flowerbed | Conversations Around the Tree

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge hosted by Cardinal Guzman. The rules are simple. Choose an area and every month take pictures of that area.

I chose my flowerbeds. Starting in January they were quite barren. Six months into the year and they are busting with blooms!

Autumn Sage and Knockout Roses

Gerber Daisy

Yellow Roses

Oleander

Joseph’s Coat Rose

I have 2 new additions this month. The first is a little Bald Cypress. We found it on sale at Walmart for $5.00! And the little guy is quite healthy.

Bald Cypress

The second is a Hardy Hibiscus. I have killed many hibiscus. Each year I swear I’ll get it inside before the first freeze and every year I fail. But Tina found me this Hardy Hibiscus. She was told it should survive a Texas winter….lets hope for the best!

In case you question the chicken wire around the plants….remember I have a Labrador Retriever named Sugar!!

Hardy Hibiscus

Yellow Rose

Black Eyed Susan Vine

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!