Friday, September 5, 2008

Take A Walk With Me


Hello everyone, our garden is fast approaching a resting period. I think it finally hit its peak a couple of weeks ago. The rains came and strong winds from two near by tornados and the large tropical leaves are split and bruised. It, like the two of us, is starting to look a little tired and in need of a well deserved rest. I thought, if you would be so kind and join me, we would take one last stroll thru the garden. We’ll take a look at all the beauty that sprang forth from a blank canvas just six short months ago. It’s amazing what diligence, determination and help from kind strangers can accomplish. Why don’t we pretend to step away from the computer and walk out the back door into the garden?

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I usually like to take my stroll starting on the left side of it. It’s an especially good idea to do that today because we have some new surprises in the works for you to the right and I want to save them for later. The little tropical section of the garden grew in really well, despite the aggravation the leaf rollers have caused with some of the cannas. Next year I will be prepared for the little buggers.

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When we put in this most recent bed to the right, it created such a wonderful little path leading to the arbor.

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This is a good view of the bed, it seems be doing pretty well, I’m anxious to see it after it’s grown in a little more. We had to reposition the bird bath. It’s the first time it’s been moved in 13 years.

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As we turn around and look back, we can see the path we just traveled. When I’m hot and tired from cutting grass or digging in a new bed, this is my favorite spot to kick off my flip flops and walk barefoot. The grass feels so cool to your feet. If we happen to be especially tired, we tend to just plop right down on the ground and admire our hard work from this spot. There seems to be a good energy in that area, it just makes me feel comfortable.

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This arbor was a gift from one of the pharmacist Jamie works with. It has 'Confederate Jasmine' planted on each side of it and it smells heavenly in the evening when it’s in full bloom. Let’s walk on thru it.

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This area was almost all dirt just a few weeks ago and it was just aggravating me to death. When we put in the new bed behind us we were able to transplant some grass and it’s filling in very nicely.

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To the left, one of our lions keeps a watchful eye on everything for us under the shade of a banana canna.

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I’m particularly pleased with how quickly the Vitex is growing. It’s going to make a nice tree in no time. I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to remove the Japanese maple on the opposite end of the bed and replace it with another Vitex or Texas Lilac as it is sometimes called.

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This bed has given us just about all it can for this season. The Stellas and the Black Eyed Susans put on a wonderful show almost the entire summer.

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Glancing back over my shoulder as we walk away, it looks to me like there is just too much grass here. That can only mean one thing… We need to put a new bed somewhere. Just over to the right you can see just little bit of the surprise we have for you in a later entry.

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Here is a beautiful stand of ‘Tropical Sunrise’ Cannas that will need to be divided soon. We’re still being watch by someone in the corner way back in the back.

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Now we’ll walk thru one of the three new arbors we made. One day it will be covered in beautiful tangerine vine. I expect good growth out of it next spring. Jamie and I have learned to build good, sturdy and attractive steel arbors for about 30 dollars and nice trellises for about 14 dollars. I’m going to show you how to do it in a later post.

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I think we will finish up at the Buddha. We’ve made a pretty nice lap around the garden. We have over 340 species / cultivars of plants in our garden, most all of them put in since March of this year. It’s impossible to show you everything on one trip. I hope you enjoyed your walk with me. We’ll visit again soon.

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16 comments:

tina said...

Lovely tour! Thanks for the walk around.

Wicked Gardener said...

Wow - you put in all of that since March? I love tours like these. They help me relate to the garden and the gardener. Let me know when you post about the $30 trellises. I'd love to know how to do that.

Randy said...

Tina! You must have a hot line to our blog girl! I can always count on your comments. And they are very much appreciated. Your feedback alway builds our confidence. Thank you. :-)

WG, we sure did put all that in since March. :-) Our old garden was completely removed compliments of a tornado and a bulldozer. There are some before and afters a few entries back. The trellises are only about $14 your can build a entire 4'X7'rounded top arbor for the $30. I really hoped to already have it posted, but it needs just a little more work and I badly injured my back two weeks ago and it is far from being healed.(hence the time passed since my last post) I promise to post it the day after it's complete. Thank you for paying us a visit.

tina said...

Hey Guys, No hotline, just my blogroll. It shows me when my chosen blogs post a new post. I think it important to talk with bloggers because otherwise what is the point? I always appreciate my comments so try to do the same in return but even without other bloggers commenting, as long as they talk back to me-I will comment. I am glad you like them too. Otherwise-again what is the point?

Cosmo said...

What a wonderful walk, Randy--I love the arbors. I have a very scraggly vitex that I just moved into a sunnier location this week--I SO hope it looks like yours next year. I can't believe all you two have done in such a short time--it's really beautiful.

We're weathering Hanna today--nothing like Gustav, but I know what winds can do to gardens. Stay safe if Ike comes into the Gulf. I'm happy for the rain, but we could use gentler deleivery systems . . .

Anonymous said...

Your garden tour really showed off everything to its best advantage. You guys have done a great job. You have created a wonderful, peaceful oasis, and I am so glad you now are enjoying it. It is always a little sad to see the garden starting to die back in the fall, but I think that makes springtime even more precious. Glad to see you had no real damage from the nearby tornado. I know you must have been holding your breath for that one.

Jan
Always Growing.

Cindy, MCOK said...

Y'all have done an amazing job in such a short time! I hope your back's on the mend and that you'll be able to enjoy autumn in the garden. It's been cooler here on my corner of Katy and I am loving it!

Randy said...

Cosmo,
That Vitex is pretty much in full sun. I'll give you a big Amen on the gentler delivery of the rain, but I guess these days it seems we just have to take it how ever we can get it.

Jan, you are right, it is a little sad when it all goes away. I think it's natures way of forcing all of us gardeners to take a break! LOL

Thank you Cindy! For the compliments and the well wished on my back. My back is getting a little better, but it has thrown a major kink in things. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for it to be well!

Wayne said...

That was such fun! And such a beautiful garden! Phillip did a wonderful post of your garden also!
Are you sure you guys have day jobs? Don't know how you could have done all this this year, and worked too!

Randy said...

Wayne, it has pretty much taken all of our free time. But it was fun and time spent together. Didn't Phillip take some wonderful pictures? He really is an artist.

Roses and Lilacs said...

There is so much I like about your gardens. I love the trellis! One of the things that strikes you the minute you look at the photo is the crisp, clean border between lawn and garden.
Marnie

Randy said...

Marnie,
Thank you so much. We were maintaing them by hand clipping. This last time because of my back I used a weed eater, it came out pretty good, but I did screw up a couple of times. Sooner or late I'll perfect an easy simple way to maintain them. Just give me a little time. :-)

Annie in Austin said...

It's fun to walk around the whole thing and see the layout, R & J.

When that vitex gets a little taller can it put some midday shade on the Japanese maple? Maybe the two trees will help each other look beautiful!

Sorry about your back and hope you're feeling better soon.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Randy said...

Annie, I can't wait for the Vitex to grow, it's going to be so beautiful. Thanks for the well wishes on the back. I hope to find something out soon so we can proceed to the next step. I've got Yard work to do! :-)

foo said...

Ohhhhhh, thank you for talking me on a walk through your beautiful garden. I like the way you wrote it; for it really did feel like I was your neighbor and you were showing me around.

I read below that you have injured your back...best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I look forward to those arbor/trellis plans. I am now going to be a regular reader!

Randy said...

HS-
We are so glad to have you as a new reader! Welcome! As luck would have it I just posted the blog about the arbors and tellises. As for my back, it's the reason I have been tardy with a new post. Tomorrow I go for a nerve block, I hope it works, and thank you very much for your well wishes!
-Randy