THE PARKING LOT

When the builder left he left us with a mess. A huge blot on the landscape which we decided to turn into extra parking space. Yesterday morning after I had emptied the shower water buckets and the air-conditioning buckets I went out to clear the 'parking lot' of bluebonnets, weeds and oak leaves.

It was a good place to park for about 2 years. Then suddenly bluebonnets started blooming and when they left there were a few more plants had seeded themselves in there. Two Texas sage showed up and when I realized I could no longer move them then suddenly I had a new planting area.

I'm not sure that anyone would call it curb appeal. However, it certainly fits in with the surrounding terrain. There are a few plants here that survive quite happily on what nature gives them although even they are not looking their best this year. Feather grass does not do well with no rain and even the spineless prickly pear cactus is sulking. The vitex, however, must be tapping into some deeper reserves because it is pleasingly green and will soon be in flower. My neighbor was dividing his Webers agave so I found a place for them.

A few mullein are struggling to survive alongside a blackfoot daisy.

And a tough Texas lantana is just beginning to bloom. I think plants might do better here if the ground wasn't so compacted. Just as soon as we get some rain I will loosen up the soil and hope for a better look next year. For now I am happy with the tidier space and happy that for once I completed the task that I set out to do.