We built last spring, so this is the 1st chance at my "spring blooms"!!!! Even though the back yard hasn't completely filled in with grass (not that we haven't tried!!!), I have some "pretties" to show off.
This is 'Intrigue'...
1st Spring in the new yard!
Angel Face
Little Angel Faces :)
Sunrise Cupido
1st MG bloom! Her name is 'I don't know' hehehe
Dianthus
Patio rose, I forgot her name (eek)!
Yellow mum
Bull Nettle anyone??? :P Yuck...These are in the pasture.
mmmm.....berries!
Easter Basket
Found this in the hay meadow. Maybe spider lily???
Found hundreds of these in the hay meadow too! DS and I dug lots of them up!
Tulip 'Parade'
Pink Impression
Thanks for looking!!! The yard is about 3 acres...I've planted about 20 trees or more, as we are on top of a hill without any shade. Maybe one day I'll be able to fill it all in! I have lots and lots of little seedlings getting ready to go into the beds. (Thanks to all the DGers!!!)
Wow..........so many beauties already. I am glad to hear that you planted trees because I believe that is one of the first things a person should do. It is so easy to put it off and loose a year or even two of growth. They will be big before you know it and you will be glad that you planted when you did. We just bought a second home and our yard is 3 acres and I don't even know where to start as far as flower beds. We have lots of large pecan trees and oak trees and others that I can't recall what they are right now. We did put in 10 more fruit trees to add to the peach and plum that are already there. I just have to take my time with the flower beds because between the country house which is 59 acres and my home here, I am spread pretty thin. We are also fixing up the house which consumes a great deal of time. I do find the country is very peaceful and will have to make a decision next year as to rather I want to move there. Initially, it was purchased for an investment but the more I go out there, the more I like it even though it is a much smaller house than I am use to. My kids are grown and we don't really need a large house but after being here for 30 years, it still is a decision and I am glad that we have plenty of time to make it.
I really love being in the country. I grew up in Houston & moved to the "boondocks" a few years ago. DH & I have been steadily saving to build this new house & we are having a great time getting everything in order. Now we're working on the pond which has a leak in the dam. :(
I did plant some fast growing Hybrid Poplars for quick shade. We will cut them down after a few years. Also have Live, Red, & Bur Oaks; Texas Ash; Peach, Plum, Pecan, Pear, Satsuma Orange....gosh, what else??? Oh! The Weeping Willow I planted Saturday! It's about 15' tall already. We do have some huge oaks on the property...just not in the yard. Here's one that's on the side of the driveway...(this winter)
WOW! I am sooooo jealous!
LOL, I'm the one who's jealous! All these beautiful yards I see. I've been planting and planting & it still looks like nothing is here!
Mydaisy, thanks for sharing your photos. We moved from the city (in our case San Jose, CA to our ranch here in central Texas and are going through many of the things you are going through. You are a bit further along than we are. We moved into a small house at one end of our property, but will build our home elsewhere. I would like our permanent home around here. We have about 18 two to three hundred year old live oaks in this immediate area and we're right next to the Colorado River here. My husband wants a view and says the oaks would block his view. We've just started a search for an architect so my house is still 2 years in the future. The area around this house will be my fruit and nut garden as well as a wildflower habitat although I can't resist making room for roses and a few other favorites. I can't not garden.
My mom & step-dad built their house in Flatonia about 3 years ago. The back yard has 2 huge oaks (aged at ~250 or more years old). They are so beautiful! She decided to name their place the "Twin Oaks Ranch"....fitting, huh? When I spoke to her yesterday, she said the front yard looks like an Easter basket with all the colorful wildflowers.
I spend time in my yard every day. DH actually said he's going to build me a greenhouse! Yea!!! The toughest thing about living on this hill is the wind. Without any windbreak, things get a little torn up. We're on the tallest hill for about 5 or so miles. You can see forever!
The name does sound fitting. We toyed with the idea of including "Oaks" when we were thinking of a name for our ranch, but everything we thought of had already been used by someone nearby. So we named it after the creek that runs through our property.
Flatonia is not that far from here so we probably have many of the same wildflowers. On a cloudy day, like this morning, the sight is beautiful. This morning every color of the rainbow was represented. On sunny days, though, many of the wildflowers have closed by mid-afternoon and just disappear from sight.
I can sympathize about the wind. The land around here is rolling although it flattens out as it nears the river. Open spaces between clumps of tree form wind troughs that can be vicious, but it can't compare with living on a hill top. I bet the view is dramatic.
I hope you get your greenhouse. I have a small one, built by my younger son, for my orchids and a larger one, built by my husband from a kit, for potted plants that have to be overwintered indoors. Maybe you can use the house as a windbreak for the greenhouse. I've been inside the greenhouses on windy days. It's spooky in there.
Bettydee and Mydaysie, Are you going to make it to the round up in Kerrville this weekend? You know Dave is going to be there, and we would all love to meet you and talk gardening. Hope to SEEYA. Margie
Kerville is a little too far for me!
Mydaisy......I grew up in Houston also. I then moved to Pearland after getting married and then to Alvin where I have resided for 30 years and recently purchased our property on the other side of the Brazoria county line.
Your property sounds beautiful and you have already done so much to make it even prettier.
Bettydee, I have been through LaGrange many times on 71 to visit my sister who lives on Antioch Road before you get into Bastrop. All that area is so pretty and at one time we even looked for land to invest in. The right thing just never came along. Another thing........taxes are getting so high in and around Bastrop. I guess because the gap between Austin and Bastrop is getting smaller. Anyway, I do love that area and over the last 25 years, I have been there many times. I know you place sounds beautiful.
Thanks for the compliments...I guess it can't be done overnight, right??
I can't go either. I'm still nursing a sick cat. He has an esophageal tube inserted into the side of his neck and has to be hand fed three times a day.
BrugNanny, Fayette County prides itself in keeping taxes low. La Grange has been making an effort to stay small and trying to avoid Bastrop's growth problems. So far it has been successful, but once 71 overpasses through Bastrop are complete that might be harder to do.
We lucked out when we were looking for a ranch. My husband wanted live water. We were able to find this riverfront property. We even lucked out in that the lady we bought it from wanted a certain price per acre and wouldn't budge even when her realtor suggested she raise the price. It was appraised for $100.00 more per acre.
Oh what a lovely yard! It must be so nice to sit and look out at all that color. I'd love to have a yard like that but then I would be living on sinus medication. Not to mention I have such a small yard (front and back) Keep the pictures coming for those of us that have the blech yards to look at. :)
Just adding a few more...
Lady X
Climbing Peace...this bloom was huge!
Little 'maters!
Johnny Jump-up
And my little sprout, trying on his tuxedo before his 8th grade graduation! He's such a ham!
