I've worked really hard getting the backyard in some sort of order. Something just wasn't quite right...but I couldn't figure it out. Yesterday, I was up on the deck with my trusty power washer #2 (...don't lend these things out). I looked down on the garden and realized everything was GREEN. There's hardly any color down there. After the first flush of roses and brugs in spring, there's very little blooming. Have to get some flowers back there! So......

Going to Seguin tomorrow to Greengate, a nursery. Taking a perfect stranger with me who happens to be a gardener, who posts on DG, and lives in Austin! Turns out, she lives less than 3 miles from us. I'll meet her tomorrow when I pick her up. I'll let you know what we come home with. I'm taking husband's truck!

Ha, Haaaa! Plenty of room for vegetation!

yep!!!

Yes, we simply must keep something blooming! I just tell myself that for one thing, the butterflies have to nectar!

Ummmm....we came home with a full truck load! Had a great day. I drove over to pick up sylguy, whom I had invited to go shopping for begonias she was looking for. After a quick tour of her gorgeous garden, we headed to Seguin. Greengate Nursery has a little bit of everything. They also had lots of bedding plants on sale. We headed to the greenhouse....which turned into a hothouse after 20 minutes. (Note to self...leave earlier to shop in summer). We had so many plants that we filled a huge cart just from the greenhouse. All my good intentions of not buying anymore stuff this summer went right out the door. I was in the company of an enabler! We bought a lot of the same plants.
Then we started looking at the bedding plants outside, and a helper had to take those selections into the building. We paid for our plants and left them there while we went for lunch. Back again to have everything loaded into the truck, check the map, and we were off on the back roads to Martindale to visit C&J's nursery. It was pretty bare, and a little disappointing. I did find a 20 lb. sack of hibiscus fertilizer tho. Back in the truck and on to Maxwell to visit Elllie's nursery. She usually has lots of bedding plants and hanging baskets. Her stock was fairly low in the "color" dept. I'm glad we hit Greengate first.

We left at 10 and were back to Austin at 4. Not a bad day. I'm going to be outside planting today. It's my watering day too. We were supposed to go to the lake, but I have my priorities! We're retired...we can go during the week.

Tried to get plants "hidden" before husband knew I was home. Not all that successful. He spotted me from upstairs window, and ran down to "help" me. Uh huh.... My only defense was....."she bought more than I did!"

That's a hilarious defense! It sounds like you had a perfect day, except for the hothouse part of it. My sister and I went to New Braunfels and shopped at Schumacher's in July once. We wanted to see everything in the huge greenhouse, but we had to come outside and breathe every now and then. She has a tiny yard, but I was the enabler by finding "just one more" little plant she had to have multiple times. Of course, I came home with way more than I needed too. My defense: Everything was on sale, so buying just a few plants would be ridiculous.

We've all been there, Sandi. We have a weakness for plants and sometimes can't stop ourselves. I would tell myself I have room for more plants....when I have no clue where I'd put them!

Loved both of your excuses....Sandi & Pat!

I still haven't finished planting everything! And now it's Happy Hour.... I think I'll finish in the morning. And I really don't know where I'm going to put 'em!

Love Schumacher's. Haven't been in a couple of yrs. Used to get the newsletter. We used to go with camera because they never labeled anything. You'd just take a pic of the marker in front of the plant row. Gives me an idea...to look at old photo CD and see if I can ID some of the salvias in the front bed! Most came from there.

As for excuses....mine wasn't an excuse..... Here it's called a strategic diversionary tactic. I just have to keep him guessing!

I try to remember to carry an acryllic paint pen from Wal-Mart when I go to Schumacher's. If I don't label the pot, I'm out of luck later in telling what I have. Last fall's bargains mostly languished in the greenhouse, and only a few survived. Most were rootbound when I bought them and needed to be potted up. Time ran out. Same old story.

I have thrown in the towel and have a landscaper coming next week to look at my acre of mess and start drawing up plans and giving me an estimate. When I had energy, I worked long days and sometimes week-ends and had no time. Now I have time and not enough energy. And in today's economy, it would be thoughtless not to employ hard-working people who need work. How's that for an "excuse"? Actually, I just want a yard and garden I can enjoy while I am able to enjoy it. I'm going for a watering system too if DH does not holler too much.

I employed a landscape designer and someone to do some of the hardscape a few years ago. It was a great decision. The designer drew up plans and I sort of followed it. I never could have figured it out myself! Luckily, you already know a lot about plants, so you have valuable input.

Pat, you lucky duck! That would be so much fun. I'd love to re-do the backyard. Our oak trees are moving our patio around!

This landscaper grew up here but has a business in Austin. I also gave him "B's" in Spanish 2 while he was declaring himself an "A" student. I expect I will pay a "bit" extra!

I might have to keep an eye on his progress!

I wish I'd been able to do that years ago. It would have been nice to have the whole yard raised...well, as much as possible while still keeping the live oak motte at one corner, anyway. That is the most valuable part of the original yard...truly priceless! We did have one area that was already raised when we got it. The septic field....raised and filled with...caliche, then topped off with a lot of gravel (orginal owners sometimes parked inside the yard right in front of the deck). Now, that didn't help at all! So after we moved in and it rained, the gravel area came alive with weeds! They didn't garden, needless to say. Probably the only plant they planted while they had the place was an oleander in the front side of the property...outside the yard. They obviously used chemical herbicides (ugh!) and the fenced yard was for their dogs.