Whenever I see those photographs of ancient cities that have been completely covered by vegetation I am amazed. No longer. Seven weeks away from my own garden and I realize how quickly this event can come about.
I know I took out all those Texas sunflowers! What about the basil? They have become bushes.
Diligent removal of all the purslane before I left was to no avail.
I think I warned someone about the dangers of morning glory. It has almost covered my Indian hawthorne.
What is that yucky stuff in the bird bath? It's like a thick gel. The birdbath stayed full because I have it on the drip system but I wonder if any birds bothered to visit.
Someone's been eating the pomegranates. I think I know who that might be.
So, for three mornings I have snipped and clipped and pulled and yanked, all the while planning my New Year resolution not to let anything grow in the pathways between the veggy beds and to get rid of all those plants whose every seed is viable. I think I'll keep these ones.
This lovely pale yellow annual hibiscus Abelmoschus manihot. I collected the seeds from a plant in DC. The seeds are hardy and it pops up every year in my garden to bring a splash of yellow to all the oranges.
The annual Zinnia linearis or narrow leaf zinnia. I save the seeds from year to year as the plants are not easy to find. They come in white yellow and orange. Their color is never faded by the strong sunlight.
They are just a profusion of color.
The senna of course. It seeds readily and I always keep a couple growing in pots in case we have a very hard winter and they die.
Blackfoot daisies with their light almond fragrance.
At one time the sunken garden had only decomposed granite but the weeding was really a chore. The sandstone pavers make for much less maintenance. I almost forgot my chillies. They are mucho nacho and I have no idea what to do with them. They were some plants left over from the Master Gardener's tour. I love the color but hate to waste them.
Oh, and the foxes are still with us. Every morning the two of them are on the wall moving up to the corner as the sun comes round and finally leaving around lunch time. By this time it is too hot for me to go work in the front garden so as yet not a weed has been pulled nor a plant trimmed. I just hope they are doing their job on the hispid cotton rats.
if the peppers are edible, I would be glad to take some. :)
ReplyDeletenice pics of the foxes.
And if I had to do as much pulling as you did, I would totally be put off from doing a fall garden.
Yes, a few (or 7!) weeks away will certainly take its toll on a garden. But despite your overgrown "jungle," wow, it still looks great thanks to smart plant choices. I rely on narrowleaf zinnia too, and it sometimes seeds out for next year. I still can't get over your pair of foxes. They seem so tame!
ReplyDeleteI love your foxes! That is just so nifty that they moved in and made themselves at home in your garden. They look so comfy napping up on that wall.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's not bad for the amount of time you were gone. I feel like mine looks like that after a few days! And I love your new "residents". How charming. They must feel like they hit the mother load of all bounties, climbing into your vegetable garden.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't gotten as far as you have with the mucho nachos-- no fruit yet for us! Yours are beautiful. My favorite thing to do with jalapenos is to make escabeche. Your foxes are gorgeous, not to mention your garden. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThanks fro the link to the recipe. I'll give it a try,
ReplyDeleteI know these images of your garden are old (from 2008) but I just discovered them looking for images of zinnia. I have to say this is a beautiful, wonderful garden! Great work! Amazing! Sue from Australia
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Sue. it was fun to look back at those zinnias, They are the best little annual flower for hot areas. They keep their color , which is often a problem here in the hot Texas summer. The narrow leaf ones are much prettier than the larger leaf ones.
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