Front garden slow start

Gardening is the purest of human pleasures. ~ Francis Bacon

 

Mid morning will be in full shade by 2PM

9AM

These pictures are to help me determine
how much sunlight each section of

The area closest is in the most shade

the garden gets.  Some is dappled, some
is sunny most of the day.

The few plantings seem to be holding
their own.  The Lantana seems to have
adapted and looks as if it is going to do
well.

I thinka dwarf  Nandina may be best suited. It is growing  in a part shade location and still thriving.  Even though I prefer blooming plants, this looks like the best choice.

The rose bush on the far end needs to come out.  Hopefully, this fall or winter I can get it moved.

Pink Moth

Gardening is any way that humans and nature come together
with the intent of creating beauty.
-   Tina James, 1999

Please click on picture to enlarge

This lovely, tiny moth visited again this year.  This moth is specific to salvias.  Well, the colors go together nicely?  Unfortunately, it isn't a happy thing.  I did spell it wrong on my previous post. (this is the reason I don't try to use the Latin name when describing flowers or insects! Too easy to misspell.)

 I found a picture of the caterpillar on the Web.  What a beautiful caterpillar! That said, I have to change this blog because the picture was copyrighted.

As beautiful as this moth is, I now have to make a decision about removing my source of food for them.
Sort of the solution for my Cone Flowers as well.
Once the moth/butterfly find the specific flower for them, they will visit year after year and decimate the plant(s)!
So far, I have not seen significant evidence of this moth's caterpillar on the Salvias.  It is just a matter of time. I will be on the watch to see if they also "like" my white Salvias. That could be a big problem. The bees use the white Salvia almost exclusively. 

http://texangardenerandtraveler.blogspot.com/2013/07/pink-beauty-not-such-good-thing.html

RAIN!

Taken through blinds on kitchen window it is pouring rain, ultimately there were 4 finches

I had been out earlier in the morning looking over the sad state of all the flowers.  The Lantana is the only thing that seems to be surviving.

It was a lovely cool morning and the patio is shaded most of the day. I have been working on my flea market windows.  I have been spending an hour or 2 for several mornings, chipping, scraping and sanding off old paint and window glaze.  The windows are not in great shape and some of the wood is staying attached by paint. There are a lot of broken windows that will need to be replaced.

Around 9:30 it started raining seriously. Heavy down pour and not a lot of wind.  I continued to work thinking that it was just a shower.  At some point, I realized this was rain.  I dropped everything, got my rain jacket and boots  and ran out into the downpour to set up every 5 gallon bucket and even a couple of plastic trash containers. The rain totes had over filled quite quickly and I arranged the trash containers and the down spout to catch the flow of water.

Everything I had set out is filled to overflowing and no more receptacles. It continued to rain for 2 to 3 hours. Only 3" in all, but it seemed like much, much more. The yards are flooded as well as the driveway.

I did manage to spend so time with more scraping and such.  I didn't think it wise to use the electric sander.

“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”
― Vladimir Nabokov

By this time, I had water in my boots and soaked pants and shirt collar.
It actually was fun!  Like a kid playing in the rain.


“Never run in the rain with your socks on.”
― Billie Joe Armstrong 

Now that all the containers are full, the sun is out, I am soaked and chilled.  Time to call it a day.

Monarchs and Milkweed

A good gardener always plants 3 seeds - one for the bugs, one for the weather and one for himself. ~ Leo Aikma

I started this a while back.  I have read numerous articles of the decline of the monarch.  We were fortunate enough a few times to have the migration fly over our place. Clouds of them.  They usually fly through on their migration 20 or so miles to the east of us. I will never have the thrill of being in Mexico when they arrive, but I can hope they will change their pattern of flight one more time..............

Since writing, I have planted the milkweed the Monarch requires.  I hope it survives the summer and draws in the Monarchs.

 I did see caterpillars on this one. They didn't stay very long. I have looked for eggs on it and there are none. There is a picture of the egg in the article on the link.

Remember to click on a picture to see enlarged

Monarch butterflies have been seen in the area and I have joined the gardener brigade to plant a weed for them.  Monarchs NEED the MILKWEED.  This is a very informative link to Monarch information.
There are lots of articles and information out there, but just in case my readers haven't paid attention or missed that issue, I am doing all I can to promote care of the Monarch and forget our aversion to "weeds".

Be sure to click on this link as it has beautiful photos of the monarch.
http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/columnists/mariana-greene/20140416-first-monarchs-spotted-in-dallas-area.ece

Now, "for the rest of the story.

compared to gardeners, I think it is generally agreed that others understand very little about anything of consequence. ~ Henery Mitchell

Too many people feel the need to waste water on lawns that have to be mowed, fertilized, mowed, water...............................  Think of what a waste!!!  We have water rationing practically all year now.  My yard is au naturel and may be looked down upon by strollers or drivers through our neighborhood. I don't really care what others think of no lawn, I am doing my little bit to keep flowers and soon Milkweed alive.


We have had Monarchs visiting every year and even though there have never been many at one time, they visit my zinnias, lantana, roses and the occasional (weed/wildflower).  I haven't taken the time to actually see what weeds they visit.  It seems to be most attracted to daisy like blossoms. Oh, yes, and the butterfly weed.

This morning, I was checking what to water.  The heat is coming on again.  I don't know what to do at this point but water.
I was so thrilled and excited to see monarch caterpillars on this bush!  I have 2 now.  I forgot about watering, drought, heat... and went inside and got my Bloggie.

Now I know the leaves aren't falling off. They are being eaten!

I can only hope one will deem the bush good enough to lay her eggs.
There have been other butterflies on this bush.  I am not a fan of the red and yellow blossoms, but will learn to love them.

Caterpillars can fly, if they just lighten up.” ― Scott J. Simmerman Ph.D.

 “The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.”
― George Carlin

“My thoughts are like butterflies. They are beautiful, but they fly away.”
― Anonymous

Coneflower trials continue

“Most folks probably think that gardens only get tended when they're blooming. But most folks would be wrong.”
― Shannon Wiersbitzky, What Flowers Remember

Don't forget to click on a
picture to see larger 

 Damaged or not this picture is so pretty.
I am beginning to think that I am not supposed to have a lovely garden area of coneflowers.  The flowers were beautiful and promising more.  I hoped for no rabbits (still fenced in)(flowers,s not the rabbits!) I looked forward to butterflies and bees visiting.  Not this year either.

Heat is bad enough, drought and very sandy/powdery soil and 100° or more have made a sad mess of the area.

The new culprit?  Caterpillars!!!! They were tiny black and spiky.

I had noticed black leaves and black edges to the petals.  I had no idea what was going on.  Then, I spotted
the telltale droppings. I knew then it was caterpillars.  A Silvery Checkerspot butterfly to be exact.
http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/silvery-checkerspot-butterfly.html

I am not sure if the caterpillar is eating on the petals or this is a result of serious damage

"A perennial is a plant that would have come back year after year if it had survived." I use that when my husband asks "How long will it live?"

There is a caterpillar in the center

Spring joy

 A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself. ~ May Sarton

Spring  promise

After cutting away damage, small flowers bloomed

Same flowers in August

"We go in withering July
To ply the hard incessant hoe;
Panting beneath the brazen sky
We sweat and grumble, but we go."
-   Ruth Pitter, 1897-1992, The Diehards, 1941