Category Archives: Front Garden – year 1
Gomphrena groundcover = truffula tree forest!
This year I decided to use Gomphrena ‘fireworks’ as a groundcover in my front garden. Here we are into August with triple digit temperatures daily, and it is not slowing down whatsoever. I have not watered it since I planted it in June (which I was afraid was too late in the season). I needed …
Bees and Butterflies
Right now my front garden is swarming with bees and butterflies. This puts such a big smile on my face – to see my kids enjoying it ….and to feel like thanks to my garden, my yard is ALIVE again. It used to be hot and sterile…no life here, nothing for these beautiful creatures to …
In all its purply glory…
I can’t have a front purple garden without an Opuntia santa-rita ‘Tubac‘, right?! I was patient….and finally got one. I am loving how the cooler it gets, the purpler it gets. She is a beauty. I am trying to decide…Hmmmmm….in a pot creating drama on this wall, or in the ground?????????????????//
Lucky Lesson Learned…
I mass planted upright rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Hill Hardy‘) around the perimeter of the front of the house almost a year ago for its unruly look as opposed to traditional foundation plantings, as well as to repel cats at night. It has fulfilled both of those purposes nicely. I chose the ‘Hill Hardy’ cultivar, also …
Bye Bye Butterfly Bush…and HELLO….
This plant, Lo & Behold® ‘Purple Haze’ – Butterfly Bush, drove me nuts. I found this dwarf variety to be leggy and so I pruned it…then it did this. I thought I would give it a whirl in my purple front garden, but as far as I am concerned, I let it hold this place …
Property border project completed and extended…
Remember this project – the one where I set out to define our property line? It is done! Well, kind of…but more on that in a minute.I got my hands on endless truck loads of free rocks (feels like endless piles when you are moving them from the ground into a truck) so I jumped …
Rookie mistake!
Remember my Yucca aloifolia gift that I planted directly to the right of the path by the front door? Well…turns out that was not such a great idea. Nothing says welcome like slicing a visitors calf open on the way to the front door – YIKES! Before: I really loved the idea of this yucca …
Happy Native Plant Week Texans!!! (one week late)
Like many of you out there, I celebrated native plant week here in Texas by buying a whole schwack of plants. It was high time to “cool off” the southern side of the house (if only in perception) – we now have two desert willow trees! Yay! I really struggled with this decision almost a …
Mass Muhly Madness…
Time for a purply pink cotton candy party! I have a long way to go in the front garden, and I am nowhere near complete, but my gulf muhly grasses are the icing on the cake. I love how they dance and catch the light. This native grass ROCKS! I mass planted them and believe …
Xericstyle 