soaphouse's Blog

The Weeds Have Won...
Sep 1, 2008 | 6:32 AM PST
Tags: fall , weeds , crepe myrtle , elephant ear , spinach , brussel sprouts

Now is the time of year where the weeds have won...

The perennials have done their thing, everything looks tired and thirsty, and the promises of spring have long since past. This is the time of year that I start to get excited about putting the garden to bed, tidying things up, mulching, pruning and preparing for another growing season.

It has been a good growing season here at soapHOUSE, I have learned a lot and have more ideas for the future. I also have a couple of projects planned for fall:

-Add compost to the veggie beds and plant fall crops: spinach, mesculin mix, sweet peas, and brussel sprouts. I also plan to inter-plant with pansies.

-Find a nice blue conifer that can go where we took out the tree in the back last winter

-Add some round stepping stones to the bed by the driveway so its easier to get in and out of the car without stepping on plants.

-And the usual mulching and such to get ready for next spring.

Here are some pictures of the garden as of late:

The view of my front yard as seen from my front porch:

I have been very happy with those elephant ears this year. I put them in last year and they have far exceeded my expectations. They were a gift from my late grandfather in law, so its wonderful to think of him when I come up the front walk.

Here is a shot of the front porch perennial bed. It has done well this year and the ground covers are really filling in and doing their thing:

Here is a good overview shot of the backyard:

That
sweet potato vine has done its job of providing ground cover in the berm. great weed control!

Here is a little corner that is doing quite well right now:

You wouldn't even know there was a chain link fence behind that!

And finally, a nice shot as you come through crepe myrtle alley:

Pretty soon it will be time to set out the fall decorations :)

Its HOT!
Aug 7, 2007 | 11:27 AM PST
Tags: elephant ear , datura , creek , bird , yellow finch , hot , strawberry

The last few days it has gotten SO HOT here! I thought it was warm before, but we have had heat indexes at over 105 degrees. So, I haven't been doing too much in the garden. The afternoon showers have stopped, so the weeds have slowed down which is nice, but I am having to water some things. While watering the veggies, I spotted this yellow finch (i think its a finch, i don't know much about birds)

Its not the best picture but it was all i had the chance to get before he flew off:

Its so cool to see creatures enjoying the garden!

I also managed to get a shot of this guy:

 

Happily, the garden is doing a lot of taking care of itself. We are still working on the creek project...we got some done on sunday:

My plan was to drag all the brush to the curb this afternoon for pick up tomorrow...but its just too hot! Plus, leaving it there to dry out will make it less heavy next week :)

I am also excited because my strawberry plants are finally starting to look like something! So, I might get some berries next year....

 

I also got some great shots of Daturas untwirling:

 

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And, very cool shot of opening elephant ear leaf

 I guess about all I can stand to do in this heat is have fun with the camera :)