Spring is near

I planted potatoes and onions this week, hoping weather will stay warm. If not, I will have to cover with plastic to insure they don't freeze. I know most people don't think of a vegetable garden as part of landscaping, but it can be very attractive if done with an eye on surrounding plants and/or planting to enhance this part of your yard. A good idea is marigolds near your garden...they will help keep your garden pest-free. Besides that, they are very pretty. My goal is to have an arbor leading into garden area with vines on either side as a natural wall. This will make this part of yard blend in with plans for surrounding area. It's very easy to do also. Just have a post on either side of arbor and another post as far on either side as you want vines to grow. Then you can just add a couple of strings of wiring, one at top and one about 2 feet off the ground. If you want it over 6 foot, I would suggest a 3rd wire about midway. These strings of wire will give your vine support as it grows and help you to train the direction of growth. Find a fast growing, dense vine such as wisteria or trumpet vine. This will add color and a lot of interest. It will also help protect your garden from strong winds during stormy weather. An added bonus to this is hummingbirds, they will love feeding on the blooms of these vines. See, now you have your own vegetable garden, a beautiful "living wall" and the most fascinating little birds. A small bench inside this garden area will give you a place to sit and watch the birds as you admire the fruits of your labor.
Please feel free to leave a comment, share your thoughts or just say hello.

Spring Fever

Yes, I have spring fever. I'm ready to start planting and get yard looking pretty. But I know it's still February and cold and I'm getting ahead of myself. I have so many projects I want to start, not only in yard/flower beds, but also decorating porch and getting my potting shed arranged. I have a large storage shed with 2 rooms and will move all the "storage" things to back and make a potting shed/room in the front. My front porch covers most of the front of house and I have so many ideas for decorating it...I want it to be an extension of yard with tons of plants and accessories. I brought my hanging ferns and spider plant inside for winter and they are looking as droopy as I feel. Hopefully we will all survive these last few weeks of winter. Luckily I live in Texas, so winter months are short and I will be ready to start yard work in 4 - 5 weeks. Look at Crafty Piggie link, she has some awesome books for sell on her auction sites that give great ideas and directions for all sorts of garden planning, decoration, etc. I have several of them and will be using those to help lay out my landscape and outdoor decorating. Just looking at them makes me want to get out the gloves & tools and start to work...LOL.

Cordyline Australis (Cabbage Palm)

I recieved this from an aquaintance, she shared what was planted in her yard. This is in the tropical yucca category and most will tell you it needs special care. Not so. Mine layed on top of the ground for several weeks with no care while I decided where to plant it. I finally planted it along with a flowering cactus on northside of my storage bldg where there's no easy access to water supply. I watered it a couple of times during end of summer and have done nothing since. It's not only still alive, but thriving in spite of my abuse and the icy weather we've had. Under perfect conditions, these can get up to 12 ft tall and rather wide. I'm hoping mine will stay smaller so I wont have to re-plant the cactus near it...ouch! When planting these make sure you wear gloves as the leaves are long & spiky. They can be very uncomfortable if jabbed into skin. The picture will let you see what they look like, this is not mine as I've taken no photos since originally moving into house.