The days spent running fingers through soil and tending sprouts imprints upon gardeners. A garden is a labor of love. Watching growth and the evolution of beauty throughout the seasons is akin to parenthood.
The fireworks of milestones and blooms, feed the soul. A garden is ever-changing and an integral part of the caretaker. When it’s time to leave, a piece of the gardener’s heart is left behind.
I do find contentment in leaving a fragment of me in a place I’ll never revisit. A closed chapter, but one that continues on in my absence.
I've had the honor of cultivating a part of this grand world. I left a garden that inspires excitement in new gardeners. I couldn't ask for more.
Enjoy my garden tour.
I saved ten rose plants. All ten roses were dug up and repotted. Then, I removed the hundreds of Mexican Petunia roots that were killing everything, including the roses. The process took over two weeks. The rose pictured was the first bloom after the plant was put back in its forever home. She's an heirloom and the rose scent drifts by the pool when she blooms. What a wonderful way to say thank you!
Dianthus showing off.
Sweet roses spilling onto the pool deck. I tried to train them, but they broke the string. Nature makes the rules!
One day while I gardened, a British woman stopped to admire my front yard. She said it reminded her of the wild cottage gardens back home. I laughed and disparaged myself for not weeding enough. She threw her hands out wide and said, "It's all so beautiful the way it blends together and the bees and butterflies sure aren't complaining!" After that, I stopped weeding as much and spent more time enjoying.
A favorite place to sit, even in the winter,
Redbud leaves changing into their autumn yellow.
Front yard on a cloudy day.
Lady Banks in full bloom. The first of the spring roses.
Purple Oxalis and Owls
Clematis mixup.
Ode to cats
I have a thing for rock rivers. Isn't it lovely?
Snowflakes in spring
Sweet citrus scents of Mock Oranges. Their arching branches are divine.
A Gulf Fritillary laying eggs on a Passion Vine. I'm convinced she posed for this picture.
The birds planted this Sunflower. I loved it so much that I made it part of the Gardening Anywhere logo.
Rhododendrons occupying a shady corner on a hot spring day in Texas.
Echinacea, aka Coneflowers, are a pollinator favorite.
Whiskey barrels full of blueberry blossoms. With well draining, acidic soil and rainwater these beauties deliver flowers, fruit and vibrant red fall foliage, even in Texas.
Canna's filling a corner.
I always let the zinnias reseed themselves. Sometimes I found a hybridized surprise like this butter-yellow zinnia. She sure was pretty.
I'll miss walking up these stone steps.
The Redbud show happened every spring. Three Redbuds total.
Let's end the tour the same way it began, with a rose. Leaving a garden is bittersweet, and roses speak that notion in volumes. Goodbye my Texas garden.