Monday, July 23, 2012

Walk With Me

What gardener doesn't love to begin the day with a stroll through the garden? Years ago we had an open patio surrounded by planting beds that was my favored spot to begin my day - I'd course, I was almost always drawn into the lawn to survey other garden areas. Call me prissy, but I have an aversion to walking through grass before the dew has lifted. Damp grass clippings stuck to my feet just ruins a nice stroll for me.

Paths and sidewalks are such an important part of a garden plan.
Of course, the most basic of sidewalks is the one leading to your front door.  Almost every home has some type of hardscape here.   Ours is concrete with outdoor tiles.   There is some great looking stamped concrete that has this very look. 


In the back, you will find pavers laid in sand. We didn't want grass here and the sidewalk not only gives us access to the patio but also divides this deep planting area into two more managable beds.


Leading out to the firepit are large stepping stones.   These require a bit more maintanence than a fixed sidewalk but the cost is minimal, the look is inviting, and the plan can be changed as I change my mind.
And lastly (at least, for this post), is our newest and my current favorite walkway - a "boardwalk" through our shade  garden.  This is a low area that sometimes stand in water when we flood irrigate the yard.   We had talked about installing a "bridge" over a large bed of asiatic jasmine, but then, went ahead and built our bridge the entire length of this garden.   A major bonus is that instead of one huge planting bed, we now have two small ones - so much easier to design and maintain! 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Garden Crossroads

I find myself at a gardening crossroads concerning our vegetable garden.    Twelve years ago, we chose this sunny spot for herbs and vegetables.   Hubby brought in some nice light soil.     A few years later we lined it with some old, old, OLD  railroad ties and then subdivided the beds with some large salvaged square posts.    Those bed dividers also serve as paths and work spaces.   We can reach any part of the planting beds from one of these paths.   This all worked fairly well until the wood began to rot.   Now there are spots where I really don't want my grandchildren - or my mother - strolling.

This is what the garden looked like at the beginning of this spring growing season. 
You can see that land just outside one edge slopes down to the pastures.   The two closest beds contain herbs and the farthest bed houses the asparagus.  I think we planted the asparagus in 04 or 05 and are now getting a pretty steady supply of spears.   The compost bins are housed in another bed behind a small trellis.   There is a keyhole garden directly behind the bench.

  As much as I love growing herbs and vegetables, I have found that I work really hard getting things planted and then forget (i.e. ignore) this edible garden.   Which leads me to my big dilema - what direction do I want to take here?  
  • This fall, we will be installing live oak trees along the pasture fenceline -  should we extend the shade tree planting and make this a nice shady space?
  • Simple rectangular raised beds?  
  • Something a little more naturalistic.  I was reading another gardening blog, Hoe & Shovel, and her edible garden is as beautiful as the rest of the landscape.   We have been ammending this soil for the past twelve years - I hate to waste all that effort on sod . . .
Thankfully, it's just to darn hot right now to take on any big projects - so, I'll just mull this over a bit longer.  Guess I need to begin a pros and cons list of the options. . . .


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Surviving triple digit temps in the garden


July is the peak water-use month for plants.  About 75% of plant problems occurring in summer are due to heat and drought stress.   Here are four easy ways to help landscapes survive the RGV’s summer heat.   
Frangi-pani
  1. Water wisely.   As a reminder, watering once a week deeply is better than watering a small amount each day or two.   The ground dries from the surface down.  If the ground surface is wet all the time, plants will grow shallow roots.  Letting the soil dry between deep irrigations encourages roots to grow deeper.   In addition to feeding the plant, roots also anchor it.    Over the last few weekends, I have installed drip irrigation to a couple of our planting beds.  I have wanted to do it for years but was intimidated.  Let me guarantee you that it is a very easy process - I'll post my specific "how-to" in a day or two. 
  2. Select plants that are native or well-adapted to our climate.    Look for those labeled “Texas Superstars” by Texas A&M AgriLife.    You may have the right plant in the wrong location.   “Full-sun” plants sometimes perform better with afternoon shade in the Rio Grande Valley. 
  3. Mulch, mulch, mulch.   Plants in landscape beds that contain 4-6 inches of mulch do not lose as much of the available water to evaporation.   Also add mulch to your container grown plants.  Mulch has been shown to reduce the water needs of container-grown plants by 25%.   Mulch cools the soil temperature, discourages weed seed from sprouting, and conserves water.   
  4. Install a rain barrel.   A one inch rain over a 1500 square foot roof will supply 900 gallons of water.  Rain barrels are available in many sizes, styles, and materials.  In full disclosure, I haven't done this yet - but I think I know where I want my first one . . .   Visit the Master Gardener Arboretum in San Benito to see a sample set-up.