Month four of the Changing Seasons Challenge….sponsored by Cardinal Guzman.
Several big changes have happened in the backyard over the last month.
You may notice in this first picture…..a huge grassy, overgrown, out of control plant. One of those obnoxious plants occupied each corner of the flowerbed. I dug them both out!!
Oh yeah….that was a task!
Cousin It Plant
after the digging
I replaced those “Cousin It” plants (as we call them) with 2 lovely climbing roses. The first is a Joseph’s Coat Rose
Joseph’s Coat – Rose
The first bud
And second a lovely climbing rose with tiny white flowers (not sure of name – yes I buy and plant flowers without knowing their legal names!)
climbing rose – name unknown
The other big change in the yard this month was the removal of a dead Cypress tree. This little guy didn’t stand a chance against Sugar (the lab).
dead cypress
And in its place a bottle tree. If you aren’t familiar with bottle trees, I’ve attached a link that explains a bit about them. They actually have a long history. I just think they are quirky and fun.
step on – a pole!
add bottles!
One might ask why the last photo has chicken wire around the bottom…..Sugar, that’s why! I planted flowers around the bottle tree. Once they take root they will withstand Sugar (the lab) but until they are strong…I must protect them!
Sugar – the plant killing dog
Now that I have shared the big changes of the past month….let me share the blooms of this past month. Winter is certainly over!
Trumpet Vine
Flamingo overlooks the flowerbed
Rose bud
And finally…the Texas Red Bud. The beautiful blooms are gone…and for the next 7-8 months just leaves!
Texas Red Bud
Conversations Around the Tree 
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Tree, you’ve done so well out in the garden. I planted a few things recently but am yet to plant the last lot I bought, which are still in the box and thanks to having plenty of rain lately, I haven’t killed them.
Sugar looks so innocent and I would never have taken her for a plant killer but then I saw my little dog eat a dead rabbit she’d found and that left me with no illusions about her killing capabilities. So much for being a cute and fluffy!
Awful weather has set in here with howling winds, rain and cold. We’ve thus spent the last day of the school holidays indoors. We had so much to unpack it was a nightmare but we’re almost ready for the new school term.
xx Rowena
Yeah the innocent face of a puppy as they dig happily in the flowerbeds!!
I guess you all are headed for winter as we head toward summer.
It’s hard to imagine we are experiencing opposite seasons!
Thanks for the flower update! I love bottle trees, very cool. Poor Sugar… getting blamed for everything! 😉
Yeah….poor Sugar!! 🙂
Haha- love the Cousin It reference. We had a dog that killed trees too. He was the best dog ever, though. He was worth losing a few trees.
Yeah Sugar is worth it too!! I just have to invest in chicken wire! 😉
Interesting about the bottle tree. That was a new one for me and yours is very nice 🙂
I was most intrigued by your trumpet vine … and more specifically, the chicken wire used as a trellis. What a brilliant idea! I’ve been puzzling over the climbing challenges of my clematis for a while … it never occurred to me to use chicken wire! Thanks 🙂
I looks like your gardens are really taking shape. We are just starting to see the first buds popping out. I still have my fingers crossed that my hydraegenas have survived the winter. They look questionable.
I’m hoping the best for you and your hydrangeas!! 😉
I’m glad you like the chicken wire. I’ve used it in 2 places on the fence and it works really well.
Chicken wire + staple gun = trellis! (Easy math) 😜
ooo – thanks for the staple gun trick. Obviously I don’t have a DIY instinct! 🙂
anytime….I’m here to help 🙂 Do you notice (I’m saying this because you mention not having the DIY instinct) I did not lay the chicken wire flat against the fence….kind of made waves…to give it more of a 3 dimensions look
No I didn’t notice. Thank you – again. I’ll have to experiment with it … if and when it ever stops raining
🙂