The Nature Of Things

It's been quite awhile since I have added anything to my blog. You can chalk that up to the business of life, laziness or whatever excuse works for you!
In all seriousness, this is the time of the year when I would rather be out "playing in the dirt" than writing about it. That being said, I've had several people lately ask when I was going to update my blog. Seems I can't get away with laziness for very long! Here is what I've been "up to" lately.

Last year we had our front yard completely torn out and landscaped. It was a process that took several weeks. If you know anything about me, you know that I love tearing things apart (houses, yards, furniture, recipes) redesigning and putting them back together. The landscaping project really filled the bill for me. I loved the entire process from start to finish. It is still not "completely" done, nor do I expect I'll ever declare it such. You see, when it comes to gardening it is an evolving process. That's why I love it so much!
This summer I began working on our Backyard. Or, as the British would say, "The Gardens". In actuality it really is turning into the "gardens". Several new beds have been dug and are now in the process of being filled with all sorts of different perennials, herbs, flowers etc.
Recently, I discovered Sedum. Sedum are succulents of which there are more than 600 varieties. They LOVE our Texas heat and can go for long periods without water. (Of course I chose this year, the year we broke the "San Antonio Drought" to start planting them.) They also will spread and propagate new "babies" quite easily. At first, I wasn't so sure I liked these little toughies as they didn't seem at all colorful, and I LOVE color! Further research enlightened me however and I discovered that they do indeed flower and are quite pretty!
A few days ago a friend and I took a trip to a quaint little Texas town about 15 minutes outside of San Antonio. There we found a little privately owned nursery along the Comal River. The lady who owns the place had quite an impressive array of native Texas plants along with the usual annuals. I came home with a few "babies" for my gardens. I can't wait to see how they do.
I've always loved herbs. This may be due to an inherited love from my mother, (Who incidentally had the most spectacular gardens while i was growing up.) or maybe it is my love for cooking. Either way, I love having fresh herbs just outside my patio. Currently, I've got Basil, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, several different varieties of Thyme and Mint. I just added Lavender this week, which technically isn't an herb. I LOVE all things with a lavender scent!
The newest "bed" to be put in is still a blank slate. I'm not quite sure what will end up in it. You see? That's the fun of it all! Searching for just the right plants to nestle into the freshly turned soil and then watch them mature and grow.
Yesterday I discovered a dead baby Morning Dove in the back yard. Not sure what happened to him but I suspect he fell out of the tree and broke his neck. Not 10 minutes later I discovered a dead garden snake. I think the dogs may have gotten that one. Dachsunds 1. Snakes 0.
I've counted over 10 different varieties of Butterflies and seen an impressive array of Dragonflies and several birds I have never seen before. I think all the rain we've been blessed with has really encouraged quite an array of new species to visit my "gardens".
Last night, as I sat on the patio listening to the Cichadas, I mapped out the next plan for the "gardens". It looks like a firepit surrounded by pea gravel and several more beds and pathways will eventually be added.
Now, if I can just figure out how to motivate these men I live with to get out there and do the digging!