tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52349912122552590492024-02-20T03:09:40.041-08:00Garden HoesTalk Dirt(y) To Me .... Adventures in Central Texas Gardeninga Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-42369478784181512512009-03-27T11:01:00.000-07:002009-03-27T11:11:40.141-07:00Spring! Spring! Spring!So, spring is here, and it's grand! Every morning I walk outside just to see what has peeked its head above the dirt. So far, I'm pretty happy with the way things have overwintered, although I may have (once again) lost my plumbago. That's okay though - I'll just buy more and treat them as an annual. I also haven't seen hide nor hair of my whirling guara, but it's still early. <br /><br />Everything else is coming up, including my Bird of Paradise I put in late last year. Even three of the four fall asters I mutilated managed to put up more new growth. My trumpet vine and passionflower vines are starting to leaf out, all my irises are blooming, my cannas are putting up l eaves, and the salvias are sprouting. <br /><br />Attended a plant swap last weekend - took my DH and boy, it was fun. I was much more reserved this year than last, swapping everything I took but not being greedy and taking only things I thought I had a chance with. I even managed to plant a large portion of the stuff I got, which is a HUGE improvement over last year. And I'm being much more deliberate about where I put things - I don't want to expand the front landscaped area too much until I get all the areas directly next to the house landscaped. <br /><br />We're also planting this weekend for our CSA. I have been lazy in the veggie garden, so none if the seeding got done. But that's the easy part, so I figure that I can work on that Saturday, then the GardenHoes are coming over to plant on Sunday. Yay!<br /><br />I'll try and post some pictures soon. I am so happy that spring is here!<br /><br />~Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-52475667277559318122009-03-01T21:57:00.000-08:002009-03-01T22:05:58.044-08:00CSA UpdateWe plan to put in seeds next weekend. The transplants that Heather is starting aren't quite ready yet, but we can always put in seeds for cucumbers, melons and beans. I still haven't figured out the best way to trellis and stake the tomatoes and cukes, but here is an idea from Hoe Nancy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunjjeMmH3cZTyZkyZHA7mX2i9v5HK907KOQ4kKtuoWY8CeCW26evRHN8zqd9ccVRd1EzFAy0YvDnkxJFX8mNAAGN-aXaqaHJzaSSdXRB_lIafV6vd-DYLIkRSJLeXjk6yv-oaEkO6i7Ky/s1600-h/Trellis+idea.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunjjeMmH3cZTyZkyZHA7mX2i9v5HK907KOQ4kKtuoWY8CeCW26evRHN8zqd9ccVRd1EzFAy0YvDnkxJFX8mNAAGN-aXaqaHJzaSSdXRB_lIafV6vd-DYLIkRSJLeXjk6yv-oaEkO6i7Ky/s200/Trellis+idea.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308467024050906082" /></a><br /><br />This is a picture from one of her friend Carole's kitchen gardens; look in the middle-ish for the hooped (rainbow tunnel) cow panel. It's high enough to walk into, and she keeps a walking path down the middle. It's a great idea for trellising vining plants, and Nancy suggest a smaller type for the tomato plants.<br /><br />We've also talked about taking a road trip to Carole's - if this is just ONE of her kitchen gardens, can you imagine what the rest of her gardens look like?a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-88770128227679939602009-03-01T21:37:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:56:40.109-08:00Weekend WeedingSpent the entire weekend weeding the gardens. I always forget how much work it actually is to pull up weeds, but there is an inherent satisfaction in popping a weed that does not belong. It's also gratifying to pull away dead branches and leaves to see new growth peering out of something you thought was dead. I was so happy to find new growth on two of the cupheas and two of the plumbagos (have had a problem bringing through winters in the past). Guess a mild winter is a good thing even if there was little rain.<br /><br />One thing I did screw up while weed-popping. I planted fall asters for the first time last fall during my garden hoe project. Today, I was weeding the bed the fall asters are in and saw plant growth near the base of all the aster plants that didn't look like fall aster. If you remember from an earlier post, here is what the fall aster looks like: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-8dP2Y3iSR9qLYY5ZyGOW_OHBm2Ny6sqXShLclCN0cZ1a7kumEAlViBjlVCImiJfyVkq27a1d92SIGxUvuiHIEXlGFKMAKWYU1D6j0vjwY-qgc4IcvmJzSqv3hk1NXttMJKM1vwaTw7U/s1600-h/Fall+Aster.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-8dP2Y3iSR9qLYY5ZyGOW_OHBm2Ny6sqXShLclCN0cZ1a7kumEAlViBjlVCImiJfyVkq27a1d92SIGxUvuiHIEXlGFKMAKWYU1D6j0vjwY-qgc4IcvmJzSqv3hk1NXttMJKM1vwaTw7U/s200/Fall+Aster.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308462341910945426" /></a><br /><br />Notice the narrow leaf. The weeds I saw were much different - wider leaves and slightly fuzzy looking. They were also coming up from the periphery around the base of the original plant. However, after weeding three of the plants, I realized that I wasn't seeing these "weeds" anywhere else in the bed except for around the asters. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhO0DokvOnHcHqA9oT3We0xF_6Y1Gr2F2eksHEMXMM5cknipzaYr8KyfIs3_xhgN8LYcuYKyYOluiiALCdwSrlSovE_l2PyeH7xIS5vlK0KsuX_WDnnUDKl7R0keAv_1CIYFwLWGrFqor/s1600-h/Fall+Aster+New+Growth.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhO0DokvOnHcHqA9oT3We0xF_6Y1Gr2F2eksHEMXMM5cknipzaYr8KyfIs3_xhgN8LYcuYKyYOluiiALCdwSrlSovE_l2PyeH7xIS5vlK0KsuX_WDnnUDKl7R0keAv_1CIYFwLWGrFqor/s200/Fall+Aster+New+Growth.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308463090982310402" /></a> Then I looked up fall asters again and this is what I found on new growth: I had been pulling the new growth the entire time! Talk about feeling like an idiot. All I can do now is just hope that I didn't totally kill the plant and that they still keep growing (even though I "weeded" all the new growth off of three of the four plants)! You can't tell me that this stuff doesn't look like a weed...a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-60730158627485702572009-02-17T08:35:00.000-08:002009-02-17T09:31:13.715-08:00Indian Spring in Hoe-LandOkay, so we've had an unusually mild winter and several warm days in a row. So warm, in fact, that my veggie garden is bolting and my other plants are starting to bloom. While I would normally love this, I know that over the next thirty days, we will experience at least ONE hard freeze that will throw all the bloom cycles off.<br /><br />First - winter garden successes and failures.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3fPUvOmNUkhY_KgAIt7bcSekUDS7ZSxpPPweXFyYx7btZSnOgQksWkpkUvHR0an2nCxmsijHqMkQsPsAvGUtFJ75Rj6u9ZGo0J0n9X_lXLO5TLpQns_bEASpHjyNakeoSMdFZ1ByfP7-/s1600-h/P1010196.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303808333645981394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3fPUvOmNUkhY_KgAIt7bcSekUDS7ZSxpPPweXFyYx7btZSnOgQksWkpkUvHR0an2nCxmsijHqMkQsPsAvGUtFJ75Rj6u9ZGo0J0n9X_lXLO5TLpQns_bEASpHjyNakeoSMdFZ1ByfP7-/s200/P1010196.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is one of my bolting cabbages. I tried my hand this year at cabbages and got a couple of successes, but this one flowered before I got any real cabbage leaves.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5EJ-EVRZBmzt_gznFXkHUrfmjDSdMUf5S0zqbruCcJJ7eWaUvT9R3R5yAa78yl2GeOkO5AZZJg8yiVw2cK-4UGkEAI0iU7ewFmyjynppM9LBjFI15AKv-zUt4vovTerBY4JghXyVxcZF/s1600-h/P1010192.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303808319968358962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5EJ-EVRZBmzt_gznFXkHUrfmjDSdMUf5S0zqbruCcJJ7eWaUvT9R3R5yAa78yl2GeOkO5AZZJg8yiVw2cK-4UGkEAI0iU7ewFmyjynppM9LBjFI15AKv-zUt4vovTerBY4JghXyVxcZF/s200/P1010192.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is the only true good head of cabbage that I got this year. I was so proud that I had to take a picture. A couple more weeks and I'll be having cabbage for dinner. I got some leafy cabbage to grow, but only one head formed. Yay me! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSAksPg36hum4xyrLPDmqQP-OWsN8JtwJIKieqEKiCu_sTOKUBsUxNC4E8uwv1h-3Bqln2KnRfgQ2xByHrPySityJNP7Zb72iztZA-4vQyNzg1zq_XEtmjsH-DT8H_rZIlzpaSQ4g_dYo/s1600-h/P1010195.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303808331375195778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSAksPg36hum4xyrLPDmqQP-OWsN8JtwJIKieqEKiCu_sTOKUBsUxNC4E8uwv1h-3Bqln2KnRfgQ2xByHrPySityJNP7Zb72iztZA-4vQyNzg1zq_XEtmjsH-DT8H_rZIlzpaSQ4g_dYo/s200/P1010195.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is my kale. I've never grown it before (or eaten it), but thought I'd put it in. Had some for dinner the other night and it's yummy. Mixed it with some swiss chard, and another oriental green that's growing, and sauteed with tomatoes, garlic and onion. It was actually good - I'll have to grow kale again next year.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgIxRjpARdQSOW3YpFea4z9TKKQ02JT_Ix6BkZ2R4z1VVlVaHQOB6YlrNw3L6zzVpUDyIZLjEhSdKKLd7O6OorTVRAmzlwUkBr6E90luSmZRGm3LiFFRL90hQs7O74YSCt62zhEu6U0qt/s1600-h/P1010194.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303816738337644546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgIxRjpARdQSOW3YpFea4z9TKKQ02JT_Ix6BkZ2R4z1VVlVaHQOB6YlrNw3L6zzVpUDyIZLjEhSdKKLd7O6OorTVRAmzlwUkBr6E90luSmZRGm3LiFFRL90hQs7O74YSCt62zhEu6U0qt/s200/P1010194.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lastly, my lettuce patch. I tried to grow a bunch of lettuces really close together to see if I could go without mulch. The lettuce heads looked so good that I couldn't bear to eat many of them because they were so pretty together. Maybe next year, I'll grow it in the front for decoration and grow a separate eating crop in the back.<br /><br /><br />Now, bloomers. Because of this indian spring, I do have some early bloomers. I figure I'll capture them now because when the inevitable last winter freeze happens, at least I'll have the memories of the early blooms until they come back.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ4TfUoIacjDasWsuqo-vd0iZb5UgmnJIKdLXfTK0sTQYI6S_FrIpUBnr-VMCMdOAbXpwaBPopEzzD4fP8Wv23039H_nid9AGA0HZCMvujy-rbDYBCkqbSH-1gL8glaNc4nv71sG9qnHg/s1600-h/P1010197.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ4TfUoIacjDasWsuqo-vd0iZb5UgmnJIKdLXfTK0sTQYI6S_FrIpUBnr-VMCMdOAbXpwaBPopEzzD4fP8Wv23039H_nid9AGA0HZCMvujy-rbDYBCkqbSH-1gL8glaNc4nv71sG9qnHg/s200/P1010197.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303818853861433522" /></a>This is my carolina jessamine - I didn't realize it was evergreen, but it is. It's normally one of the first bloomers in my garden and is getting ready to really pop this year. That old saying we're so fond of "The first year is sleeps, second year it creeps and third year it leaps" really was true for this plant. This is year three and it looks great!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqVu7BDkVhhPWS3-oySmlCtgjN_XHtFoIJdev8vdu0CUu8pgkB_dS7MmboJ9yaKkuleK2xqqIxxQh2VzmLcOY08oeb7hx93nzjkVuJ-8A8x6n17cgqpzFzsPu2zBiGSYfPURrQOCUg_1X/s1600-h/P1010199.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303814010398158130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqVu7BDkVhhPWS3-oySmlCtgjN_XHtFoIJdev8vdu0CUu8pgkB_dS7MmboJ9yaKkuleK2xqqIxxQh2VzmLcOY08oeb7hx93nzjkVuJ-8A8x6n17cgqpzFzsPu2zBiGSYfPURrQOCUg_1X/s200/P1010199.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here's another close-up of the jessamine. The flowers are so pretty and dainty, but the vine is so hardy. I may try to grow some and transplant to another fence for the cover. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JdIsA4Ae8KKWcgK4XHl1n7op9invF4_LviC1n04Sp56Nhj3FYFtqCEC-BA1vQ6IXe-AnAGJFzf3VrjaUXA3pVYevWeOdawmiU1ska7krJvB1VLHGCIAz0oBCA8FAcyR0TdxqKRB4umFb/s1600-h/P1010201.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303814013546923170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JdIsA4Ae8KKWcgK4XHl1n7op9invF4_LviC1n04Sp56Nhj3FYFtqCEC-BA1vQ6IXe-AnAGJFzf3VrjaUXA3pVYevWeOdawmiU1ska7krJvB1VLHGCIAz0oBCA8FAcyR0TdxqKRB4umFb/s200/P1010201.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is wood violet. It's a groundcover/ vine that we got from a plant swap. We've planted it to grow over a small bridge on our pond. Last year was our first year and while the vines grew, this is the first time I've seen it bloom. It's really dainty and pretty - I hope it grows over the bridge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YYrc16KyavfIz5DoOoxH0KcpkEDL0V-LRuFUBrjUtBF9GdJjp375AGTzmborc_I4meRuYm2koXLinIIZARgofLEFfxrXCLuMSq6eOwYGLHV72zmszu_zmNea4F0jj08RB9DSBsVp3Vje/s1600-h/P1010205.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303814028353074354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YYrc16KyavfIz5DoOoxH0KcpkEDL0V-LRuFUBrjUtBF9GdJjp375AGTzmborc_I4meRuYm2koXLinIIZARgofLEFfxrXCLuMSq6eOwYGLHV72zmszu_zmNea4F0jj08RB9DSBsVp3Vje/s200/P1010205.JPG" border="0" /></a>My bearded irises are trying to bloom too. They haven't quite yet, but here's a few buds. I have three or four different kinds in this bed - light purple, dark purple, a few yellow, and the most fragrant wonderful baby blue that I've ever smelled. I picked up six or seven new varieties when they went on clearance at Lowe's about three weeks ago (and were nearly dead), and am trying to grow those in pots to see if they are any good. If they bloom, I'll replant them into the iris bed. Fingers crossed!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSLhBWGWPomnlMzKogPuiiUJiP0UohjHr5R3rLPED5VWnZ12j3dmvqYLyE7E97oO3_O-W1QMZrZT195mhNnvcezXpkghgDXWgnQdP3apOVwGup533bKVw93wlX12ydXngPZ576lMSspLq/s1600-h/P1010203.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303814025267466498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSLhBWGWPomnlMzKogPuiiUJiP0UohjHr5R3rLPED5VWnZ12j3dmvqYLyE7E97oO3_O-W1QMZrZT195mhNnvcezXpkghgDXWgnQdP3apOVwGup533bKVw93wlX12ydXngPZ576lMSspLq/s200/P1010203.JPG" border="0" /></a>My grape hyacinths has survived being one of the favorites on the deer buffet. The first month these started to come up, the deer had a field day eating the tips down. Finally - some blooms. I love these little flowers - one of the few bulbs that will naturalize in our zone, I've heard. And they smell like grape bubble gum - yummy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSn2OBrT3T_dAKBDGlcFvaatFyEt-v9Tv4HvnlxHCvNdOXiqNyGMb0eINlwDfQGG_Z8d1OIh0qxyYfXAxVUE7wUYb1V8HbL6FJ1MrVf3vaFIbQM21jJAZhKZ9rJ2tEahFFCI2V97jRxhN/s1600-h/P1010202.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303814016994772146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSn2OBrT3T_dAKBDGlcFvaatFyEt-v9Tv4HvnlxHCvNdOXiqNyGMb0eINlwDfQGG_Z8d1OIh0qxyYfXAxVUE7wUYb1V8HbL6FJ1MrVf3vaFIbQM21jJAZhKZ9rJ2tEahFFCI2V97jRxhN/s200/P1010202.JPG" border="0" /></a>And lastly, my red yucca. I am so excited to see the first yucca bloom coming up. Last year was the first year I got any, and they were late in the summer. This year, they are starting early.<br /><br />OK - so, that's the latest. Maybe we'll get lucky and avoid a March freeze, and I can keep my baby bloomers. I hope so - we've got lots of stuff already peeking their heads out of the mulch and if we can avoid a freeze, this spring will be a great show!<br /><br />~ Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-34205607493247333832009-02-17T08:06:00.000-08:002009-02-17T08:35:18.572-08:00It's been a while, but things are moving along...It's been nearly a month since anyone posted, but we are still moving forward with the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) idea. We have four active participants in our garden co-op - three Hoes (Heather, Naomi and Anna), and one non-Hoe (Cynthia). We have had two work days so far and this is what we've done. <br /><br />We met to go over seeds - what we want to grow and how much. We decided on two groups of crops: <br /><br />a) Bulk crops - these will be grown in large quantities for our personal use and then if there are leftovers, possibly for sale at a local farmer's market. These were cucumbers, tomatoes (cherry, others), peppers (jalapeno, bell), melons, basil and green beans. Hoe Heather can correct me if I've missed any. <br /><br />b) Fun "try-me" crops - these will be smaller crops, mainly for trying and testing various veggies. We chose edame, some different non-standard varieties of tomatoes, okra, and a couple of others I can't remember. <br /><br />Hoe Heather is the designated list taker and organizer - she has the list of seeds, fertilizers and stuff we all currently have and the supplies we need. She is also the main seed grower - she has several different varieties of seeds that she is already beginning to propagate. This was a short meeting, but we did look at the layout of the garden and I was designated to get chicken wire to protect the garden and bounty from my rabid rabbits. <br /><br />Our second meeting was much more productive, although I was sick from the flu and unable to participate much. Heather, Anna and Cynthia unloaded the compost and tilled up the entire garden bed (with help from my DH). Everything looks so good now and pretty ready to plant. Then Anna and Heather cleaned out my greenhouse (with very little help from me) and took some seed starting supplies. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfU8hAc3dppEXGY6AbzKynRFq2DVnw48kmxZVLZWHwc8nRSzufcIJ2tlhLte7VgAZg4yv8W4Kfqa2h73vb0Zx427sj9JwSvX-NnfJB_26-GU75q6qpQlLkQ45DxD8_qPhSpPReYkgM7l5/s1600-h/P1010190.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfU8hAc3dppEXGY6AbzKynRFq2DVnw48kmxZVLZWHwc8nRSzufcIJ2tlhLte7VgAZg4yv8W4Kfqa2h73vb0Zx427sj9JwSvX-NnfJB_26-GU75q6qpQlLkQ45DxD8_qPhSpPReYkgM7l5/s200/P1010190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303802171240753394" /></a>Here's a picture of the area we will be gardening. Right now, I have the remnants of some winter vegetables (more about those in another post) in the front area. But the area is about 120 ft. long by 10 ft. wide. You can see the tilled area all the way back to the cedar tree, which is outside the fence. This entire area will be planted. We've decided to plant the first weekend in March - that's according to Hoe Anna's DH Manny - so we're sticking to his schedule. <br /><br />More on the CSA later, but so far, so good!<br /><br />~Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-27312202872421848592009-01-16T10:58:00.000-08:002009-01-16T11:02:58.740-08:00Decisions, DecisionsKnowing what veggie you want to grow is only the beginning... There are SO many varieties of each veggie it is a little overwhelming trying to determine which will be best to grow. The choices are even greater when one wants to try some new things. I'm in hog heaven and going bonkers at the same time trying to determine which species of various veggies I want to try and grow this year. <br /><br />While excited about doing fun tomatoes and some colored bell peppers, in addition to squash, zucchini and some other stuff, picking just a few is a very difficult thing to do.<br /><br />My mouth waters with every plant pix I see as I dream of what wonderful harvest our garden will provide.<br /><br />--Hoe Heathera Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-59758169779877350172009-01-15T07:32:00.000-08:002009-01-15T07:46:43.350-08:00Here we go....!Well, three of us met last night (over wine and munchies, of course) and decided that we ARE going to step out and try our hand at producing on a larger scale. We basically came up with this:<br /> <br /> A. We're going to primarily grow food for our families but package and sell the rest at market<br /> <br /> B. We're going to have a portion of the garden to grow a few plants in large numbers that we know are prolific and will have a large yield (for example: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers) and have a portion of the garden for things we want to attempt or grow only for our personal consumption/ use (ex: loofahs, black tomatoes, yellow and red bell peppers)<br /> <br /> C. We'll take the spring growing season to possibly recruit a few more folks, get familiar with how many plants it takes to produce enough for our personal consumption and selling<br /> <br /> D. See if we can sell our excess produce at a local Farmer's Market maybe once a month or once every other month<br /><br />I think this is great way for us to start. While we all want to jump right in and go gangbusters, we were able to restrain our enthusiasm and approach this rationally and realistically (surprisingly). <br /><br />Hoe Heather and I were talking after our meeting and we both agreed (and I am sure the rest do as well) - gardening is our "fun" thing. All of us work full-time and have family and other commitments, and the last thing we want is for gardening to become "another job". If we can maintain this attitude and keep gardening "fun", then I think that any growth of this idea will come out of the passion we have for what we are doing, rather than a sense of obligation to what we've committed.<br /><br />So, our next step is to meet this Saturday and decide what we want to grow. We're each going to pick a few things that we want to grow for us, then agree on what we grow on a larger scale. Then we start the real work: prepping ground, buying and sowing seed, organizing a schedule, etc...<br /><br />Fun times in 2009!a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-11013718609962084872009-01-09T11:27:00.000-08:002009-01-09T11:33:17.841-08:00Coop Farming for Farmer's Market?To do or not to do...that is the question. In theory, we are like kids in a candy store and can't wait to jump in and get started. In reality, we're hoping to meet soon to discuss what exactly we're talking about possibly getting involved in and determining if it is something that we can, or really want to do.<br /><br />The idea arose when a post was found about a new Farmer's Market hoping to start up here in our neck of the woods. initial thoughts were to expand Naomi's veggie garden and we'd just go bonkers growing produce and then we'd harvest the extra to sell at the Farmer's Market. As discussions progress, the idea continues to scale down. Hopefully, though, we'll have a pretty solid idea as to if this is something we're gonna tackle (in addition to our day jobs and regular Garden Hoeing). Keep posted for updates on the Garden Hoes Harvest of Byrne-Out Farms (or Ranch).a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-9709958002253218622008-12-15T08:53:00.000-08:002008-12-15T09:04:17.606-08:00Sharing with the Hoes vs. OthersAs much as I have been enjoying a plant/seed swap group to which I belong, nothing compares to getting plants/seeds from my fellow Garden Hoes.<br /><br />After 1.5 months I FINALLY received my end of a plant/seed trade, only to be disappointed. :O( The other party forgot to include the seeds they were supposed to send (bee balm and King Henry viola seeds), the "rooted chocolate mint" they sent was dead and the gladiola bulbs were very moldy. The Lily of the Valley pips appear to be in good shape though. Still, after having waited so long for my end of the trade, I was so saddened by the contents of the package. <br /><br />Compare that experience to ANY I've had with my fellow garden hoes. I steal... I mean, I gently and with permission (LOL..that one time meant all the time, right?), take cuttings (or plants..hee hee) from Naomi's garden and if they don't work, I get to get more. Same with seeds. The last work day we had, at Anna's, she loaded us down with healthy and beautiful rhizomes of what we are all anticipating to be GORGEOUS iris and Nancy brought mystery bulbs for us to plant! I can't wait to see what they pop up as.<br /><br />I just needed to vent about my less than expected trade I received and send a huge thank you to the wonderful hoes for all the wonderful plants, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, etc that you share with me!a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-80859427331158391192008-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:002008-12-05T08:51:12.210-08:00Winter is finally upon usLast night was the night - the night when winter finally turns the corner and fall has become a distant memory. I don't know why last night did it for me, but it seemed like yesterday everyone I knew was wishing for the summer heat again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahoB-Ejm6GyY7Jp3hGgGgeHbTxX_etMx0rRVkj4kIup2A-XK72TuLI6knVF2unVRZJkT274WVyox24h37j54QApFLc2Wqo2c-xtbpbeF5quOAOHoeA4D-nRGokz2mOwOr4IIWrvJFl-G-/s1600-h/GH+5-2008+(11).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahoB-Ejm6GyY7Jp3hGgGgeHbTxX_etMx0rRVkj4kIup2A-XK72TuLI6knVF2unVRZJkT274WVyox24h37j54QApFLc2Wqo2c-xtbpbeF5quOAOHoeA4D-nRGokz2mOwOr4IIWrvJFl-G-/s200/GH+5-2008+(11).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276348928893938242" /></a><br /><br />So, in this introspective mood, I wanted to present you with images of my garden-to-be...It's not actually my garden, nor could it be, but the images are so beautiful that they inspire me in my dreaming of spring. (The picture above is of my pond pre-freeze - hope it looks this good again in a few months.)<br /><br />I want to thank Tom Spencer, the author and photographer of the blog I've linked below. I had the good fortune to actually meet Tom at a completely non-related event this past week and it reminded me I needed to check out his blog again. While the pictures of places far from here are wonderful, it's the simple yet powerful images of his own garden that evoke the most emotion from me. <br /><br />Take your time and enjoy his images at <a href="http://soulofthegarden.com/Images.html"> Soul of the Garden</a>.<br /><br />~ Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-85558582904088990252008-11-24T08:20:00.000-08:002008-11-24T08:55:06.360-08:00November Garden Hoe WorkdaySaturday found us "hoeing" around at Anna's. Before/After pix will be posted soon... <br /><br />Anna had recruited the help of her sisters, who must love her a LOT to have driven a good hour, to help her prepare the delicious breakfast and lunch we had. We had a yummy breakfast casserole (from Naomi's recipes), sausage wraps and donuts that Nancy brought from Round Rock donuts-fried in LARD-which we discussed was a wonderful thing, coffee and mimosas. Lunch was a totally yummy chicken pasta salad and fruit salad, of which I think we all had seconds.<br /><br />After a little visiting, we went to work. There were two projects we planned to attack that day. The first was trimming back the ivy on one of the beds in front. Beautiful as it looks, that stuff is a pain in the you know what. We got it whacked back though, hopefully to a nice size, and put what rocks we had available around for a border. At one point, the ivy tried to get back at us for whacking it all up and tried to "eat" Nancy. Unfortunately, she escaped before I could get a pix.<br /><br />The second project was supposed to be to just extend the depth of Anna's veggie garden. One thing about us, no matter what we initially THINK we want to do, it ALWAYS ends up being a bigger project. Anna's veggie garden was no exception. Why just extend it a few feet when we could make it HUGE? After moving the compost pile back and pulling expired plants, Naomi started tilling. Rock removal and raking followed hot on her heals. What resulted was a GORGEOUS vegetable bed of fabulous dirt (I was really tempted to make a dirt angel in it it was such heavenly soil) that is going to result in lots of beautiful produce. I can't wait to post the pix...<br /><br />In the meantime, here are a few snapshots of the fun we have during our work days...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR5PD5YB9miWutUXAlPsziR_ma7Lx_tmPyqGp-X8ILmk8R7UPr1gH6Tp8D25XN9wX-EtwK1g1qqPFbnvVTHWjZFjZ4tpAnn6z-NHHRC2fP8cGsQmsWRrmtH-IwjMT4iYza_QQiXXtHBpB/s1600-h/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+013Naomi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR5PD5YB9miWutUXAlPsziR_ma7Lx_tmPyqGp-X8ILmk8R7UPr1gH6Tp8D25XN9wX-EtwK1g1qqPFbnvVTHWjZFjZ4tpAnn6z-NHHRC2fP8cGsQmsWRrmtH-IwjMT4iYza_QQiXXtHBpB/s200/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+013Naomi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272263020560869010" /></a>"<span style="font-weight:bold;">We could put a pond right here!</span>" Always thinking of yet more projects that can be done, Naomi pointed out that Anna's rock garden area that she and hubby have been stumped about what to do with, could be turned into a water feature area. Anna's hubby noted that he'd prefer it be turned into a putting green. We'll see which idea comes to fruition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupPoFgnsTfoRUM-SuM_bPt4nvvFVZD7x6u9HM6xFA_VgjAUcRK1pBmsCi2x-JkTi90WryGL-NK4eFaS_fWybsJSZZdgj9jmRBjqVvZoPlcRI5HvUOXoS9attW0VfKGZ-f6WLg5SOqyNBa/s1600-h/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+023TillerTrouble.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupPoFgnsTfoRUM-SuM_bPt4nvvFVZD7x6u9HM6xFA_VgjAUcRK1pBmsCi2x-JkTi90WryGL-NK4eFaS_fWybsJSZZdgj9jmRBjqVvZoPlcRI5HvUOXoS9attW0VfKGZ-f6WLg5SOqyNBa/s200/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+023TillerTrouble.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272263020676698578" /></a>"<span style="font-weight:bold;">FIRE! FIRE!</span>" Unable to unwind the last of the twine and grass that had become one with the tiller axle, and thereby bogging it down, we resorted to FIRE! Heather is carefully burning the grass and junk hoping not to ignite anything else. It worked great and the fire department didn't have to come over.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw1l31XpVhyphenhyphenZJrA48wcYwA7uVP-m_joSgvFPHJBbg-m2RK7nobrIdPzeuZYbhT6hI61cz8H080AXOabMdGcxQVqpSpgDmw7XEF4iEUS9H-FtldFPEhI8hweodhvNk9TvBCzivpbckzd0p/s1600-h/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+018Nancy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrw1l31XpVhyphenhyphenZJrA48wcYwA7uVP-m_joSgvFPHJBbg-m2RK7nobrIdPzeuZYbhT6hI61cz8H080AXOabMdGcxQVqpSpgDmw7XEF4iEUS9H-FtldFPEhI8hweodhvNk9TvBCzivpbckzd0p/s200/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+018Nancy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272263011283363346" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Goofin' around..</span>. Hoe Nancy taking a brief break from all the hard work. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbPVQw4kgqPklJPxRGv11q4elnFDzPCMAWPcM7OX1YZW2pzyAkEwmpCMPa5Afs2ycl9H6sP7CVSlqu5FZ1zTDSp4rbpuAxx4T7zsUroz0wfmV4u7ikQkrukK3B8EEiLFP51IY4isPTo-X/s1600-h/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+025HoeHoeHoeHoe.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbPVQw4kgqPklJPxRGv11q4elnFDzPCMAWPcM7OX1YZW2pzyAkEwmpCMPa5Afs2ycl9H6sP7CVSlqu5FZ1zTDSp4rbpuAxx4T7zsUroz0wfmV4u7ikQkrukK3B8EEiLFP51IY4isPTo-X/s200/2008novAnalydiaHoeDay+025HoeHoeHoeHoe.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272263007612985938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Garden Hoes</span>... I don't know why we never take a picture BEFORE we dive in and get nasty, but here we are. (L to R) Anna, Nancy, Naomi, & Heather. Nickie was unable to attend.a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-65031459959724146512008-11-14T11:20:00.001-08:002008-11-14T11:26:37.174-08:00Like We NEED More PlantsLast night, Naomi and I attended the Native Plants Society of Texas-Austin Area Chapter plant swap in Georgetown. The LAST thing we need right now (especially with winter quickly approaching) is more plants that we need to get into the ground. That said, we're gardening freaks and couldn't resist. <br /><br />We both got many wonderful plants to add to our own landscapes and enjoyed visiting with the NPSOT members as well. Some of the goodies I personally managed to score include: carolina jasmine, wild onion, snake herb, turk's cap, spiderwort, pipevine, wild foxglove, lindheimer's senna, false guara, salvia coccinea, purple coneflower, and little bluestem grass. Yippee!<br /><br />It was loads of fun and I'm so thrilled I got to attend. Even if I hadn't gotten all the wonderful plants I did, I learned some things about native plants of Texas. Thanks, Naomi for letting me know about it! --Hoe Heathera Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-65506683982806096192008-11-10T06:57:00.000-08:002008-11-10T07:03:20.284-08:00Will It Rain or Do I Water?THAT is the question. My poor pond garden needs watering badly (cause I've been forgetting) BUT the weather person said we've got rain in the forecast so I'm HOPING that the Lord will feel bad for my poor unwatered plants and send some rain to us...FAST.<br /><br />This is the time of year where I really want to be outside, as Naomi mentioned in an earlier post, playing in the dirt, because the weather is SO beautiful. Unfortunately, there isn't really any planting I can do right now, that I know of, since ol' man winter is on his way. Now is the time to begin buckling down instead of germinating seeds and that is the complete opposite of what I want to do. In fact, the urge to make things grow is even greater since my having joined another group where I've been trading for some WONDERFUL seeds and plants. I am so excited about some of these that I am itching to go plant them. That excitement is going to make for a long winter, I fear. <br /><br />Anyway, back to the rain... here's crossing my fingers that the weather person was right. If not, I have GOT to remember to water my poor plants later today. -Hoe Heathera Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-40736433432495433062008-10-29T15:24:00.000-07:002008-10-29T15:47:57.362-07:00I hate this weather...Okay, I know I said I like this weather, but last night it was 20 DEGREES COLDER THAN NORMAL so ALL my tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatillos, and peppers are mushy black crud. (My canteloupe are mush too, but that's okay seeing as they were a "volunteer" crop anyway.) Even a few of my perennials got a little frosted (like me right now). <br /><br />Why didn't I cover them? Because it WASN'T supposed to get that COLD. It was ONLY supposed to get down to 50 degrees or so (normal temps this time of year), but NOOOOOO - I have black stumps where my wonderful plants used to be.<br /><br />Silver lining - my lettuces, chards, cabbages, and other root vegetables are still looking good. I now have planted at least 7 different types of lettuces (seed and starts), four types of cabbages, several variety of broccoli, and collards and kale (seed). I'm trying intensive planting on my lettuces. I planted four rows of starter plants and in between, seeded other varieties. My goal - to have a solid row of lettuces (6' x 2') with no real visible space between the plants so that I don't have to weed. We'll see how it goes...<br /><br />In other planting news - my GardenHoes project looks great. The number of unplanted plants is slowly going down and I am trying to be sooooo good and not buy any new ones until I get all these in the ground. I have several bulbs that I planted under one of our mock pear trees coming up, so I am hoping to get some flowers. What kind, I don't know, as that area became an experimental bulb planting ground. The deer have managed to eat a few more of my plants, but most seem to be surviving (it may be because my neighbors have taken up target practice and scared the deer away). We got some new fish for the pond...I wasn't supposed to, but when I saw that the new babies that survived the spill were okay, I figured - what the heck? Lots of other stuff in the works, but I can't remember it all right now.<br /><br />Last thing - I can't wait for Hoe Anna's project day. It will be the first time we've been over there, so i'm excited to see what her place is like. <br /><br />~Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-87294005687940403122008-10-05T14:42:00.000-07:002008-11-10T06:44:53.183-08:00Heather's Hoe Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19C9nb5Q4yTwZEqo6Lc6e94BMwbMwZI1e54Yv3EgUmQji2wOvY_R23lN5-T7R8wpTdQQmZE1Z12a4FD2cf3sSeGJWb-GLvbV46jAdEp7Xa51-wW1sOb60t9Up5XsMSgnim_Ke-XgXj2E/s1600-h/pond+garden+Oct+2008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19C9nb5Q4yTwZEqo6Lc6e94BMwbMwZI1e54Yv3EgUmQji2wOvY_R23lN5-T7R8wpTdQQmZE1Z12a4FD2cf3sSeGJWb-GLvbV46jAdEp7Xa51-wW1sOb60t9Up5XsMSgnim_Ke-XgXj2E/s400/pond+garden+Oct+2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263340783364507906" /></a>Despite being in the middle of the kitchen remodel, the Garden Hoes were over the first Saturday in October for a huge project. Anna and Nickie did a beautiful job cleaning up and mulching the pond garden and we built a beautiful herb and iris bed in front of my garden. It didn't "sound" like a big project in my imagination but, like the kitchen remodel, it got bigger and bigger as we went along. Probably the most time consuming part of the project was removing only a very small amount of the fill rock that made up the majority of the ground. After removing 5 wheelbarrows full of rocks from the tilled ground, we called it quits, added compost and finished the project. <br /><br />Between all the hard work, we took a few breaks, of course. One was for lunch and we had Greek Salad and some other Greek fixings. YUMMY. Another break found Anna telling Ryan, because he was sitting in her lap and asking the questions and she has more patience than I, what EVERY variety of onion and then bean was in the seed catalog. <br /><br />Little FUNNY aspect of the day...Naomi had met, the night before at First Friday in Georgetown, a gal who had recently relocated here and invited her to hang out with us on Saturday to do a "little gardening". Well, the new firend DID show up and DID even jump in and help for a little while. During one of our breaks, however, she commented that when Naomi had told her we'd be doing a little gardening and eating, blah blah blah... SHE thought it would be a sort of picnic and we'd occasionally pluck a weed. THAT got quite a laugh out of all of us. The LAST thing we are is some prim and proper gardening group. LOL. <br /><br />Anyway, we had fun and got the project(s) done! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlvKqtiWpVx8pNg4SbuJB0OxHpe8vS4H7UmQLZwI-nJz9_EESxY9ji8wXQjeQqVNhWaMRdU8o4KTkxwDUWHxu1zVcPX3RT7fo3gYEAsp5562m0Xle71TItWunPYY3MkvEzyKWgpo4e5Q/s1600-h/herb+garden+before+Oct+2008.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlvKqtiWpVx8pNg4SbuJB0OxHpe8vS4H7UmQLZwI-nJz9_EESxY9ji8wXQjeQqVNhWaMRdU8o4KTkxwDUWHxu1zVcPX3RT7fo3gYEAsp5562m0Xle71TItWunPYY3MkvEzyKWgpo4e5Q/s200/herb+garden+before+Oct+2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263342161777241922" /></a>We forgot to take a "before" photo but remembered pretty early in the day. Here is Naomi tilling up my rock ground in preparation of the bed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiITa93szbTQ5M0PtPBBM9gTN7ppAYASRYJPmtAVDQsM2Z7V-gFKpSyEX0Bl4ZzKTEHBZBLbAbooK2CzmTdAUceWI2035heTxR32nqNYdxD7cqrAxbLYidUAPw3NJJ_2_wvkYMUErDRQ/s1600-h/herb+garden+after+Oct+2008.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiITa93szbTQ5M0PtPBBM9gTN7ppAYASRYJPmtAVDQsM2Z7V-gFKpSyEX0Bl4ZzKTEHBZBLbAbooK2CzmTdAUceWI2035heTxR32nqNYdxD7cqrAxbLYidUAPw3NJJ_2_wvkYMUErDRQ/s320/herb+garden+after+Oct+2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263342738219304674" /></a><br /><br /><br />It is beautiful and I can't wait until next year when all the iris come up and, hopefully, bloom amidst all my herbs.<br /><br />Many thanks to all the Garden Hoes for the awesome job! Extra thanks to Naomi for the beams, compost....a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-88119194275472531092008-10-02T07:23:00.001-07:002008-10-02T07:35:13.037-07:00I'd rather be playing in the dirt...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7WtQt7gcKyNQwyXlGPj5CPCl00ybgr39vr596GExTf_KPQzA3eFFvdbttyduJ8g_9w773dfYEU9L4yCPaKnJsIMPgjCEdGEPZrNuZYJFXQZZ0jBrj-XwkJ3nq-18t46C29LrYJnrvsXG/s1600-h/Fall+Aster.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7WtQt7gcKyNQwyXlGPj5CPCl00ybgr39vr596GExTf_KPQzA3eFFvdbttyduJ8g_9w773dfYEU9L4yCPaKnJsIMPgjCEdGEPZrNuZYJFXQZZ0jBrj-XwkJ3nq-18t46C29LrYJnrvsXG/s200/Fall+Aster.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252564047940726946" /></a><br />Thursday morning and the temp is about 75 degrees. I wish I was outside right now. Not even necessarily doing anything productive, but just moving things around.<br /><br />This morning when I went to work, I noticed that I have the beginning of a bloom on my fall asters. I got these for the first time this year and was told that these plants bloom at the start of the fall equinox. (This is not my plant by the way, but hopefully soon). <a href="http://naturalgardeneraustin.com">The Natural Gardener </a>calls the Fall Aster one of their favorite plants and talks about them on their website: "All year we wait for this magical time when profusions of purple aster blooms signal the transition into Autumn in Central Texas. Aster oblongifolius, our native species, is a real powerhouse of a plant. A very hardy perennial, reaching about 2 feet high by 2 to 3 feet wide, it is extremely drought tolerant and will spread quite happily by seed. An unobtrusive member of the garden community for most of the year, Fall Aster jumps to the fore in late summer to provide an eye-popping show through the Autumn months. Plant now to get a head start for Spring."<br /><br />Well, between the 50 degree nights and the fall aster blooms, I think Fall has officially arrived. This is my favorite time of the year - boy, I wish I could be outside right now.a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-71956838844032961292008-09-26T08:44:00.000-07:002008-09-26T08:47:38.945-07:00Look What Showed UpFrom Hoe Nancy:<br /><br />So, I'm thinking this beast of a summer has died. Look what came up in my yard as a complete and total surprise when I splashed some water around something nearby:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeGG6XDn8b3DduqFi9vsJHIE9xoyrDcQhnqvejokQ-X2JGixc3C3xT9ob0lL0O6joCyAVuezc_7xp-55qP7-bn-wHhkpaqUtgpdC4wbvyq0LGn2YlHrU3JUcEvtOhNOmr7-fKTNGPpBWe/s1600-h/moz-screenshot-70.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeGG6XDn8b3DduqFi9vsJHIE9xoyrDcQhnqvejokQ-X2JGixc3C3xT9ob0lL0O6joCyAVuezc_7xp-55qP7-bn-wHhkpaqUtgpdC4wbvyq0LGn2YlHrU3JUcEvtOhNOmr7-fKTNGPpBWe/s320/moz-screenshot-70.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250357102093223394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJHpppz4MqcJ3ex70jo2b38kQhr_s8HNdlYus_X8HWNbKHhouJ4GMzoGc4ftK9GRsixCvzb1fcTo1qwOSiSdYDh1inmL7nBTHktzEgTroFL0nKkItsLcGwkvTxK8_uD1Y0lNdSnmAzCTC/s1600-h/moz-screenshot-71.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJHpppz4MqcJ3ex70jo2b38kQhr_s8HNdlYus_X8HWNbKHhouJ4GMzoGc4ftK9GRsixCvzb1fcTo1qwOSiSdYDh1inmL7nBTHktzEgTroFL0nKkItsLcGwkvTxK8_uD1Y0lNdSnmAzCTC/s320/moz-screenshot-71.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250357107472326674" /></a><br />These lilies have been in the ground several years now, but I haven't seen even a hint of them for 2006 (drought), 2007 (flood) or 2008 (drought). Their first year (2005) I got one sickly bloom (my friend only gave me a small chunk) so I am astounded by this spread. I had very much given up on them, so needless to say I do a little dance of joy every time I walk the yard and see them. Then I start wondering about all the other things that I've just assumed were dead and gone ..... but I've got to tell you that seeing something blooming in the yard raised my spirits so much that it sent me running to the nursery for some blackfoot daisy.a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-44829918807784262642008-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:002008-09-22T08:34:44.933-07:00Recipes, Science Fiction & GardeningWHAT, you are probably thinking, do those three things have in common? Not long ago I got a card to send to a friend that had a quote from Rita Rutner that read, "I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think....that's not going to happen!" <br /><br />While I feel that way about my cooking, I also feel the same way about my gardening. I see these beautiful pictures in books and magazines and in friend's yards (um...Naomi. Hee hee) and try as I might, when I try to accomplish a certain look or grow a certain plant, well, my thumb tends to be more brown than green. Naomi, and my husband, keep telling me that old adage of "1st year sleeps, 2nd year creeps, and 3rd year leaps". Unfortunately, with the way I seem to be with plants, I'm forever going to be in that 1st/2nd year phase. <br /><br />I am, however, most excited about my upcoming hoe day! While I will only have one small bed to do for the main project, I'm hoping to enlist my free labor to help me with some general clean-up and mulching of the rest of the beds and such to make the house - the outside at least- look all pretty for the James family reunion we have the 3rd weekend in October.<br /><br />-Hoe Heathera Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-84544330267163267232008-09-22T07:17:00.000-07:002008-09-22T07:24:33.846-07:00We're not Murderers...kindaGood news! My husband and I aren't murderers!<br /><br />A little bit of background: About a month ago, my husband forgot and left the water hose in the pond while he was filling it. We had five nice size Koi and about 40 goldfish (various types and colors). Well, the Leander water we have is loaded with nasty chemicals and the water was on overnight.<br /><br />Long story short, we killed all of our fish except for two of the Koi (and the ugly ones at that). It was like the Exxon Valdez has spilled in our pond and every fish minus two were heads up, eyes bulging when I woke the next morning to go to work.<br /><br />We immediately treated the pond and hoped that the last two fish would survive. We have delayed getting replacement fish because we wanted to make sure the pond eco-system was healthy and the fish were no longer stressed. Last night as I was feeding the two Koi, I noticed some other movement in the pond. Lo and behold - we have baby fish! Probably about 12-14 black, 1 white, and 1 white/orange - all goldfish. So we're parents again and ecstatic - yay!<br /><br />Of course, it is my luck that almost all the new fish are an ugly black, but beggars (and murderers) can't be choosers, right? :-)a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-11261641226429298982008-09-15T10:47:00.000-07:002008-09-15T11:19:36.669-07:00My Hoe Day!Well, my Hoe Day has come and gone, and it was a blast! As you can see, the side of the house we worked on needed it badly...<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80NzaJ0hMalCZcLU8Dhdh4AKO4Bbyeik2QswkQDqii4Z5CZt1c_KaSpxd9LyMGFh-m2suGd88pTSfIbat3RXi-C_0yvGxftbD-NLMeC3CCDXBsEz3678mkLz2Skj1M8Z-L4lh3YE4NgWH/s1600-h/Garden+Hoe+Project+Location+2008.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246306884863997074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 303px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px" height="160" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80NzaJ0hMalCZcLU8Dhdh4AKO4Bbyeik2QswkQDqii4Z5CZt1c_KaSpxd9LyMGFh-m2suGd88pTSfIbat3RXi-C_0yvGxftbD-NLMeC3CCDXBsEz3678mkLz2Skj1M8Z-L4lh3YE4NgWH/s200/Garden+Hoe+Project+Location+2008.JPG" width="307" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But, first things first. Food! Breakfast was the guest standy - breakfast pizza. Very hardy and filling. Of course, we also had the GardenHoe required alcohol - mimosas! Everyone was able to come except Nickie - we missed her, but we'll get her next time.<br /><br />Then we went to work. The crepe myrtle on the left was dug out and turned into five new crepe myrtles (on purpose on accident). The new crepe myrtles were all planted by the pool in the back yard and the cannas that were dug out were moved to be planted at the back of the pond. We also dug out a dwarf nandina (also relocated to the pond) and some Easter Lily bulbs (to be relocated in the new bed). All the weeds were pulled (turns out Anna HATES weeds and makes it her life's work to get rid of them) and we moved some of the junk on the right side away from the house.<br /><br />Next, we tilled up a wide area - maybe four feet wide from the side of the house all the way out. After tilling and raking off the chaff, we laid down compost and retilled the entire area. By then, it was lunchtime!<br /><br />Lunch was good (if I do say so myself)...I tried out a few new recipes and made some old standards. We had teriyaki flank steak, honey-mustard chicked drummettes, broccoli salad, an AWESOME crab dip, chorizo and carmelized onion quiche-type-thing, and Mom's pound cake for dessert. Yum! I'll have to post the recipes in another post...<br /><br />After lunch, Nancy and Anna had to go, and Heather and I did the easy stuff - planted some plants. We then decided that we had worked hard enough and went to Lowe's and Hill Country Water Gardens to shop. :-)<br /><br />On Sunday, motivated by all the hard work (and my nagging), my DH and I finished the hardscapes stuff - added pavers bought off of Craigslist and a fence area around the pool equipment. I also found (over by the greenhouse!) more plants that I could plant, so I did. And here is the result...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d1feTbt2Yfi58AcjKiwm9p6iIt5496X9vezO9DM5E-El1p8jPU1WP3dYk3DCunR82HupdX2BLm3LGfJFrLvttKVCzFIpr6-IfTfzv-lb_odqbiOXuJ1wUwAiCWiuZXqkMyTPj74tJlpx/s1600-h/P1010133.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246312100605420386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d1feTbt2Yfi58AcjKiwm9p6iIt5496X9vezO9DM5E-El1p8jPU1WP3dYk3DCunR82HupdX2BLm3LGfJFrLvttKVCzFIpr6-IfTfzv-lb_odqbiOXuJ1wUwAiCWiuZXqkMyTPj74tJlpx/s200/P1010133.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHqzSRHiVu3zKRevag2yqHRv7Y5pQ50ey7a5M1ybV6VRxwCb7QDNOQtPBw8cEisyhvEILGgyVddPkdwiyavmEuYGilRqp6xdoyMThFJqAANj2dnUlCX7c2FQlmJZQ4dlM6kO6_8mPSbYr/s1600-h/P1010134.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246312085886964514" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHqzSRHiVu3zKRevag2yqHRv7Y5pQ50ey7a5M1ybV6VRxwCb7QDNOQtPBw8cEisyhvEILGgyVddPkdwiyavmEuYGilRqp6xdoyMThFJqAANj2dnUlCX7c2FQlmJZQ4dlM6kO6_8mPSbYr/s200/P1010134.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeBRcTe25GUE5EaeO4dE3KjO-PPk67NJ1E3ne2qMVUln5C_l_yYs0L-fPF2_SAHyCv7sfT1Aue8S81ZhmGl52dy5AGGl09eAuO3BgXlkjW-IH9gj8Bx_Irmsaxjqss7e_jOEnB8oUC1v5/s1600-h/P1010135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246312094959216274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeBRcTe25GUE5EaeO4dE3KjO-PPk67NJ1E3ne2qMVUln5C_l_yYs0L-fPF2_SAHyCv7sfT1Aue8S81ZhmGl52dy5AGGl09eAuO3BgXlkjW-IH9gj8Bx_Irmsaxjqss7e_jOEnB8oUC1v5/s200/P1010135.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p><br />Wow! What a difference! And just to let you know what plants went in...<br /><br />Purple fall asters<br />Purple and white walking irises<br />Purple passionflower vine<br />Purple bat faced cuphea (I was SOOOO excited to find this...)<br />Purple salvia<br />Purple fountain grass<br />Purple scabiosas (pincushion)<br />Silver ponyfoot<br />Mounding plumbago (kind of looks lavender-ish)<br />White easter lilies<br />Japanese maple<br /><br />Can you tell I had a purple theme? I can't wait to see what it will look like when it blooms. Thanks Hoes for my project! I love the side of my house now!<br /><br />~Hoe Naomi </p>a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-57180166863948288842008-09-05T08:23:00.000-07:002008-09-05T08:53:41.191-07:00Hoe - 1, Deer - 0So, I am uber-excited because several of my plants that had been decimated by the deer have actually managed to come back and bloom. What did I do, you ask, to stave off the hordes of cannabilistic doe-eyed demons who ravaged my poor plants like zombies at Disneyland? I bought this gadget called a <a href="http://www.contech-inc.com/Products/Scarecrow/">Scarecrow</a> - a motion-activated sprinkler. It has been the best deer repellent I have ever had, except now I need at least two more to keep them from the pond and the veggie garden in the back yard.<br /><br />But, back to the plants. I was able to photograph a few before my camera died.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3iKz0SMZFsxmGilvAo8oE0b9ohxlw9aiDM0NYSNDHP6Y2zz-DWk09BPXUIV3jSYCP6A8ecThO3KkxuOKk0RI0R0qvKBlH5-nqfQEVvAMrP1jVaKwH1of59E8vA3izVmmz8liexPepP_4/s1600-h/P9040121.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242560492271836898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3iKz0SMZFsxmGilvAo8oE0b9ohxlw9aiDM0NYSNDHP6Y2zz-DWk09BPXUIV3jSYCP6A8ecThO3KkxuOKk0RI0R0qvKBlH5-nqfQEVvAMrP1jVaKwH1of59E8vA3izVmmz8liexPepP_4/s200/P9040121.JPG" border="0" /></a>My first plant is some type of lily, I think. I don't remember what this is or where I got it (not surprising), but it bloomed once about six weeks ago then the deer ate it to the ground. But, it finally rebloomed and has a couple more flowers on it, so I'm very excited. If you have any idea what this is, I'd appreciate any help!<br /><br /><p align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhGcPbpSbfKexKm7EL3PTaGIW1QJLTVcI-ucsZMkYKHhFjfUs7uve8Mhb8Not5SXqCzK8p226e3S5M60pcHAxRa6NnYgyIADPgGpHfvJIej6sH8c4aEBT8fm8sTvGrK-Mzztil6CDu4wZ/s1600-h/P9040123.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242560493270666482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhGcPbpSbfKexKm7EL3PTaGIW1QJLTVcI-ucsZMkYKHhFjfUs7uve8Mhb8Not5SXqCzK8p226e3S5M60pcHAxRa6NnYgyIADPgGpHfvJIej6sH8c4aEBT8fm8sTvGrK-Mzztil6CDu4wZ/s200/P9040123.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhGcPbpSbfKexKm7EL3PTaGIW1QJLTVcI-ucsZMkYKHhFjfUs7uve8Mhb8Not5SXqCzK8p226e3S5M60pcHAxRa6NnYgyIADPgGpHfvJIej6sH8c4aEBT8fm8sTvGrK-Mzztil6CDu4wZ/s1600-h/P9040123.JPG"></a></p><p align="left">Next is one of several bat faced cupheas I have. I have three different kinds right now - one which is a very small bloom, a few that have a regular bloom size, and a ruffled version I couldn't NOT get last weekend while Craigslisting down south. (Yes Heather, you can have a cutting of that.) My smaller versions are doing fine, but the two larger plants got nubbed. Finally, after banishing the deer from the yard, this one has decided that it can bloom as well. </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVLRefqILpcTTMzc4qnITUnQmc85iAcKl_dENCWHm2kBAQDIJnLgn3xFwzsHummpziSOknv_Q-5OOzVx1X99-yEA4RLmTRc2wxDLT5axFYCKkyb3Mdarw9tYcUFIMJMFdcldojb02BfQb/s1600-h/P9040126.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242563443324683106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVLRefqILpcTTMzc4qnITUnQmc85iAcKl_dENCWHm2kBAQDIJnLgn3xFwzsHummpziSOknv_Q-5OOzVx1X99-yEA4RLmTRc2wxDLT5axFYCKkyb3Mdarw9tYcUFIMJMFdcldojb02BfQb/s200/P9040126.JPG" border="0" /></a>The last one I took a pic of is one of my favorite plants, the blue plumbago. Last year I had four of these in the ground but they failed to come back after the winter. I mulched them and covered them, but they didn't return and they are supposed to be perennials. Someone later told me I may not have watered them enough?!? Anyway, I bought three more this year because I just love the ice-blue color and they are finally starting to look like I want!<br /><br />Let's just hope that I can keep these through the winter this year. I hate potting things up since I take even worse care of my potted plants than I do the ones in the ground, so I'm really going to try my darndest to pull these through to next year. Keep your fingers crossed!<br /><br />~Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-20263427579707217772008-09-03T14:49:00.000-07:002008-09-03T15:14:07.911-07:00Can't wait for my September project...So, I'm the lucky recipient of the September garden project. After our last Meet-n-Greet, we drew names and I got this month. Yay for me! We've decided on September 13 - soon enough for me NOT to procrastinate but after Jen's plant swap where I can get some good stuff!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsOKSvVAjaqZRbu5a6ELFtM14uXw3SQjqzAnCZxNSu_iBIzUVaN0r_IcpkpPGuOQOt4srZeCNUcFq4QtVFuegzM8iDzUzPs5gRihn-OO9g-f0C-bcctRky89UtkaJFBAio-6lrzSrKPAU/s1600-h/Garden+Hoe+Project+Location+2008.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsOKSvVAjaqZRbu5a6ELFtM14uXw3SQjqzAnCZxNSu_iBIzUVaN0r_IcpkpPGuOQOt4srZeCNUcFq4QtVFuegzM8iDzUzPs5gRihn-OO9g-f0C-bcctRky89UtkaJFBAio-6lrzSrKPAU/s320/Garden+Hoe+Project+Location+2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241916751121961698" /></a><br />This is the area I want to do...the side of the house, next to our pool equipment. You can't see it for the weeds growing up, but there is a small bed (about 18" in depth) already. However, there is little going on in there right now besides some transplanted cannas, some dying cast iron plants, and some Easter lilies that come back year after year. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO8QKNwYBQn9wHRvQeZuEvAipE74R895y23cDLTmt6x95XRkPr_8nNiqYgfcZTahFAoummyN-6n2tWIcHWXnRjZPSrRaOCVXPFNGjefQJItHIweKTqmr2jQGepR2N0ygXTFNmj9nByA5Q/s1600-h/Easter+Lilies.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO8QKNwYBQn9wHRvQeZuEvAipE74R895y23cDLTmt6x95XRkPr_8nNiqYgfcZTahFAoummyN-6n2tWIcHWXnRjZPSrRaOCVXPFNGjefQJItHIweKTqmr2jQGepR2N0ygXTFNmj9nByA5Q/s320/Easter+Lilies.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241918716119662434" /></a><br />I do happen to have a picture of the Easter lilies in bloom from this year, taken in May. I didn't know until recently that Easter lilies that are in the ground seldom come until way after Easter! Normally, they come up at the base of the crepe myrtle bush on the left.<br /><br /><br /><br />So, I'm thinking of the type of bed that I want to do. I think I want to have a nicer edge than my normal "random limestone rock left over from digging holes" around the edge - maybe a nice paver border? I also want to put a small three foot high fence around the pool equipment with a little fence and have some vines growing around it, I think. Maybe bring the bed out about three feet and have a plan for this area, unlike the "plopping" style of planting I normally do. I would like to have some plants NOT already in the front yard - foxgloves might be neat. <br /><br />I also think I want to have a little more in the way of "yard art". Maybe a statue of some dude, or iron sculpture - depending on what I can get on Craigslist. I also think I want the bed to have squared edges, rather than rounded. And maybe a little bit raised...<br /><br />Well, I have two weeks to decide what I want...and plenty of hands to help out. I might have to go shopping this weekend after the plant swap!<br /><br />~Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-59124735421905973742008-08-27T12:15:00.000-07:002008-08-27T12:23:34.870-07:00August Planning MeetingWith temps still a wee bit too hot to have been getting out for big projects, we did recently get together for a little planning meeting at my house. Of course, we spent most of the time eating yummy munchies, drinking some delish wines, and discussing music and movies (including who we thought were hot movie stars...hey, we're girls..what do you expect?). We did, however, get some business taken care of. <br /><br />We drew names for upcoming projects and discussed what various projects we had in mind that we'd need some "Garden Hoe" help with. Keep watch in the coming months for what we're up to.<br /><br />Attending were me, Naomi, Nancy and Anna. Nickie ditzed out and got her days mixed up so we missed seeing her this time. Not to worry though, we gave her much grief over it. ;O) --Hoe Heather<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1dMaue5kAVD9s-GHdnKgmAW7dhJNENHwKyNrBfLvELOdQ28tqRT13GlwA4eA2vrcQRk3Ik4YAvbWq4oZ55SsAA8r02kRCWsK8HYdWwjbKByp6mb25JeyrRtMe9D-6Cwst8FQFp0CsT-V/s1600-h/Attachment+(Preview+document).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1dMaue5kAVD9s-GHdnKgmAW7dhJNENHwKyNrBfLvELOdQ28tqRT13GlwA4eA2vrcQRk3Ik4YAvbWq4oZ55SsAA8r02kRCWsK8HYdWwjbKByp6mb25JeyrRtMe9D-6Cwst8FQFp0CsT-V/s320/Attachment+(Preview+document).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239280224224202034" /></a>Oh, and a favorite little "bumper sticker" has been making its way around the group...a Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-49932127197076594652008-08-27T12:11:00.000-07:002008-08-27T12:15:07.008-07:00My Hibiscus BloomedAwhile back I lost many plants to the dogs and Naomi, feeling sorry for me, got me a few beauties to replace them. Well, my red hibiscus plant that she gave me recently put on it's first bloom and it's a beauty! I love this flower and am SO happy that it was happy enough in the pot I put it to reward me with a glorious splash of red in my garden. Just wanted to share...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5QV7abZYxQTTzWuwpRSJfhTzVcGYHJYswTJWyqFP_btB6_yupCVQmNmr0tS8dSm2u2Cf2mqEsypDZ_6hsrvN6ZcgifU1Su1oSku3M0OC2FeU0IUkt9xzppurj4AThrRFO5Kkfh_-lNNw/s1600-h/Mid-August+2008+020.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5QV7abZYxQTTzWuwpRSJfhTzVcGYHJYswTJWyqFP_btB6_yupCVQmNmr0tS8dSm2u2Cf2mqEsypDZ_6hsrvN6ZcgifU1Su1oSku3M0OC2FeU0IUkt9xzppurj4AThrRFO5Kkfh_-lNNw/s400/Mid-August+2008+020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239278038750797186" /></a><br />--Hoe Heathera Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234991212255259049.post-91266278611938632392008-08-22T07:40:00.000-07:002008-08-22T07:55:55.446-07:00Butterflys and Birds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg9CidKjbsitqeFNgSdpTT58cmtiIJDAZ1zfkhk7LUMATbi_7JBnC7eCGCq0lScQZp5i1vosyRrI7jnvCEJKoKn7ZrhVZ8S9_fU1XFXkqgjN7136U6wFwj_cxOhfEW8TuhbdnlV0Knorf/s1600-h/P8210115.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg9CidKjbsitqeFNgSdpTT58cmtiIJDAZ1zfkhk7LUMATbi_7JBnC7eCGCq0lScQZp5i1vosyRrI7jnvCEJKoKn7ZrhVZ8S9_fU1XFXkqgjN7136U6wFwj_cxOhfEW8TuhbdnlV0Knorf/s200/P8210115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237353819052553826" /></a><br /><br />I recently took a trip to Key West with an old friend of mine. One of the best parts of the trip was the visit to the Key West Butterfly Conservatory. I won't bore you with all the pretty butterflies we saw, but just last weekend I was reminded of the trip when I was gardening in my front yard and saw this butterfly. <br /><br />I was just sitting there and it decided to fly down right in front of me and flit from zinnia to zinnia. It was just so pretty to watch. The butterfly was so oblivious of me that I was able to go to the garage, get the camera, and take a picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxilsypjdSR3ynLPgE6rETiYnCDrQnjLaMlVTrfPWgrAtgYypbv843x0IbpxX8E6Dxz6uF_WcPqk7VaxIwPTGQwpBWHXecSq7b0SYaHqTvbCTmxd4GwQgCLdUCPsHRQhtgYgGWH2LrVlr9/s1600-h/P8210116.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxilsypjdSR3ynLPgE6rETiYnCDrQnjLaMlVTrfPWgrAtgYypbv843x0IbpxX8E6Dxz6uF_WcPqk7VaxIwPTGQwpBWHXecSq7b0SYaHqTvbCTmxd4GwQgCLdUCPsHRQhtgYgGWH2LrVlr9/s200/P8210116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237354945832802082" /></a><br /><br />I also saw this pretty hummingbird and was able to catch him too. Ignore the dying marigolds in the background - they have been cleaned up and are much healthier now. This little guy liked the zinnias (weeds that they are) alot too, but he really likes the salvias that have managed to survive the heat. <br /><br />It was so neat to sit and watch these two fly around in front of me. It makes me smile and we can all use that. ~ Hoe Naomia Garden Hoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15024062586926772827noreply@blogger.com0