Sunday, March 30, 2008

Progress

Well everyone, the new bed is coming right on along and starting to look like a flower bed. We’ve planted it for the most part so it is symmetrical on each side sort of in an ‘S” formation, but opposite so it looks the same if you are standing in the front or in the back. So far we’ve planted 2 Japanese Maples, 6 Buddleia (1 Adonis, 2 Nanho, 1 Honeycomb, 1 White Ball and 1 White Profusion), 1 Texas Lilac, 6 Mexican Heather, 2 Black and Blue Salvia, 1 Royal Purple Mexican Sage Bush, 2 Purple fountain grass, 1 Albelia Kaleidoscope, 5 Lantana (1 New Gold, 2 Confetti, 2 Purple that I don’t know the name of). We also transplanted the Red Crinum I got from Jeanne last year. We got everything mulched with pine straw, if I had know how many sticks were in it we would have raked it up on the side of the road. We are just getting started on this bed and these are just some of the large back bone plants for it. Of course we will be loading it up with filler plants. We also built two of four trellises that will go up on the back fence. One has a yellow Lady Banks Victorian Rose on it and the other has a white Lady Banks Rose on it that we bought by mistake and decided to keep. We also bought and built a wooden arbor and planted Confederate Jasmine on either side of it. The arbor was a gift from one of the pharmacists that works with Jamie. She doesn't garden, but she knows what we lost and how much we loved it and wanted to help. Since the storm we also replace two of the Texas Redbuds (we use to think were Eastern, thank you Annie) and removed the destroyed White Oleanders and replaced them with Natchez Crepe Myrtles. We also added a Pink Dogwood in the center of, and about six feet behind, the new bed. I wish I had more pictures for you, but right now the plants are so small you can barely see them for the pine straw mulch. I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s a start and we feel good about it. We’ll get some good pictures once everything gets a little growth on it. Now if we can just get the grass to cover the remaining Bobcat tracks.

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8 comments:

Unknown said...

What a lot of work you've accomplished in a short time! Your garden will be awash in very happy pollinators and birds before you even know it. Meanwhile, we're still in the snow-zone....;-)

Phillip Oliver said...

It looks fantastic and from what I can see of your neighbor's yard, you can hardly tell that a tornado came through. I'll be curious to see how your yellow buddleia does - I tried it twice and couldn't keep it alive. I don't know what the problem was. They usually do well for me.

Anonymous said...

The garden is looking good. I'm sure you'll be surprised how fast things start to grow and fill in.

Jan Always Growing

Randy said...

Jodi, yes we have done a tremedous amount of work. To look at it you wouldn't think it's much but we have worked really hard.

Phillip, you would be amazed at how fast things are moving around here. Some of the houses that were empty lots two weeks ago are almost two thirds of the way rebuilt now. I have to wonder how well they are made. Our Mayor has done a FANTASTIC job getting everything done. Were it not for the remaining empty lots you wouldn't know anything has happened.

Jan, I hope you are right. Thats the reason we picked some pretty large plants to fill things in.This emptiness is driving me bonkers.And as Phillip pointed out with the trees gone in all the yards, there is virtually no privacy. Once these plants grow in it will help. I sort of want a privacy fence, but then again I don't.I'm really torn about it at this point.

Annie in Austin said...

I also bet it will fill in fast, Randy and Jamie [especially the Lady Banks roses]. What a nice gift! I like having two metal arches in my small yard and think that walking through an arch or trellis can give you a sense of going somewhere.

Is "Texas Lilac" the same as Vitex/Chaste Tree?

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Wayne said...

Yes, they look small now, but they will get bigger. And hopefully you don't make the same mistake I and many gardeners do. Planted things too close together.

Randy said...

Annie, yes I believe it is a Texas Lilac Vitex. It's looks the same so I'm pretty sure it is. When I get home I'll see if it has the Latin name... I think it's Latin...isn't it?

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