Building a low retaining wall to unbeach the Whale
November 01, 2008 If you’ve been following the saga of my ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (Agave ovatifolia ), you’ll know how I wrestled it out of the dirt in my old garden in order to bring it to my new house. This agave is just too hard to find and too ...
Green bugs
October 29, 2008 This metallic green bee was struggling in the pool this afternoon. I rescued it with a liriope leaf and set it on the cedar bench to dry. After a few moments in the sun, she used her antennae like windshield wipers to clean her face. Then off ...
Red rose, orange hips
October 28, 2008 Brisk weather enlivened both the gardener and the unknown climbing rose planted by the previous owner. It’s red—my favorite color. The scent was faint, but perhaps it’s because temperatures were cool yesterday (upper 60s for most of the day, with an afternoon high of 71 degrees). Just ...
A splash of color
October 26, 2008 Yesterday and today I moved rock. Not all day, but when I had a few hours to spare. I moved rock from the stoneyard to the car to the wheelbarrow to the back yard to the raised bed where I’m adding a low retaining wall to tame ...
Really digging
October 24, 2008 Virginia creeper Cool Canadian air surged into central Texas Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday morning it really felt like autumn—downright nippy at daybreak, then cool and sunny in the afternoon. Like Pavlov’s dog, I was suddenly drooling to be digging in the garden, planting something, anything. Through ...
Digging into the new garden
October 22, 2008 After two weeks in the new house and a few rain showers, it’s become evident that we need to do some hardscaping work: a new fence to replace a section that’s falling down; a new path from the driveway to the side yard and a place to ...
A blooming full moon
October 15, 2008 Last night the moon was in full bloom in the October sky. It shone like a newly minted dime as it peeked over the treetops. But by the time I’d set up the tripod in the dark street, wispy gray clouds had tarnished it. More clouds scudded ...
A tale of two gardens
October 14, 2008 As we wait out the national financial disaster that’s keeping potential buyers away from our former home, I find myself in the unique position of caring for two properties. I mused on the differences this morning as I watered the old garden, seeing as it’s never going ...
Rocks and trees: My new garden-to-be
October 08, 2008 With temps in the 50s this morning, milder afternoon heat (80s), and even an inch and a half of rain yesterday, it’s feeling autumnal. I can never resist a hint of fall, so I abandoned my unpacking to take some photos and show you my new garden-to-be ...
