Continuing The Garden Transformation

When we first bought the house
in 2010

Trying to make the well
house not stick out like a sore thumb.

Today

Photo taken when we first
bought the house 

Today

Superstition iris

Silverado and Sky Spirit iris

Trying to train the Wisteria onto the top of the fence

A Sigh of Relief

Yesterday we had COOL temperatures for a change. It has been like holding your breath all summer and now you can breath. Low has been in 60s and the high in middle 80s yesterday and today. I stayed outside ALL day yesterday and it was pure bliss. I have been moving things around and dividing the iris and daylilies. Moved shrubs and took some of the fountain grass I had growing in pots and put them in the ground. I also pulled up all the dead and dying zinnias and cut back the purple salvia - and NOW my little hummingbird friends and a few butterflies came this morning for their usual zinnia/salvia breakfast and found nothing - I felt so bad, but a new batch is sprouting, so in the meantime, I guess I'll have to furnish them with a hummingbird feeder.

This is the 6 inch high crepe myrtle that was mentioned in an early post.
It doesn't look like "Dynamite". Maybe it is this color
because it's a baby. I guess I'll wait until next year
and see. It's suppose to be a deep red.

Here are 5 Indian Hawthorne shrubs I moved to this
spot. They were not doing well in their previous
locations. I had 7 originally but lost 2 in the drought.
They are now planted in front of a tea rose and a
variegated privet. I also put a couple of
my divided daylilies behind them. I
guess you can call these the "before" pictures.

 I planted the potted fountain grass with 2
of the "Firehouse" dwarf nandina's in front of it, more daylilies,
and then the divided iris in front of the yellow Graham Thomas
English rose. I'll take more pictures later on
when all is established and filled in. I also moved the 
remaining 2 Crimson Pygmy Barberry
over to the shade garden. They are nearly dead. 
Hopefully I can revive them. Tomorrow
I want to get the bluebonnet seeds planted.

Living In A Geodesic Dome

I moved the Crimson pygmy dwarf barberry that was in the
 front flower bed to the back yard.
 I decided I would rather have
Drift roses in that bed.

Today's bounty. The tomato on the right
 is the Black Krim.

I moved the Purple Oxalis from the front
flower bed, which gets mostly sun (I thought
putting it in the back of the flower bed under the
crepe myrtle tree would shade it) to the shade garden
in the back yard.

Miss Muffett Caladium with the Purple Oxalis behind it.

I moved Golden Prize daylily to the front yard. You
can also see how the living fence of Elaeagnus shrubs
is progressing. The two Natchez Crepe Myrtles
have not bloomed yet.

I have photos of the outside of the "dome", so I thought maybe
you might be curious as to the inside. This shot is of the upstairs
living area that has a massive skylight window in the
center of the ceiling.

It's somewhat of a challenge for hanging artwork
on the walls. Upstair the walls are
really domed so I solved this with
decorative easels.
Not all the walls are domed, so you do have some
flat wall spaces.

Looking up to the upstairs area from the main living area.

Downstairs living area with the massive fireplace.

Stone floor as you walk in the front door. Steps down
into main living area. Back of fireplace is on the left side
of picture.

Back of the fireplace. This is what you see
when coming in the front door.

Looking down from upstairs
toward the fireplace.

Skylight over the first floor living area.

Another shot of first floor skylight. 

Decorative woodwork over the window

Decorative woodwork over the windows.

Purple Fountain Grass

Don't forget that you can double click on the photos to make them larger. I planted  "Fireworks Purple Fountain Grass" (Pennisetum setaceum rubrum) in the yellow pots. This is a variegated variety, which I have never tried before. Also planted "Purple Fountain Grass" (Pennisetum setaceum atropurpurea) in the bronze pots behind the green chairs. I love these ornamental grasses in the summer time. Purple get large and billowy if you have a breeze.  The blooms on the Fireworks are fuchsia and grow to 24-30 inches tall with a spread of 24 inches. The regular Purple has purple seed heads and grows 2 to 3 feet tall. I'm putting plants behind the chairs because the front patio feels so stark and I like the feel of being surrounded by plants.  I also planted two of the Purple Fountain grass on each side of the single Double Red Knockout rose that I have in back. I'll post a photo later when they are established.

In this photo are Purple Fountain grass and in the flower
bed Crimson Pygmy Barberry and Purple
Oxalis

A Windy Spring Day...Please Send Some Rain

3 Junipers that I dug up from the backyard and will grow in contains in front.
  They are in temporary pots now.

Pink Clematis buds

Red tulip on front yard by rock. Previous owner of
 house planted it.

Red tulip under tree.

Tigger 

Double Red Knockout

Row of Double Red Knockout in front yard

Fence we put up. Front patio area

Silvery Sunproof Liriope... new growth emerging

Crimson Pygmy Barberry along with Snapdragons.
 They'll be yellow when they bloom.

Tigger on the round rock

Front flower bed with Crimson Pygmy Barberry, Purple Oxalis, Silvery
Sunproof Liriope and Snapdragons.

Front flower bed

Scarecrow in veg garden