Anyone who's k
nown me for any period of time knows an empty plot of dirt is subject to my shovel. I hyper-garden, meaning that my garden is anywhere and everywhere, with no particular rhyme or reason.
There was a little piece of land by the carport that's had my evil eye since 2001 when I moved here. It seemed the right thing never appeared, never seemed like the right thing to plant. A rose bush wouldn't really work there because of the street traffic. There would never be a rose on it. Someone walking by would pick all of them.
So I decided to plant a tree. It's still in shock now. I planted it yesterday. It is a crape myrtle with beautiful red blooms. It will provide shade, as well as a good property divider.
Right next to this house, which is a corner lot, is an apartment building. My back yard faces the building. The iron gate in the top picture is an entrance to the apartment building. I'm sorry to say the type of people living there are ... difficult. They're young people (not college st
udents) who yell and play loud music on the weekends. I've had to call the police more than once. Enough said. I'm sure you get the picture. This is an older neighborhood.
The tree might also absorb some of the noise. I'm hopin'.
I've always believed that no matter how old the house might be, no matter how old the neighborhood might be, nothing will beautify it more than a garden.
When I first moved here, the owner had some rose bushes and trees. It was pretty... but since she gave her permission for me to go wild, I've done just that.
I'm trying to show some of how "gardened up" this place is without being stupid about it. At a certain point, I might as well put my address on the web and I don't want to do that! Love ya all but I really do hate unexpected visitors. :) In my worst paranoid fantasies, of course, I imagine the car driving by slowly, seeing me out in the yard. "Thai clothes, fat ass. That must be her." *boom* (I don't really think that way but, heck, it happens on TV all the time. :)
Anyway, blooms and flowers are pretty but I also try to use some of the yard for practical purposes. We have a lemo
n tree, a peach tree, an avocado tree, a plum tree and this year, I've given tomatoes a shot, too. So far, we've been able to get a dozen or so. This one is just ripening. It should be ready to pull off tomorrow.
I have ordered some bulbs from Thailand. It will be interesting to see if some of those will work in my yard.
Wish I could grow rambutan. That would be interesting and I love the fruit!
There is nothing that feels quite so good as seeing all of this stuff grow every day. As long as I am to remain here, it makes it feel a bit more like home.
We are not
Nature Lovers.
We don't love nature any more than
we love breathing.
Nature is simply something
indispensable, like air
and light and water, that we
accept as necessary to living,
and the nearer we can get to it
the happier we are.
- Louise Dickenson Rich
~*
20 comments:
Looks just gorgeous, Chani
My mother's favorite book was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Your tree looking a little uncomfortable in its new surroundings reminded me of it.
I wish i had the gardening gene. I don't, but i sure appreciate the efforts of others. When i am walking and i see someone out in a beautiful garden, i always thank them. So, thank you.
OK, so the lemon tree was bad enough.
But then the peach tree.
The avocado tree.
And good God -- the plum tree!
I am GREEN with envy.
I am not a gardener by nature, but we are trying to slowly pretty up our home as well. Our veggie garden did splendidly last year and this year... well, it's not going so well. Our past 2 homes in CA had lemon trees, and I sure do miss fresh maid lemonade. MMMMMM.....
I'm just starting to garden- I would love to have some lessons from you!
Just up the street, a woman recently moved in to a house that had previously been occupied by someone elderly that I never met in the ten years we lived here. The outside of the house had plain, square-trimmed evergreen bushes. Period.
In less time than I would have expected it to take a person to unpack her suitcase, this lady has put in beautiful perennial beds all around the house, with lots of unique decorative odds and ends. It's stunning, and I'm so appreciative and jealous.
It's wonderful that you're beautifying your property. Everyone benefits.
Lovely!
I can't garden to save my life, which is too bad. But you know, between the black thumb and allergies, it's all bad. LOL
But I admire those who can and appreciate the loveliness they create.
there is nothing more wonderful than a garden. the only thing i miss about my old house is the garden around the pool--it had 10 years of me in it--plants from my grandma, brother, mom....i did take some of the plants that had multiplied, and one small tree that my dad had given me.
next spring hopefully my pool will be in here, and i can begin again.
It looks really lovely. I do the same thing wherever I live, even digging a fairly large vegetable, herb and cutting flower garden out of the woods in upstate NY with a trowel once. Now that's desperate.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as watching things grow. A single strawberry from my potted plant is far sweeter than a quart of berries from the store.
Most of the backyard here is concrete with a few areas of soil, so I mostly grow things in large pots. Tomatoes don't do nearly as well as they would in the ground, but my herbs are happy.
Your Crepe Myrtle tree should grow quickly. I think they do that, and they're so lovely. Good luck with it as a noise screen, too.
i used to garden incessantly. flowers everywhere. since M not so much, sadly we've not had as much free time. i miss it. we go for walks and admire the efforts of others, small or great, to work their land.
i can tell yours is one we'd stop and ooh and aah at, eventually dragging M away.
I love the quote at the end. I'm the same...a piece of dirt and I stick something in it. I don't really know what I'm doing, but overall I like what happens.
My nightmare is those little red laser sight things.. like in those movies.. if I see one for real, I'm running first and asking questions after.
Crepe Myrtle is one of my favorite trees.. ;) We have a lot of them here in NSW.
Congratulations on getting all "gardened up" ;)
Snoskred
http://snoskred.blogspot.com/
Did I see a green thumb in those photos? Plants add to any and all environments.
Love your garden! I agree garden beautify ones place.
I love Rambutan, they're my favorites. SO YUMMY!
Hope you'll have a good weekend! Take care..
Very pretty. I love to garden too but I'm limited to pots on the patio. I did get some delicious tomatoes this year so I'm not complaining too much.
Oh! My! Your garden sounds like paradise. I wish I could grow lemons and avocados. Sigh.
mmmm....lemons, avocado....tomatoes...feed me! yum!
I am so jealous, chani. I would give anything to be able to grow avocados!
It looks lovely, and I am like you - no dirt patch should go unplanted.
Your little tree should recover in no time. Did you know there is a spray you can buy for the leaves that will help it? It blocks the respiration so the roots can get established. They sell it at most nurseries. I don't know if it is still boiling hot there today, but just thought I would mention it.
And your drive-by comment made me laugh!
The fruit trees sound lovely, especially the lemon. We had a gorgeous lemon tree growing up... so sweet you could eat them!
I'm looking forward to having a yard again. :-)
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