I have only to look outside my door for help

in garden design and inspiration.

I found this true while in the process of making a path for my garden.

Early in the spring, I dug up young sproutings of Lantana( circled in the photo above)  from my mother's yard, carried them home and transplanted them in the garden I am designing. I had 6 plants and I planted 3 on each side of a space that I reserved for my garden path.

 

The Lantana has grown and is still in bloom...........even though it is almost November.

 

Through the weeks and the previous posts, I have shown you the rocks I am creating by using cement with  leaf and pine cone impressions.

 

I also created cement stones and decorated some with rocks and left some plain.

 

From my local lumber company.......out back in the mesquite woods...........

I was able to find  nice size mesquite branches and pine cones from the pine trees.

 

I smoothed out the path................

 

I then placed the stones ................

 

I then filled in the gaps with small gravel............from out in my back pasture...........

 

and added the pine cones and mesquite branches.

 

Now my path looks like this............(click onto photo for better view) I love it! 

 If you remember in the last post, I showed you a wonderful old gingerbread archway? I will be placing that at the front of this path! I am still in the process of stripping it.

 

Also, I gave a broken shovel a new life by making it into a garden sign.

I will keep working and adding to this garden throughout the chilly season. Hopefully by next spring, the young Lantana will be bigger and more filled out and there will be a large garden of Zinnias and other blossoming flowers.

How about you?

What object have you found to decorate your gardens with?

I would love to hear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The days are a much cooler

and the nights are very chilly

 

but the pumpkin patch is still green

and full of pumpkins.

 

The Zinnias are still showing off their vibrant colors,

 

and there are pumpkins and gourds from the patch all over the grounds............

and on the porches............

I had a good amount of Fairy Tale pumpkins this year as well.

I just love these........don't you?

It is also the time for all of the other flowers to move into the greenhouse.

Now the greenhouse is full

with lots of that blooming Aloe Vera I told you about in my last post..............

some pretty dianthia............

and loofa sponge vines. This is something new I tried this year. I love it for it's vibrant yellow blossoms............

It is also growing outside on a fence. It looks much like a cucumber, however, it is from the gourd family. This loofa will decide when it is finished growing and then it's skin will turn completely brown and will crumble off. Inside there will be a loofa sponge........just like the ones you see in beauty baskets.

My perfect autumn front porch.........full of pumpkins and a sassy black cat ( Salem)

 

Now that my outside gardening has slowed.................I once again turn to my needle.........

I decided to make myself a cup of tea........

you can read more by visiting my embroidery blog....

just click onto this link

Yesteryear Embroideries

and if you like Chocolate Mousse........

drop by my cooking blog by clicking onto this link

My Country Kitchen

for the recipe to this delicious and easy to make dessert

 

A few weeks back

 

while out on a pick, I spotted this wonderful garden arch way made out of old ornamental gingerbread. It is covered in lots of paint and I am now in the process of removing the paint, repainting it, and adding it to my garden. I will let you know more about this as time goes on.

So how about you??
Has the fall weather brought you chilly nights?

What is still growing in your garden?

 

I would love to hear!



I have found that giving away Aloe Vera plant

is just about as hard to do as giving away kittens.............

I have it growing everywhere.................

every time I offer to give friends are family a plant............

they quickly say no and almost want to run away...............

friends who are parents..........grab their small children to their side to shield them away from the plant I am offering..................sigh

 

If any of you wonder why this plant is a problem.................or if you have never had a plant like this............

here is the reason.

Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that grows very easily and happily, anywhere it is planted. It multiplies faster than 5 female cats with 20 boyfriends and a male rabbit in a hutch with 10 female rabbits.

The photo above is two pots full of about 30 plants each.

This I have found out by accepting a lovely Aloe Vera plant 4 years ago. I lovingly called it Mirella because it was beautiful and bloomed for me. Well Mirella has since supplied me with pots, pans, and containers of every size and shape full of her offspring. If I were to plant each Aloe in a separate pot and place them in my greenhouse.............my greenhouse would be full.

However, and although, no one will take them off my hands...............I don't want to kill these plants............

I decided to create Aloe Vera gardens. I certainly have the grounds for such . I began, by planting a few in this large size crate that runs along the end of my large garden..............in no time, it has filled up with Aloe.

I also have a large garden of it growing on the grounds...............

as you can see, new plants are sprouting daily.

I suppose that now, when I age to be 90 to 100, I will not be known as the crazy cat lady that lives in the old house in the middle of the woods..................

but my fate will be the crazy Aloe Vera lady that lives in the old house in the middle of the woods................

How about you???
Want an Aloe Vera plant??

Email me with your address!!!

soon

 



The woods and grounds are showing the usual signs of drying

because of the cool nights that have arrived with the fall season. However, the days are still very hot and bright.

and among this drying up, there is still a lot of green

and a lot of blooming.

I love the wild flowers here on the prairie. They are strong and resilient .

The colorful, thorny cactus is striking against the yellow and browns of the brush.

It grows any where it pleases, against trees, along the grounds,

and up against the barbed wire fences.

As hard packed as the ground is, I am always amazed to see

the most delicate flowers blossom.

Closer to home, the woods that I am creating gardens in, are still a little wild and rough,

but are showing their beauty with the flowers I have planted there. I love old weathered tubs.

They make great garden containers for rose moss.

The crooked and low branches of the mesquite trees are perfect for hanging baskets of flowers. There is just enough sun and shade to keep them vibrant.

The morning glory has found a perfect tree to climb.

Again, rose moss in old containers, smooths out the roughness of the woods..........

don't you think?

The pond is also full of color. The fish have gotten larger and brighter.

I love their fanciful long flowing tails.

And we also have a few croaking visitors.........who , no matter how dry and packed the earth is.......know where to find the pond. I call him,

Jumping Jack

How about you?

Are you getting beautiful colors around you with the coming of fall?

Are there certain spots drying, speaking of the sleepy time of winter approaching?

I would love to hear!