Journal 2

This post will bring you up to date with what is done so we can move on to what is being done and what needs to be done.
It is so hard to express in words all that we have done and even harder to express the vision of what we want in the yard and garden.
Soooo with that said I'll attempt to express all the wonders we've enjoyed and explored in this past winter in our yard.
The rye grass seed sprouted, what a wonder. After our labors to grade we did a broadcast seeding of rye in an attempt to keep erosion at bay. Success for the most part as the tender sprouts took hold and held the dirt in place.
The winter has been exceptionally cold and rainy by North Texas standards, a plus for some and a minus for others. For gardeners in the area it is a plus. The heavy rains drench the soils and soak in and prevent severe damage from the hard freezes that have followed.
My biggest garden failure of the season was leaving my son's mature San Pedro cactus on the front porch of my suburban home. The cactus is cold hardy -even in a pot- to 25 degrees but four straight days of teen temperatures turned the structure to mush and the towering cactus collapsed. I am attempting to propagate a few cactii starters.

Now to the successes and progress.

Christmas brings pine trees. Why cut a live tree? Why have an artificial tree? Why not plant a tree? We planted a "Fat Albert" blue spruce that will require water in the hottest of the hot months because our son asked for a spruce tree. We shall see how it survives. Before it was planted the cute little sapling sported a string of lights indoors and a single straw angel as the official tree of the holiday season. If our cute lil spruce does not survive it will be well remembered. The sensible gardeners that we are we also planted a native Loblolly Pine. It stands erect with long needles towering almost 10 feet now. We expect it to grow rapidly to a mature height of 60' and it is drought tolerant.

The dead of winter is the time to plant. Who would have thunk? Yes, in this area it is best to plant trees and bare root plants in the winter so the roots can get established before the hot dry heat of the summer sets in. So with meager funds to draw upon this winter we splurged in January on some Crape Myrtles. The showy colors of the stalwart crapes in the dog day heat during July and August in Texas has always been my favorite. We planted matching pairs of Rocket Red and Natchez White. What a show we will have in years to come for 4th of July with our showy blooms.
Mid February brings the daring shoots of daffodils and narcissus bulbs pushing out of the soil and seedling sprouts started in doors. The average last freeze is March 15 so preparations are in full swing to beat the last frost and have a few sprouts in the ground.
More on that next post....