Speed racers, sure things, and glacial movement

It’s always fun to look at before/afters to see what’s working. Some plants just overperform despite my inept care, some things are no brainers like cosmos seed, and then other well-laid plans inch along at their own pace driving me mad with impatience.




New fence with crossvine newly planted, August 2007





Crossvine filling in, April 2008





Deck border where St. Augustine was growing, ripped up and turned into rose bed. October 2007





Deck border with Rainbow knockout roses, cosmos, verbena, and not yet blooming sunflowers, April 2008





Front before new bed was dug and edged in fall 2007. You can see the chinch bug-related grass decline. Hasta la vista, @#@!!% St. Augustine!





April 2008. This is going to take awhile before things fill in.

Tropicana Dreams

This morning before dashing off to work I took this happy little snap of one of the rosebushes I bought in Luling that were supposedly Knockouts. Neither the leaf nor the bloom color look like the standard KR. The KR website lists a variety called Rainbow Knock Out Rose that “covers itself with coral pink blooms painted with rich yellow at the base.” Maybe that’s what these are. They’re throwing off buds and blooms like crazy and seem to be immune to the blackspot that’s rampant with this on/off hot humid weather.

I’m in the process of digging up my side yard for a new bed that sits along my patio. A coral-based showcase might be interesting: The Rainbow Knockouts, flame acanthus, a hot pink and orange canna or two, some tangerine impatiens along the border, old reliable pavonia, that orangey zinnia. Oh, and some four-o’clocks, the mutant ones that have yellow streaked with cerise.Some giant purple/green leafy things mixed in, banana, ginger or something.