INITIUM EST DIMIDIUM FACTE

Years ago we had a family website which we gave the above name. It sounded so much better than Half the Work is Getting Started. All that was on our mind at the time was the tremendous job that faced us in designing and building the garden. It was quite daunting, but we chipped away at it until it is what it is today. Those latin words have been rolling around in my head recently. And they are good words for me to remember because I have a tendency to let projects sit for a while and then finally when I get around to doing them I realize they didn't take too long at all and their competition gave me untold satisfaction. Case in point, the ever growing pile of styrofoam containers waiting to be turned into garden troughs.

This is what I call a feel good project. Most people put no value on them once they have served their initial purpose and frequently toss them out in the garbage. Or they may put a little value on them and sell them for dollar at a garage sale. It makes me feel good that I am repurposing and saving them from the landfill as well as providing a home for one of my succulents.
It's just getting started on the project is half the battle. The first step is to brush the outside surface with a wire brush and it is one messy job. This time I took myself outside and sat on the edge of the driveway in the shade, mask on and large sheet of plastic on the ground to collect all the bits. It's impossible not to get it all over everything. A few holes drilled in the bottom assured good drainage.

I try to make them more realistic by cutting the tops unevenly and brushing more off in some places. That done the surface needs to be sealed. In the past I used a barbecue lighter and a candle but this time I treated myself to a small heat tool. It costs around $12 dollars after using a 50% coupon at the local craft store.
Next job was to paint. I made a better job of painting this time by giving each box a complete undercoat of gray. The same paint I used to paint the potting shed cupboards-an alkyl latex paint, which I happened to have on hand. Doing this makes sure that the whole surface is protected as well as easier to faux finish.

These are the paints I chose for the finished look.

And the brush I use. It's a good idea to use and old brush with rather open bristles so you get the right paint effect.

I squeezed a little of the paint into a tray and dabbed the brush lightly picking up a little of each color and using a stippling technique applied to the painted surface until I achieved a stone-like effect.

When dry I applied a light coat of satin finish sealant. I have never done this before but decided this would probably extend their life.

Now the fun bit. Planting up with succulents and of course a few pieces of rock. it would be easy to go out and buy new plants but I have so many pots of small succulents to chose from and of course plenty of rocks.

Of course most troughs are made for alpine plants but that is just not going to work here with our hot, humid summers.

I still have the larger ones to plant up but they will soon be together in the new area of the garden called the Troughery.

A LITTLE INDOOR GARDENING

I made good use of some very hot and humid days recently by sorting out some of the garden paraphernalia I keep in the little Korean chest in the corner of the living room. Among the stacks of papers are my garden notes, clippings from newspapers, pages of garden ideas I have cut from magazines, and lots of thank you notes from visitors who have been to our garden. This seemed like a good time to organize them into files.
I'm not a keeper of letters. I did once keep a bundle of love letters from David but I burnt them before I got on that plane to come to America! But for some reason I have kept all the cards and notes from people who have been to visit our garden. I'd like to think that some time in the future my descendants will look through this file and learn about how much I loved to garden and share it with others. I know how much I treasure the three cards written by my great, great grandfather to his beloved in the 1840s, and saved down the male line for me to read so many years later. And the excitement David felt when he came across the diary written by his great, great uncle which told of his great grandfather's visit to Australia and his plan to immigrate.

Hand written card from my GGGrandfather

Among many of the letters and cards I received was a favorite which had a photograph of the pot which used to spill water into the pool- long gone and replaced by something more durable. And these two envelopes gave me quite a chuckle. Addressed to the Garden Queen of Austin and Queen mother of Austin gardening. It was nice that he thought that way but very far from a reality. I sent him some of my Monarda and in return he sent me some seeds for my garden.

I ended up organizing the magazine articles, newspaper articles and publications of our various garden tours, into a big binder. But I still need to find a better way to organize that big bulging sleeve of cards. Maybe a better idea would be to just copy and print the contents of each note.
There were lots of photos( taken before a digital camera became an important garden tool) some taken by me and some taken by the visitors and sent to me. It is a reminder of how the garden looked in its infancy.

Would you recognize the garden today? This is how it looked after David finished making those patio stones. Today they have aged and those cracks are home to many self sown plants. I'm afraid it is a weakness I have or is it just my gardening style.

Fall clean up 

And spring in this same garden.

In the front courtyard a photograph of before I planted the Lady Banks rose. It was a visitor on one of the garden tours that asked me if I knew the story of the Lady Banks rose and later sent me some clippings from a National Geographic magazine about the plant hunting expeditions of Sir Joseph Banks and  the origin of the rose's name. The two crape myrtles are long gone although they keep trying to return from roots left behind.

And today. Maybe time for a little clean up, although winter will take care of much of this. Would I ever be bold enough to have a clean sweep so that the rocks would once again be visible?

All these reminiscences were a good thing. This morning I got out in the garden and started the task of removing some of those weedy grasses. But, as always, I just pulled a few here and there preferring to leave it for a few days before I go back and remove more. Once pulled they can never be put back. And then returning heart and humidity drove me back inside the house. But all that is to change in the blink if an eye.

OUT AND ABOUT IN THE OCTOBER GARDEN

Trying to work outside in this horrendous humidity is downright miserable. Where is our October weather? Those clear, dry days we expect after a brutal summer. They are just not happening this year and it means a delay in our fall gardening jobs.  This morning I took a walk around the garden with camera, while waiting for some garden visitors to arrive.

The entry garden doesn't see much in the way of change through the seasons although it won't be long before many of these plants will be moved to their winter homes.

In the front courtyard the pink crystal grass, Melinus nerviglumis is starting to flower. Those seed heads will ensure a new crop of grasses for next year.

You wouldn't know there was sunken garden here. Viewed over the wall from the English garden.

In the English garden Rosa 'Felicia' with her beguiling fragrance. Just a glimpse of her through the Sun and Moon archway.

The Philippine violet on the corner of the patio is just starting to bloom.

As is the shrimp plant. A new addition to this same corner.

The planter of bunny ears cactus, Opuntia microdasys, is back on the wall.

Peas are up.

Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida, is just starting to bloom.

Lots of grasses in the herb garden and one big one over by the potting shed. This one is lemon grass, Cymbopogon.

The stock tank pond surrounded by gaillardia, cosmos and narrow leaf zinnias.

A splash of pink from the Japanese anemone. Are their petals supposed to be distorted?

The fall bloomers have definitely enjoyed our recent rains. And there is more to come this weekend.