July 2012

Double bloom red knockouts and Paradise roses line the driveway.

Encore Azaleas do repeat bloom a great deal.  I will so that what of the best garden tools I purchased are water timers and irrigation systems.  In the heat of the summer I would literally water for two or three hours daily.

Everybody has something that reminds them of home.  In my case, it's Spanish Moss.  I heard many people say that Moss kills trees or has bugs.  I grew up around it, in Louisiana and Mississippi where the trees were very much alive.  It is probably my favorite addition net to roses.

Out of the 15 acres we have, I probably utilize six.  I would mow the grass with a push mower.  Yes, you heard me.  I mentioned in the beginning of the blog that I gained a lot of weight in 2011.  By this time, I probably had lost 15 lbs.  The mowing is a lot of exercise and gardening is more entertaining than a treadmill.  However, the heat became unbearable.  So my husband was very very kind and bought an estate mower....When the weather cooled , I still used the push mower....I love to mow.

I planted wildflowers in the center island.  This was a disaster and looked unkempt   I like things to have an err of nature...but some places like the driveway before the house.  

My Savannah Bird girls looks awesome with Spanish moss around it.

The creek side now looked like I wanted it to..a park.  I hung spanish moss.   Sodded it, hung a hammock, gave it stepping stones that are lighted, and a bench for which my husband built.

Put moss on the oaks.  These oaks had a lot of underbrush and low hanging limbs.  I trimmed them up.  Clearing and grooming I feel is the easiest way to improve a landscape.

My seven dollar hibiscus from Walmart.

Savannah Bird Girl, spanish moss, and kimberly ferns.

The pumpking started flowering and growing fast.  I grew hundreds of vines and no pumpkins.  I never saw a female flower, or at least, I never identified it.  I even had dreams of finding a female pumpkin, but to no avail.  They do make beautiful flowers, however.

Very long pumpkin vine.  I put my shoe down as reference.

Perwinkle and Mexican Heather are starting to take off.  I,also, put down Mr. Landscaper irrigation for the front bed with a timer...best thing I did.  A little pricey in relative terms but it was an unbelievable convenience.