Progress in the Garden

Happy GTS to all! Can you believe it's JULY??? How did that happen?

It's hard to believe in the Dallas area, as temps are milder and the rain won't stop.

Maybe it's time for an ark-building 101 class? It's been hard to take any photos, but I got a few in between the raindrops. Right now, we have 6 inches of standing water right off the screened porch!

Though it's a dreary backdrop, the flowers are loving all the rain.

Everything is lush, which is unusual for this time of year.



Irridescent pink 4 O'Clock




Mexican Petunia.

I now have a huge bed of these, though a year ago there were only SIX plants! Some consider these invasive, but they're easily pulled up and passed along.

Truly a work in progress. This is yesterday in my very wet backyard.

This is a photo of when the beds were first dug this Spring.

I now wish I had done 'before' photos, but it was too

depressing!

Outside my Screened Porch.

This has changed the way we use our backyard.

We eat dinner out here and I start and end each day here. We are going to build an arbor over the front of the porch to help protect the grill a little. I already have the two Sweet Autumn Clematis' planted that will climb over it...how's that for optimistic?!

View from the inside...

When that Wax Myrtle grows up, I hopefully won't have

to look at the neighbor's house. I would prefer a porch overlooking a pond in the country,

but I am smack dab in the middle of suburbia. You take what you can get.

Croquet, anyone?

Ain't it the truth???

Neighborhood Garden Tour 2

I can't get enough of other people's gardens at this time of year.

The one or two garden tours I go on just isn't enough.

It just came to me that that is probably why my two blogs have been named what they

are...DownMyGardenPath & ThroughMyGardenGate. Those names aren't completely

accurate, as I spend a lot of time looking through other's gates and walking down

their paths. I'm too darned nosy. I've always got to know what other people are doing...in their gardens! The following photos are of a very unassuming house with a wonderful side yard in the historic area of our city. My husband didn't even question me when I asked him to pull over. It's just easier to go along... I've decided when I go on these escapades, I'll post them on my blog for others of like mind to enjoy. It's a wasted experience for my dear hubby!

Amazing statue of a swinging girl actually coming out of a real tree.

Pergola covered with lush foilage.

Substantial raised beds with a wonderful fountain in the background

A closer look at the raised beds

My Dream Potting Shed

Happy GTS to all!

I was perusing some garden journals (I have LOTS of them!) and came across this

shed in Southern Living...Our Best Gardens (Spring 2006)

I don't know why I didn't notice this when I read it last year, but I have found

my future potting shed.

Notice in the photo the lean-to on the side of the shed? I think that's
my favorite part. For those of you who have sheds or would like to have one,
tell me what you think important features would be.

This plan is available @ www.southernlivinghouseplans.com ->
under "Gazebos & Sheds".

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, June 2007

And a wonderful BLOOM DAY it is! All of my plants are so happy right now. That may be short lived, as it is becoming very warm very quickly. I am looking forward to visiting other blogs & see what they have in bloom. You can come on this Bloom Day garden tour with me by visiting: Carol @ MayDreamsGardens -> http://www.maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/

My grandma's "shamrocks" (oxalis)

I enjoy the simple beauty of this Rock Rose's bloom

This butterfly weed must love where it's planted! It set seed before I could harvest them.

I wonder if I'll have baby butterfly weeds everywhere?? See the trumpet vine behind the butterfly weed? That is one plant I wouldn't replant. It is so invasive that I can hardly keep up with it.

This is my newly acquired Esmerelda plant. Everything I buy these days

is usually good for attracting either birds, butterflies, bees or hummingbirds.

I am told that Esmerelda means "Hope" in Spanish.

Lily of the Nile with the palest blue blooms. Behind it is a new Wax Myrtle.

Wheelbarrow full of Lantana. Hands down, this plant makes the neighborhood
butterflies the happiest of all the plants in my garden!

Bees love this!

My old dependable coneflower. I don't know why, but this is one of

my favorite flowers. Maybe it's because a dear gardening friend passed

it along to me when I was a new gardener?

The ever happy coreopsis...

I called this the happiest plant in my garden on my old blog.

It still is, but I can tell that the heat is taking it's toll.

Butterfly Garden

I planted many plants in my backyard that I read would

be enticing to butterflies. I have had lots of Monarchs and lots of

little white ones (don't know what they're called), but was tickled

pink...or blue to have this visitor yesterday afternoon.

He flitted from flower to flower for a very long time. Could someone identify him for me?

Also, what do you serve YOUR butterflies? Have a wonderful week!

We have BABIES!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful GTS! We had big storms last night and

woke up to a beautiful morning. My plants are just loving all the rain. A nearby lake

(from which we get our city water) is actually 3 ft above normal.

This is big, since it was down 18 ft. at this time last year.

I went outside this morning to check on all my plant friends and was tickled pink

to find babies. This is a new fig tree I purchased in the Hill Country a couple

of months ago. I didn't expect figs this year, but low and behold, here they are!