All Day Gardening

Somewhere between last Friday and this week, the Texas Mountain Laurel  decided to bloom. Look out, there's a bee!

The mountain laurel came with the purchase of the farm. My farm had been abandoned for over 15 years. So, I believe any plant that survived , on it's own that long, deserves to continue to grow.

It is too close to the back door of the farmhouse and the trunk of the shrub is gnarled. Once a year, it blooms these incredible violet flowers. You can see the Cowgirl Room in the background, with the cedar stepping stones  leading to the door.

I found one lone seed pod still holding on. The seeds, two in a pod, are very hard and must be scored to make them sprout.

Friday began with a 7am trip to the local discount store in town. I bought 20 bags of pine bark mulch for the garden beds.  It is less expensive to have it delivered in bulk, but the bags are easier for me to handle. When you work alone, you must take your back into consideration.

After unloading the truck, I trimmed some shrubs at the back of the farmhouse.

Finally, I made the decision to prune back the roses that were already showing blooms.

The potatoes are just beginning to break the ground. I added sand to this soil to make it loose for planting potatoes and carrots.

The first fruit tree I planted 12 years ago, is beginning to bloom for this year's fruit. It almost didn't survive the drought from last year. The plums make the best plum preserves that I usually give as Christmas gifts.

The wild dewberries are about to bloom. They produce a small red berry that also makes wonderful jam or dewberry muffins.

When the day was over, and a much needed shower taken, it was time to think about dinner. Nothing fancy and certainly nothing that would require much preparation....onions, orange bell peppers, zucchini, and sausage.

Adding some potatoes, I have dinner.

And last, the chore of washing today's dishes.

I think I'm tired....

Meggie Mac