-04-20T14:39:00.001-05:00


The living fence is really filled out now. I've still not trimmed them.

Living fence

Roses all blooming despite the Rose Rosetta

Living fence blocking the view of road

Pick Knockouts all in bloom

Spanish lavender is so beautiful this year.

It Has Been A While

2016-04-03T18:03:00.003-05:00


Beautiful white snapdragons mixed in with pink azaleas.

The snapdragons came back from the ones I planted last year.

Double Bridal Wreath Spirea bush

This is a photo of one of my 30 roses. They are ALL infected with
Rose Rosette disease.


To learn more about this go to

http://www.rose.org/rose-care-articles/rose-rosette-disease-sadly/

Daylily Time

2015-06-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

These two daylily plants are getting really large.
These are Orange Vols and Red
Volunteer.

Orange Vols

I purchased new
daylilies this year - this one is Final Touch

Another new one - Little Grapette

Lady Fingers
This one looks good planted with
a green backdrop

Janice Brown - she
has struggled, but glad
to see her bloom

Dallas Star
I moved a lot of my pink varieties
this spring because I had
them in an area that was too
shady. Once established they
will have more blooms

The Coneflowers have
really multiplied! You
can barely see the dayliles
planted among them

Another view of
Little Grapette

Apricot Drift rose

Another new addition -
Strawberry Candy daylily.
It looks stunning by
the Apricot Drift rose.

Another new one - Night Beacon

A Few Bright Spots Despite The Flooding Rains

2015-05-30T11:42:00.001-05:00

I was able to get out yesterday during
a break in the continual rains we've had
here in Texas. Most everything is washed out
but I did manage to find a little color in the garden.
I am thankful that all the ponds and lakes are
full again - a blessing...Our local dam, Denison Dam, has
gone over the spillway, 4th
time in it's history. It was in 1957, 1990, 2007 and
now 2015. When it was built in the 1940s
they said that this would only occur
once every 100 years.

Apricot Bliss rose.

Unknown lily, but so bright!

Daylily, Russian Rapsody

I have moss! This is my front patio and the
cracks are usually filled with dirt and sand. When
the heat returns, I'll be sad to see this go.

Daylily, Warrior Prince

So Much Rain

2015-04-30T09:36:00.002-05:00

I'm not one to complain about rain here in
Texas - but it (flooding rains) came at a time when all the
roses and iris had just bloomed. Most were waterlogged and
not very pretty to photograph.
Red Knockouts in the front have gotten
large and are starting to hide the chain link fence.

Spanish Lavender

Red David Austin rose with beautiful iris.

Abraham Darby David Austin english rose before
the rains

The fragrance is out of this world!

Wisteria growing on the fence.
I'm trying to cover up the chain link fence!

April Day

2015-04-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

The ajuga is beautiful this year

Ajuga mixed in with caladium Miss Muffet and Purple Oxalis

Garden "buddy"

Before photo

After photos

The iris are really sparse this year.
Can't figure out why I have so few.
First time this has happened. Usually in
April they are just loaded with buds.

The new spanish lavender I planted several
weeks ago

Coreopsis with a large clump of
herb Rosemary in the background

The Delphinium is just
breathtaking!

A Tiger Swallowtail enjoying it.

Iris "Footloose" with caladiums and
snapdragons

Entrance to the garden - this is usually full
of iris blooms

My garden buddy Tigger passed away
this past January. He was 13. Miss you

A Lovely Spring, So Far

2015-03-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

Lovely daffodils so sunny and bright!! These popped up
as soon as the snow melted.

Lynwood Gold Forsythia came into bloom and
so far gets better with each passing day -
the blooms will soon be replaced with
a restful green that I love in the hot summer time.

Flowering Quince. This has been a slow grower but is
stunning this year!

I planted a Variegated Privet at the same time as
the Flowering Quince - it really took off!

I love stone! I cleaned out this flower bed
that has Drift roses, Loropetalum fringe flower shrubs and
a few daylilies. I just added the stone to define
the bed.

Went Snapdragon shopping. I didn't
get any seeds sown this year.

Purchased some tomato plants as well - Heirloom
varieties - Cherokee Purple and Rutgers. I'm
planting them in pots this year to see if I get a better
yield.
For last couple of years the tomatoes
didn't produce much. I've never
tried the Cherokee Purple.

New azalea that I bought for the front yard.

Elaeagnus shrubs are still
progressing for my living fence. I
am still replacing a few at time
that didn't survive the heatwave we had in 2012.

The snapdragons are adding some
color to the garden. I think we are having
a late spring. Usually this time of
year the heirloom variety of iris are blooming.
I don't have buds on ANY of the iris yet.

Bridal Wreath Spirea Shrub. This is
new to the garden. My experimental
shade garden under the large
cedar tree had lots of
plant deaths. I moved all
the daylilies to a sunnier spot. All the
camellias died along with a few of the azaleas.
There are two remaining azaleas.

Added some Blue Delphinium here

Spanish Lavender

Thought maybe this new succulent might grow around the stone

Red Knockouts coming along - also a Redbud Tree blooming
across the road

A bit of whimsy on the well house

Put a few Snapdragons in this bed

New bird house I put on top of the clothes line.
I love bird houses

Hello 2015

2015-03-02T08:43:00.003-06:00

I hope to get back to my blog this year (of course I said that last year too). I'll start off with a couple of snow pictures. This was our first snow of the season. Ready for spring!

Today's Garden Views

2014-06-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

As I was photographing I could see grasshoppers coming at me
left and right! I'm being invaded! This
beautiful daylily is Orange Vols.

The red daylily is Red Volunteer

Princeton Point Lace

Star Struck

Solar Fire Tomato

Sadly, most of the tomato plants in this bed have
a virus and this is probably the only
crop I will get. I do have
several plants planted among some of the flowers
and in another bed and they
seem to be doing okay, so far!

Russian Rhapsody

Navajo Princess

Old Fashioned

2014-05-30T08:06:00.002-05:00

You gotta have a few "old fashioned" flowers in
the garden. My sister gave me some Hollyhock
seeds last summer and this is my reward
today. I love this flower - but you do
need a lot of room for these. The pink flower up
against the purple leaves of the canna
are a nice contrast.

Heirloom tomatoes are coming along, but a few
have the yellowing of the leaves - our humidity
is very high. Any suggestions?

Here is another rose "Double Delight" - a hybrid
tea rose that everyone should have - VERY
fragrant and the color
changes on a daily basis - from bicolor to a
pinky red and sometimes to almost white.

A Good Idea

2014-05-17T08:59:00.002-05:00

A Good Idea -
On a recent trip to Austin to see
some family - my
brother gave me this strip of a paper towel.
He had taken the seeds from his heirloom
tomatoes last year and dried them on a paper towel
and then cut them into strips. He said to just
plant the strip - so I did --- see photo
below of the seedlings coming up. Loved
this idea.

Tomato seedlings coming up from the
paper towel strip. Keep you posted on
the progress

Tomato bed - tomatoes are coming along! Hope
to get some this year.

Lovely Yellow

2014-05-09T07:24:00.003-05:00

Jamaican Dream iris along with Graham Thomas
David Austin Rose. I took this photo
after our lovely rain stopped.

Abraham Darby Rose

2014-05-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

Everyone should have this rose in their
garden - it is just the loveliest. It
scents the entire yard and is a beautiful
combination of pink and apricot color.