Early Days of Spring!

Did lots of work around the yard today since we're finally having some nice weather without all the WIND!

Planted sedum tiles along the front sidewalk. I bought two and broke them up into pieces. The bright green stuff is blooming! This area tends to be hot and dry in the summer although it is getting more and more shade as the Cedar Elm in the front yard gets bigger.

The flower bed in the front yard... I planted a packet of hummingbird seed mix here last year, and it was really pretty! There are a ton of seeds in here, but nothing much has sprouted with the drought conditions we've been having. The larkspur established last fall and is starting to bloom. Also, the ice plant looks good, and I added in some Grape Hyacinth today.

And the kitties helped me a lot in the front yard today...

In the backyard, I planted 3 Pincushion plants (Scabiosa; two purple, one pink). 

In and around the rock garden...

I transplanted some pink yarrow I got from one of my neighbors:

The Mexican Petunia are starting to sprout:

Threadleaf Groundsel overwintered (surprised!) and is starting to bloom!

Prickly Pear is putting on new growth:

'Moonshine' Yarrow is budding up:

Spiny Goldenweed also survived (also surprised!) and is bushing up:

And Cody helped me in the back yard... overlooking his kingdom!

Orchid (Phalaenopsis) Flower Spike

UPDATE: 5/11/2022, Eight blooms open (out of 13 buds)

I didn't stake the spike enough. I underestimated how tall it would get, so it arched over in a way that didn't best present the flowers. I ended up using an adjustable ribbon at the top so I could slowly lift the spike a bit each day, and that has worked really well... plus, I think it's kind of pretty!

UPDATE: 5/1/2022

Four blooms open now!

UPDATE: 4/20/2022

First bud starting to open, 4 months after spike first started forming.

UPDATE: 3/26/2022:

 Finally starting to see real bud formation!

Also, I got this pale yellow orchid yesterday at Walmart for $15!

UPDATE 2/19/2022:

Also, I got a second one this Valentine's (2022) and took pictures so I can remember what the blooms look like, ha ha! (I can't remember what the first one will look like because it's been so long since it bloomed!):

 

1/9/2022: My orchid started putting out a bloom spike which I first noticed about a week before Christmas!

This will be the first time it has bloomed since I received it almost two years ago. I re-potted it in August of 2020 into a larger pot, and I've been fertilizing it 2x a year with a slow-release fertilizer.

Pictures from re-potting in August 2020:

First Snow of the Year First Day of the Year!

Got 1" to 2" of snow on the same day my military foster dog came back to me!

Leaf Mold

I was super excited that my new SunJoe leaf shredder arrived a few days early which means I get to play with it all weekend! (Yes, I am a nerd.)

 

I have made leaf mold for years now, but it really does take 3-4 years for it to decompose here in Lubbock, being as hot and dry as it is. 

 

Fully decomposed leaf mold from 2019

 

I can get probably 30 - 35 bags of leaves every year from the groundskeepers at work, but they're just not breaking down fast enough and now I have a backlog! So I decided to step up my game and start shredding them. Plus, the shredded leaves make a really wonderful mulch, and the City of Lubbock hasn't been running their wood chipper lately so we can't get any more free mulch from there for the time being.

 

You can shred leaves with a lawnmower and bag attachment which I did a couple of weeks ago. It was a bit of a hassle, but doable. Since I have A LOT of leaves to shred, I decided to get a dedicated leaf shredder. This one costs $109 on Amazon and uses .095" trim line to shred. 

 

SunJoe leaf shredder

 

You just dump leaves into the funnel on top and it spits out shredded leaves. I tried it first just dumping it into a big blue feed bucket from the farm, but you really do need to attach a bag to keep from generating your own mini-haboob. 

 

 

It's still a dirty job, but the final product is amazing! 

 

 

Composted leaves, or "leaf mold," is about one of the best things you can add to your soil to improve soil structure, increase moisture retention, and enhance the microbiome of your garden and flower beds.

 

These are still last year's leaves that I'm shredding! So I'll use part for mulching in before winter and let the rest break down in my leaf mold bins. And then go take a shower because I am covered in dust!

 

 

Filling the leaf mold bins back up

Be sure to wear safety gear and a DUST MASK!

Shredded leaves make great mulch

Read more about leaf mold

Rock Rose (Cistus spp.)

Rock rose (Cistus spp.) is a 3' to 5' tall blooming shrub. It tolerates heat, drought, and poor soils, but mine do best with some afternoon shade and supplemental water in the summertime.

My neighbor gave me some rock rose seeds 20+ years ago, and they're still reseeding themselves all these years later! So pretty!

 

Rock Rose

Rock Rose bloom

Rock Rose leaves

Rock Rose seeds

Rock Rose seeds