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