Whew!

Yea! We did not end up freezing last night so my garden is safe for now. In fact, our day turned out to be beautiful -- 70 degrees, sunny and low winds. Tomorrow should be even warmer (near 80) and windy. Talk about ups and downs!

I don't think I'll do any significant gardening for a few days. I have too many other things on my plate. Hopefully, this weekend I'll get all my last transplants completed so the yard will be ready to go for demolition. We still don't have a dig date yet for the pool, but it sounds like it may begin next week sometime.

Here's another look at my knockout roses. They're in full bloom right now and I'm praying that they don't get destroyed in the pool building process.

Freeze Warning

It almost always takes me by surprise, but I should know by now that it will happen here in Texas -- one more freeze.


Last night, my husband scurried around the yard covering plants while I dug around trying to find enough sheets and blankets. This freeze seems later than others (although I could be wrong). So many tender perennials have made a full appearance and I would hate for their foliage to get burned by the cold air.

I’m not sure if we have managed to dodge a bullet yet or not. When I first got up the news was reporting temperatures in my city at 38 degrees. Then, at the next update they said 30. Our thermometer reads 38. Later this morning I’ll go survey the yard to see what’s what. Until then, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything survived the night.

Little by Little

The weather was ideal yesterday for puttering in the garden. The high reached 82 and it was sunny with a breeze. I absolutely LOVE days like that!

I was able to accomplish several tasks yesterday. Most of it the same as what I’ve been doing for the past 2 weeks or so – relocating plants and preparing for big diggers and tractors to come tear apart my backyard.

Because of pool construction and its location in the yard, my husband and I have decided to do away with the corner garden. We agreed that a new landscape design would ultimately look better once the pool is complete.

So, the corner garden that once never seemed quite full enough now seems like it houses a million plants!

Last week, I moved several plants to the beds by the driveway which badly needed a redesign. I thinned out the tall Ruellia (Mexican Petunia) that was already there and put edging around it to try to keep it contained. I took Summer Phlox from the back garden and transplanted it on either side of the Ruellia. Then, I split some Stella D’Oro daylilies and placed them in front of the bed. My plan is to finish this off with some annuals for seasonal color in the next week or so.

Yesterday, I spent most of my time transferring more perennials from the back bed to the side of the house. I also put several of the ones I’m not transplanting immediately into pots.

Today’s weather isn’t going to be as nice as yesterday, but I’m still going to head out there again. I have a few more loose ends to tie up before I can it quits for the weekend. My husband ripped out some overgrown shrubs by the driveway and we’re replacing them with azaleas (I was inspired by my mother-in-law’s beauties!).

I’m looking forward to sharing more of my progress on the side yard with you in the next few days.

Happy gardening!