IT HAS TO BE DONE

There's a lot more to having a garden than planting, pruning and primping. There are those tasks that I call grunt jobs. Maintaining the structures you have added to give interest, like benches, woodwork, metal art, pots, patio floors, bird baths. I have quite a few of these and on several afternoons this past week it seemed the perfect opportunity to get out of the sun and sit in the shade.

These are the two signs that go above the side entrance and the Sun and Moon Archway. Wind, rain and the Texas sun take their toll on any kind of protection you might add. I found myself a shady spot on the patio, where I could continue to enjoy the garden, and in no time the job was done, the signs re-installed.

While I had the can of sealant out I decided it was time for a refresh of all my home-made hypo-styrene pots.

Many of the plants had grown leggy with time and imperfect growing conditions. They needed to be cut off and replanted but before that a spell on the  patio table was the perfect place to callous over the cut ends.

I am always trying to make doo with what I have with just the occasional new purchase. This is one of my favorites which also looks as though it could do with a trim.

With a new coat of sealant they are all ready for the summer heat.

Next job was the Ziggurat steps at the side entry. I remember learning about Ziggurats in elementary school. What a perfect name. I don't know if this is a general name for these kind of steps or was just someone else's interpretation but when I came across the name in an article on Folly Farm I decided to rename my steps. Edwin Lutyens did many renditions of these kind of steps, some of which are curved. They have all stood the test of time. You can read all about the stunning remake of Folly Farm by Dan Pearson. Of course Lutyens' were made of stone so the necessary work of removing leaves from inside the joints was never needed. Unfortunately for us, wooden steps require a little more maintenance especially when situated beneath a live oak tree. The only way to do the job is to poke all the debris out using a piece of wire coat hanger.

Then the steps need to be washed down and re-stained. Thankfully I could pass that job on to David.

The Carolina wrens, who make their annual nest on my cactus theatre have fledged. We had no idea the theatre was going to provide such entertainment. We sat outside in the garage link and watched them build, worried about the safety of the nest from snakes and then the busy feeding time. Then one day the mother was singing away in the tree calling them from the nest and within two days they were gone.

Time for a tidy up, a watering and more entertainment as two of the cactus are about to flower.

There are still more jobs like this to be done but right now it is time to clean up all the bluebonnet debris and the live oak leaves that have been hidden beneath them. It is a big job and will take several days.