Yard Decor

Now that my thumb has changed from black to green, I will be spending much more time on my garden.  The tomato plants in the back yard are soaring past the 7 foot mark, and I would not be surprised if they reached 8 feet this season.  They certainly could use a little more support.  A few good quality arbors might be good for those vining tomato plants.  Or maybe since the tomatoes want last year round, a nice wooden arbor as an entrance to a small secret garden would be more satisfying.  I have always wanted a little garden off to the side where I could plant some very fun special plants, and I think a garden arbor would be a perfect way to showcase a special garden.   Then I could put a small chair or bench in the garden and it would be a perfect spot to sit and gaze at all the hard work that goes into starting and maintaining a beautiful yard.  Arbors are a great investment, they will last for years, and give your climbing vines a special home.  I have some great ideas for our yard, now if I could just convince my husband to help with the transformation!

What's in the Pot?

Since our move down here and the catastrophe that was the avocado plant my green thumb days were limited. Now that weather permits I have started my seed experiments again. My dreams of large outdoor planters with my avocados thriving are a thing of the past. Now I interested in a several garden planters where I can start seeds from palms, and some of the fruits and veggies that I buy at the store. There are so many different palm trees that I will need to invest in planters that are not too expensive to start, but once the seeds start popping up I would love to get a few of the high end planters for my prize palms. Our yard does not have a ton of space for this sort of experimentation in the ground, so the planters are the way to go. For the more delicate plants that might need a little shelter from a freeze will be planted in an indoor planter that can easily be moved outside when the freezing weather has passed.

In the next few years, I hope to have a supply of small palms to take to our next home. They do take some time to become established, but if I leave them in the planters they will be much easier to transplant when the time comes. Of course, if you have any tips about plants, and palms, let me know. My thumb is not as green as I would like. I am off to fill some planters with soil and a few seeds that I got last time I was at my parents house! I hope the seeds take to their new home.

New Family in the Tree

Yesterday while we were swimming in the pool, I noticed that there was a dove sitting on the fence. Not to say that she was undecided about something, she was actually perched on the fence. Next to her was a baby bird waiting patiently for some food.
Just below them on the ground was another baby bird trying desperately to fly up to sit next to his family on the wood fence. He tried a few times only to crash in to the wood. Then he just sat on the sticks at the base of the fence. I felt bad for him, but at least he was trying. The two on the fence really did not care about us walking around. M went to the shed to get the mower, and neither moved. I went to get the camera and was able sneak close enough to snap a few shots of the fence sitters.

Yard Work is never done

Those weeds in the back yard are relentless. Just last week before our furniture arrived we weeded a few of the small beds in the back yard. I noticed that they are all back. Yesterday, I put out our can of yard waste which was all weeds from the back yard, and I filled a 32 gallon trash can. The bad thing is you can hardly tell that we did any weeding at all!!!
I am going to need some heavy duty garden equipment to keep this place in shape.

We used to think that it was strange to have a riding mower when your yard is fairly small. After one mowing of this Florida crab grass we now want to get a zero turn mower. This grass is very hard to push our electric mower through, especially if you let it grow a little too long.

Once we get the yard under control we will have to get a post hole digger to come out and dig some holes for new fence posts. We can get the fence to stand up, I think that will help with the overall look of the backyard.
All in all, the yard looks pretty good, just a few things to spruce up. We will have to stay on top of those weeds so they don't take over.