Now that you’ve seen the inside pictures of our new cookie cutter house, here some outside pictures of the gardens I’ve been seeking to establish.
While moving into our new house and unpacking in the first part of March, I took breaks to work in the yard when the weather was good…especially in the early morning and early evening.
At the time I had neither digital camera nor a blog, so I never thought to take pictures of each step of the process.
But now that I have a blog with a garden theme, a metaphor for things I love, I should tell some of my gardening story, right?
So I’m grouping projects according to the photos I have.
March 2000 – Laying sod in the empty backyard
While maintaining the established front yard planted by the builder, I prioritized laying sod in the empty backyard.
Since the backyard was only dirt, I took advantage of the clean slate.
Finding a pile of leftover white bricks in the garage, that match our house, I hauled them into the backyard to edge the gardens I wanted to keep.
My plan was gardens around the perimeter of the yard, with St. Augustine carpet grass in the center.
I drove to Site One Landscape Supply on 1604 near Helotes, where I ordered my sod to be delivered.
After it arrived in a huge batch early that morning, I got to work laying it in the backyard, which took all day.
Finding me still hauling sod to the back when he came home from work, my neighbor grabbed his wheelbarrow and asked his buddy to help.
Done in 15 minutes!
He asked why I didn’t use a wheelbarrow.
Because I have only one balance nerve, so whenever I try to use a wheelbarrow…weebles wobble and then they fall down.
Anyway, the next task was to deeply water by hand, every morning and every night, the sod that we laid.
Within two weeks the yard was looking gorgeous.
(The following photo was taken in June, so just imagine this space without the plants which I planted in the following weeks.)
April 2000 – Laying a flagstone path
While unpacking boxes and laying sod, I envisioned a flagstone path from the front entryway, to the backyard, to the flagstone patio.
So I found some lovely Arizona peachy-pink sunset flagstone which my mom helped me haul home and lay.
This photo from the end of April, is the first photo I have of the outdoors…showcasing the flagstone that we laid the week before.
The grass and bushes in the front were planted by the builder.
June 2000 – Flag, hanging baskets, and raised-bed vegetable gardens
Since the housing builder had planted bushes in a garden in front of the house, and a sapling tree in the middle of the yard, surrounded by new sod, I prioritized watering the front yard in between rain storms.
However I did so carefully, since we are often under water regulations in Texas due to drought. Carefully I watered before 10am, and got a soaker hose for the garden, so that water would go directly to the roots.
Finding lots of large white rocks in the backyard as I laid sod, I moved them to edge the sapling tree in hte front yard.
Then I installed a flag holder for the front, and hung a potted plant under the portico by the front door.
Then I beat a path to my favorite nursery, Rainbow Gardens, on Bandera Road to buy some gorgeous flowers and crepe myrtles for my backyard, to fill in the perimeter.
Agonizingly, I discovered the soil was nearly hard as a rock, since it was mostly clay. Chipping away at the ground through the month of April, I dug shallow holes, amended the loosened soil with peat moss, and planted my beauties.
Because of the clay, and to save money, the trees and bushes I bought were no larger than a quart. They’ll grow.
I also established raised beds in the far back for vegetable gardens.
July 2000 Growing blooms of flowers
While at Rainbow Nursery I found the cut plaque that I hung on the front gate.
Another plaque hung in view from indoors as we come down the stairs above the peach flowered cannas I planted below. That is a very wet area when it rains, and cannas love water, so they’ll be pretty to see from indoors as we pass through the foyer.
Although I’d love a flagstone patio here, for now I simply extended the path to the concrete patio.
All the white bricks leftover from building the house are now edging material for these gardens.
Love this Texas Star Hibiscus from Rainbow Nursery.
Love the colorings of peach, blues, and pinks in my garden.
The tallest plant in the below photo is a crepe myrtle that has already doubled in size since I planted it in April.
Love the bird house shaped bird seed feeder.
Needing bluebonnet seeds, I’m imagining a planting of the state flower on that hillside…from which our homeschool was named by my kids, Bluebonnet Ridge Academy.
Below the happy morning glories is Silverado Sage, a bush that will grow and loves the sun. Although it can endure drought, when it does rain it blooms gang-busters of purple flowers. So pretty.
By autumn we planted another Live Oak to join my flowers thriving near the entry.
After planting a Texas Red Oak, we built a new playscape for my kids.
