What a difference a year makes!

Rainfall Records in Sherman, Texas. 

Last year precipitation from January 1, 2011 to June 11, 2011 registered 8.69 inches (my yard had less rain fall than Sherman last spring), this year 14.97 inches.  And we are still below average for the year and coming into the driest months of the year July and August.  

Average Annual Rainfall is 42.1 inches per year.

Last year the yard and garden struggled, this year it thrives.

The flowering plants just keep blooming and blooming.  The grass is growing and spreading.  The garden is producing.

Highlights

Summer Squash

 

 

Whiskey Barrel Planters  - David just had to have the whiskey barrels,  They are huge planters and so far doing well in the island bed.

 

 

Daisies and Texas Rock Rose – lovely contrast of color along the front of the house in the west bed.

 

The view as you drive in ---

 

Hanging Baskets and lush green lawn – the view from the hammock is lush and colorful.  I discovered water storing beads.  Several brands are available.  The beads hold the water in the pots so if you can’t water every day (or twice as day as is needed sometimes in the hot dry heat) the plants can pull the water out of the gel.

 

Marigolds, Cosmos, Hibiscus and Dahl Daisies.  The huge blooms on the Luna White Hibiscus dazzle.

 

Moonflowers which open in the evening are a lovely accent.  My sister Patricia brought me a moonflower sprout from her garden.  It is happy in it's new home and thriving with large beautiful blooms.

A gardeners work (or planing) is never done... I still want to add some contrast color among the marigolds and cosmos.  David says I need to fill in some bare spots... All in time.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter.

What do you do on a quiet rainy Sunday afternoon… update your garden journal.  So far today we've recorded 2.5 inches of rain.

Yes, I know it has been a long time since I’ve posted but we have not been idle.  I do keep my garden notebook current noting what, when and where something is planted.

We enjoyed a pleasant fall of 2011 with some much needed rain and a very mild winter.  Spring 2012 came early along with lots of garden chores.

Look at the size of that tree.  David tackled the dead tree on the south property line, the huge tree that died – two years ago- not due to the drought.  It was a huge tree and the largest limbs came crashing down in the wet heavy snows of the two previous winters.

You can just see the veggie patch in the background.

Yes, we did plant a veggie patch.  Despite the failures of the last two summers, we will give it another trial.  We decided we had to keep the rabbits at bay, so we have installed chicken wire all around.  So far the squash, cantaloupe, peppers, tomatoes and onions are doing well.  The okra, corn and beans seem to be slowly emerging.

The Master Gardener spring plant sale is in two weeks, so I might pick up a few more tomatoes and peppers.

We planted three trees, a pecan, a maple and a red oak.  It was amazing the difference in the soil in the three areas of the yard.  The red oak is in a bed of red clay, the pecan in white sand and the maple in loamy brown soil going down 4 feet.  Talk about micro climates, just in our yard.

The yard is looking good.   The flowers are blooming, reseeding and flourishing.

We created a new bed and planted double knock out roses.  Next year, I’ll add a companion border plant, probably dianthus.

The island bed is doing well.  The daffodils were a brilliant show, now the lilies are just budding out.  I planted ferns, hosta, bleeding heart and astible, all bulbs or tubors early in the spring.  So far the ferns and hosta are doing well… the other two, no sign of them, yet.  The turk’s cap is returning and the iris are blooming.

Over in the bunkhouse yard the blue bonnets are gorgeous.

I planted daylilies and for show, petunias in the terrace bed.

I'll get out in the next few weeks and take more pictures.  A picture is always worth a 1000 words.  The lawn is such a lush shade of green and the flowers are a riot of color.

Happy Gardening.