Gardening

All this week I've been gardening out in the back yard.

Right now this is what my backyard looks like.  I have some container plants on the small slab where we also keep the bbq grill. 

In the back of the property on the right hand side is the pond my children dug for me many years ago.  It took them about five years.  It's solid Texas clay-mud so they could only get about 1" at a time. That's why it took five years.

My husband and I took turns getting it deep enough in the middle. We put old carpet down underneath the liner and I think it should still last many years. It's probably been there about 10 years now.

The perennials that have worked so well in past years died last year from neglect.

I was in bed for 6 weeks with the surgery, chemo and radiation, and of course it was in the week before June, June, and the week after June -- the beginning hot months in Texas, and last year it was very hot!  It didn't cool down until almost November.

Even after I was finished with treatments I had to get my strength back just to stand long enough to hold the water hose on those poor plants. In the end, I made it through last summer but they didn't.

I am going to try a few new perennials, some hostas and other leafy things.

Another thing I need to do is to thin out the water lilies and buy this pond a new pump and filter.  And I must weed, I have lots and lots of weeds.

The soft dirt of spring has already turned to the hard clay of summer and the trick for me is to water a patch the day before I weed.  Then the earth is spongy enough to release the weed when I tug.

Earlier this week I planted some white periwinkles around the pond.  I am thinking some red petunias might be nice too, but the gardening store I went to didn't seem to have any.  I like to support small businesses whenever possible.  We also have a farmer's market in my neighborhood so I'll try and stop by there. Maybe they will have some red petunias.

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry I don't have any bead news. I have some elephants bead sculptures that are going through their first firing today though.  :)   -- Natalie