May rains have finally let up.  The whole month of rain was wet everywhere!  We drove north to South Dakota in rain the whole time. Texas is not in the red zone for drought for the first time in years.  We have taken this route for years and never have seen every stream, creek and river full.
We were traveling for 10 days and it rained at our house nearly every day we were gone.  I expected much more damage than my gardens show.
                                                                                   Don't forget to click a picture for larger

This is the straightest path from top to bottom of hill.  Didn't expect so much runoff

Neighbors reported heavy rain two different times.  Being on a hill, the wall of water must have been significant

This is the most damage of any size.  Moles were busy undermining this area all spring.

This wheelbarrow was empty 10 days ago.  We got over 12" while we were gone.

 This sad looking spot is really a good surprise.
I expected the smaller coneflowers to wash out.
They look good and even the newly planted herb at the back and in the pot look okay.

Lots of weeding ahead.

Mosquitoes are very, very bad. Standing water is not a good thing.

More mole damage wash out

Another bed, light brown is wash out.  No plants hurt because I dug out this area "just in case"

Same bed, lower end. Will dig sand in and some compost.

The sick grey looking plant is water logged California poppy. 

New coneflower bed. I moved these from the first bed.  High enough to not get water logged.

Transplanted salvias are looking fine.

 I plan to foliar feed all plants soon.

This healthy cone flower plant came up this spring. The bed is full of Mexican Petunias and very crowded.  It must have benefited from all those roots keeping water from standing too long. The stems are 3 feet or better.

 This area washed out because of heavy downfall pouring over the rain gutter. I have to do something else
as it seems we are getting rain again.  Maybe concrete squares over dirt to cover roots.

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.”
― Robert Frost

For those who have washed out plantings, I highly recommend this plant.  It has tough root system and transplants (and survives) in nearly any weather.  I have dug and moved even in heat of summer with a bit of shade of course.

Oriental Limelight Artimesia vulgaris.

All new plantings are doing fine after downpours.

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

Fall is on its way (joke)

Yesterday it felt like fall and then this morning the temp is 80 degrees and 80 % humidity at 7AM.

I fed the plants Thrive this morning.  The cone flowers finally look like they may grow and bloom.  The nibbled ones are putting on nice leaves (some mottled - have to check that out) and even though some of the older plants are dying back, things look hopeful for next season.
I may just have to live with fencing things in and the bunnies out in order to have my gardens back. The moles are another issue and will be quite expensive to drive them away from the gardens.

I read one blog that said the fencing should be 2 to 3 feet high.  Mine is 4 feet because I used left over stuff. I will have to buy some more wire fencing and it is not cheap. So, need to know for sure which height will work best.  At 2 to 3 feet, I can step over as opposed to the task of pulling rocks and edging AND 2 layers of wire fence to get inside to weed and feed.  It was all a stop gap measure in the emergency mode.  Not convenient by any means.
One more thing on my to do list for when the weather cools.

The Autumn Sage is coming along nicely after the compost and re-mulch job a while back.

Today has also been a verification of my choice to buy the smaller metal/mesh garden cart instead of the wooden cart I had.  The sides are a snap to drop, making loading heavy things much easier.  The sides are hinged and don't touch the ground, which is great for over sized bags.  Another big plus is the balloon tires. Pulling it through the sandy/mole riddled yard was a snap!
I am already thinking of other things to haul in it.

On to other subjects

July  18
I am officially at war with the bunnies!!
I saw myself in the mirror at the fitness center. The face looking back at me was depressed, hang dog, woe be gone........................you get the picture.
I have been losing plants to the little beasties no matter what I try.  Every morning, I check the poor cone flowers and there are more nibbled off to pitiful sticks.
I decided to try another idea.  I gathered up some chicken wire left over from tomato cages, some T-posts and good ole cable ties.

My hubby and I spent a few productive hours circling the area under attack.  He came up with a clever "gate" idea.
The  black horizontal line is a bungee cord stretched to pull "gate" tight..
The rocks are treasures from trips to New Mexico and South Dakota. When I travel I take home as many interesting rocks as my car will safely carry.  They line gardens, paths and some just sit lookin' pretty.
These around the fence are to try to block openings for the bunnies.

These nubby things should be over 18 inches tall now.

Hopefully, they will get a chance to show off this fall.