Hardware Cloth Basket

Necessity is the mother of invention; Plato

I am not giving up the fight to grow things in my decrepit court yard.  The old Yaupon trees have prodigious roots.  Everything I have put in the ground in the space across from the patio dies because the roots sap all nutrients and crowd out the plant.

I visited a nursery to ask if they might have an idea, besides above ground pots.  The lady there suggested this idea.  I have made one that is in the ground, filled with soil waiting for plants.  This was my trial run to see how hard it would be to do these pots (or baskets).  Not that hard and I am eager to see how they work out.

¼" hardware cloth circle for bottom

Supplies; hardware cloth, scissors, small zip ties

The hardware cloth has an edge on the top and bottom of the length
of the roll.  I made sure the edge is on top and the raw, wire of the cut part are on the bottom.  The wire is very sharp and will snag hands and  clothes.

These florist type scissors have a serrated edge that cuts the wire better than my
wire cutter.

The zip ties are small enough to poke through the wire and tighten.
I am also thinking that I could cut the bottom an inch or so larger and
fold the excess up and fasten that as well.

I experimented with the height and decided on 18".

 I plan to dig a hole and bury it with about 4"
above ground.
I hope the holes are small enough to keep the roots
of the Yaupon from getting AND keep the mole from
tunneling around in there and leaving the open space
which allows air to dry out the roots.

My thinking is that with the basket in the ground,
the soil won't heat up as much as in a pot and won't dry out as fast.

Balmy April and flying insects

We need insects; just not all at once.  Something came to mind................................mosquitoes and gnats.

What I like about the odd warm days in winter.  Warm being relative as 40° in January or March can be lovely.  Mainly, I like being out and sitting quietly without gnats and mosquitoes attacking.  I try to just enjoy the fact that I am not continually swatting the air in the struggle to keep the beasties at bay.

It is only a few more days until May and the swarms are awake and attacking with a vengeance. I can keep the gnats from diving for my eyes with a good pair of safety goggles. All be it, scratched and smudged makes for not too clear view.  Mosquitoes from going for the back of the elbows with long sleeve shirt.  Unfortunately, when the temperature reaches 85+, sweating will require other plans.

It Ain't Over Til It's Over (winter)

 “Winter is not a season, it's an occupation.”
― Sinclair Lewis

 “You need patience to be a good gardener. If you don't have patience, and you stick with gardening, it will teach you patience.” --Bill Turull Jr. as quoted in "People, Places and Plants" magazine, N.E. / N.Y. Edition, Summer 2005



   "Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness.” ― Mary Oliver                                                    

No snow here, but winter returned  in the night.  We had 5 days of 80° weather and wind.  Mother Nature wasn't done with winter. Woke to 31° and clear skies after days of rain and a day of wind.  I did go out to view what I knew would be the scene.  Potted plants that have tender leaves were frozen. The Alyssum looks surprised that it is so cold.  The Bluebonnets are even covered in frost. Not the pretty, delicate touch of frost. The poor California poppy is hit again. This makes the fifth time the plants have been frozen. This is serious stuff.  I will check again later.................................
We have a neighbor who remembers the wonderful peaches we had in 2012 called to see if they had been hit .   

Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers. ~Byron Caldwell Smith, letter to Kate Stephens

Contemplating the sad state of the "Spring" garden, I will remember a damp, rainy, cool day only a few days ago.
I took the Bloggie camera out and searched for more weeds/wildflowers.



(This is a quote from Plants of Texas Rangelands)
There are 14 species and several varieties of wild onions in Texas. These biennial or perennial herbs have strong-scented (odor of garlic/onion), underground bulbs that give rise to long, narrow leaves.
The flowers are arranged in a terminal cluster attached to an unbranched stalk arising from the bulb between the leaves. Flower stalks may be 6 to 20 inches high with blooms of white, yellow, pink, red or purple. In some species, blooms are replaced by bulb lets.

 Don't forget to click 
on the picture to see larger.

These blossoms are about ¼ inch across

 

 These pictures are so pretty that I cannot but admire this little camera.

This bug is so tiny, I didn't even know I captured it.

Bluebonnets in April

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.  ~Mark Twain

In spite of all the crazy weather extremes this past winter, the Bluebonnets are struttin'  their stuff.

It is raining and cold this morning, not a problem, jacket and boots and Bloggie are out there anyway.

Pretty photogenic, even tho I think Bluebonnets should be Blue

This is odd, early April and there are seed pods on this plant. Oops!  A bee!

There are quite a few plants with leaves like this.  Means something, I just don't know what.

The blossom spike is shorter than usual along with the stunted leaves.

Couldn't resist. Rain drops and my Bloggie are made for photos!

This is the leaf of the "Flanders Poppy".
Several plants have come  up this year.  In odd spots where they weren't even growing in years past.

  As much as I love the flowers, the leaves and plant get so large and dense that they crowd out any other flowers or shade areas so seeds cannot germinate.

I will leave a very few of them alone. Most will have to go the way of all garden weeds.

 This is the garden area I worked on
months ago.  I had taken out the other side intending to let it go to grass. (joke)  Mainly took it out because it was never quite finished and filled with weeds, leaves and made a depressing mess.

The blue bonnets have been coming up scattered all over the property. This stand started and instead of pulling out I decided to let them go.

I

I am happy now that I did.  It is a treat to have bluebonnets so close to the front porch. They are the healthiest of all the stands so far.

The rain drops look like jewels

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

One of my favorite Spring destinations

March in Minneapolis from a friend

Last Thursday with a strange morning of 60°, overcast, drizzly feeling and a promise of 80's later in the day, I headed for one of my favorite destinations. Not that far really, but I don't drive the freeways much anymore and wasn't looking forward to that part.

Redenta's Garden in Arlington, Texas is one of our better known organic gardening nurseries.
I was not disappointed.  I have been struggling with lavender plants dying over and over again. That was my mission, to get help and ideas on what I can do to keep them alive.  The lovely lady there took time out to explain the types they are selling and even gave me a note pad and pen to jot down information.

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

They have quite a selection of lavender plants

Once that was taken care of, I got to take time out and just wander the area. They never fail to have new and inspiring ideas for the garden as well as a potting "bar". This is so enchanting. I wanted to do some potting there myself.

These jars look like they are filled with jelly beans, they are stones and such

 They have the "bar" set up under cover and these jars are on a wall with a huge  old fashioned BAR sign with marque lights that unfortunately wasn't lit. .  They sell the lighted letters and have them hung and lit all over the shop.

 I have been seeing these "fairy gardens" a lot lately.  There are so many creative people in gardening that the ideas are endless and charming.

They look  so life like and they are really so tiny sort of like a garden doll house.

The gotta have that rack. Always something different

I can see this succulent planting with "fairy" additions

A green house you just want to walk through the door and stay awhile.

I didn't get the names of these succulents, just enjoyed closeups with my Bolggie camera. 

But each spring...a gardening instinct, sure as the sap rising in the trees, stirs within us. We look about and decide to tame another little bit of ground. ~ Lewis Gantt

Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than Emperor's. ~ Mary Cantwell


 Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. ~ Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897

March weeds and peach blossoms

Chickweed

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.  ~Doug Larson

 This being Spring, the chilly temperatures have not slowed the weeds at all. In a way, there is beauty in the flowers and the green. It is best to take pictures of the flowers and not think of how MANY of them there are.

Lovely, tiny blossoms. Too bad they aren't what we want in the yard

Don't forget to click on picture to enlarge

Common Stork's Bill

Common Stork's Bill

  It is fascinating to look up a flower, wild flower or weed with the
picture at hand.  I have lived with these weeds and wild flowers and
never tried to remember their names.

The weed blossoms are every bit as lovely as a wild flower. Unfortunately, they are not very well behaved and will take over an entire yard. The blossom is less than 1/2 inch across.


There is a wild flower called the Texas Stork's Bill.  The blossom is not the same other than five petals.  The Texas Stork's Bill is purple.

It is interesting to wonder why one is considered a "flower" and the other a "weed".

Common Stork's Bill

Ranger peach 20+ year old tree

More on weeds later.
The old peach trees are blooming.  The tired old trees may surprise us again this year. Nature got everything right in 2012 and we had peaches enough to share as well as dehydrate and freeze and make jam.
It would be lovely to share again.We are still asked if we have any peaches in summer.

Chocolate's okay, but I prefer a really intense fruit taste. You know when a peach is absolutely perfect... it's sublime. I'd like to capture that and then use it in a dessert.
fruit quote by Kathy Mattea

 

 

It could still freeze even in March and take away the hope of peaches

A friend told me this reminds her of a skirt blowing in the wind and leggings

This is the peach with it's blossom "hat"

 The ripest peach is highest on the tree.
fruit quote by James Whitcomb Riley

If well managed, nothing is more beautiful than the kitchen garden: the earliest blossoms come there: we shall in vain seek for flowering shrubs to equal the peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums.
fruit quote by William Cobbett

Just cuz March is windy....................

 The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Terri Guillemets

Today, Tuesday == the wind is gusting to 35 mph. The odd Texas temperature 82°. Not a day for pictures or work.  Weeds need attention. They are thriving after over an inch of much needed rain a few days ago.

While dealing with new hearing issues, I decided to just go to the garden and take it all in. I stand amazed at what my hands, feet and back have accomplished.  I miss hearing the birds close by.  I saw a pair checking out the bird houses in the center of the garden.  By the time I went to get the binoculars and returned they were gone.

Then, Bloggie camera in hand I spotted a new flower.  It turns out to be a Ten Petal Anemone.  Joy!  Thank God I can still see!!  I know no reason why it should appear in the old flag stone path but there it is!

 The wind may blow, the soil may dry, 
Our health may go, I will not cry.

Oh, puleeeze,,,,,,,, I am just so very grateful I can see and walk around in my garden.

My garden will never be lush nor grandiose. It will never be just the way
I want it. Plants will bloom one year and die the next.  It will have weeds, rabbits and (thank God) BEES AND BUTTERFLIES.

I prefer winter and Fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show. ~Andrew Wyeth