Friday update

It's a rare week when I don't have anything to show on a Friday.  But, all I've worked on are those little blocks and some ditch work on the Christmas quilt.  And, a whole lot of work at the office.  We are VERY busy right now.  That's good because the days pass fast, which is good because the days are getting short.  I'm always surprised when that happens, even though it happens every year. 

So, how about some garden pics.  If it's too cold where you are for flowers, then I hope you'll enjoy these. 

Camelia.  It's early for my Camelia.  It blooms at Christmas.  But, it has a few early flowers already.  My grandmother had two in her front yard, one on either side of the path to her front steps.  They bloomed red and I remember walking between them on the way to her house on Christmas day to have the holiday with the whole extended family.  Happy memories.

 

This is called Shrimp plant.  It's sectioned and has a slight curve and kind of looks like a shrimp.  It comes in many colors, but I picked one in a shrimp color.  That passed for creative thought 12 years ago when I bought the starter for this.  

This is a pine tree.  I grew up in a pine forest in northeast Louisiana and have fond memories of pine trees.  When I'm driving to my family's home, I cross a line and can smell the pine in the air and it's very relaxing.  There's a pine forest east of Austin and I enjoy driving there, too.  But, we don't get as much rain, so the trees are smaller.  At my house, a pine tree should not grow.  But, I found small ones in a garden center one time for really cheap, so I bought one, thinking it wouldn't live long.  I put it in a pot and dug a hole and put the pot into the hole.  And, I'd turn it once a month or so to keep any roots from growing into the ground.  It outgrew the pot.  So, I bought a bigger pot and added the mums around it, and as long as it lasts, I'll enjoy having a pine tree...in a pot.  Don't know why I enjoy growing trees in pots so much.  It's like big bonsai or something.  Something about me controlling the mighty tree.  Let's not read too much into that. 

Mr. Lincoln rose.  Another thing that should not grow where it is growing.  Not enough sun.  So, it's not a perfect specimen plant, but it does make many beautiful blooms through the year. 

This is a mix of shrimp plant and plumbago.  Now that it has cooled, these will bloom til frost.  And, then they die back into an ugly heap and have to be cleared out right away.  There's a lot of other stuff in that photo.  I have a very full garden.

This is Esperanza.  It's a popular plant in Texas.  It's very drought tolerant and a reliable perennial.  I plucked a seed from a plant in the neighborhood and grew this one.  You can barely see my path in the background.  My flowerbed is about 10 feet deep, so I have a path that runs down the center so I can get to plants in the back.  I walk down that path almost every day and have been collecting those stones for years.  This year, I have a nice pile to add to the path and have started filling it in so that it's an actual path instead of the stepping stones.  It's always been my dream.  And, now that I'm seeing a couple places where it is started, I'm less enchanted with it than I thought I'd be.  Stepping stones through the garden is one thing.  But, a stone path is a feature that stands out and a distraction from the garden.  So, I'm thinking on that.  I may stick with the stepping stones and build a small retaining wall to add another terrace.  Remember, I garden on the side of a hill, and have built one terrace at the top of the hill.  I might like having a couple more along the slope. 

 

Wow, turned out I had more to say than I thought.  I spend a lot of time in my garden.  I walk there every day that weather permits.  One of my chores this year is dividing and replanting the daylilies and iris.  I take the opportunity to spread things out and move plants that aren't working in their spots.  I'm up to the very back corner at the top of the hill.  It's the shadiest spot in the yard.  And, it hasn't been worked in several years.  It's just been there, green and multiplying.  Now, it's time to divide and add and subtract. 

 

Everybody have a great weekend.  It's going to be a cold one everywhere.  I think we are working in the garage.  We are letting things go.  Things we don't need anymore to make us happy.  I remember when my Mom did this the first time.  And, I didn't understand.  I was still in my collecting phase.  Now, I understand that as I've gotten older, I don't need the same things that I needed before to make me feel safe and secure.  And, I'm letting them go to people that might still need them.  

 

Be well.  Lane