Garden.... April Fool's Progress

 
"The Boomer Magazine" now delivers Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We offer picture stories on such topics as: interesting retirement lifestyles, travel, books, movies, music, butterfly gardens, photo assignments, food, charitable events, history and whatever else might strike our fancy.

Baby Climbing Don Juan

                        Welcome to the Butterfly Hotel and Rose Ranch.

There's been enough blooming, planting and building going on so I thought it might be time for an update.

Don Juan at one and a half yrs

This spring we've added quite a few small butterfly, honey bee and hummingbird plants.  

Foreground is a baby tree box

The Butterfly Hotel has been a work in progress since the end of last summer. 

First Cardinal of the spring

The Rose ranch is still alive and coming into it's own. As you can see by the number and size of blooms on both the Iceberg (white) and the Don Juan (red) they are doing well.

Climbing Iceberg at one and a half years

I had to move several roses due to insufficient amounts of sun or should I say overly enthusiastic planning. Hopefully, I didn't kill any but who knows. Live and learn, I hope.

Raised beds are easier than cutting thru the oak's root layer.

I did lose the pretty multi-colored Joseph's Robe. Some sort of black fungi completely covered the plant and ate the roots way. 
I tried doctoring but obviously with the wrong stuff or too late.

Princess Viktoria

Our friends at Garden.ville, Shades of Green and the fantastic folks at the Medina Garden Nursery have helped this amateur a bunch. 

One year old Wisteria fashioned into tree form.

We lost our favorite source of roses and rose advice when The Antique Rose Emporium closed it's San Antonio store. 

Ball Moss in the Oaks

They are still going strong out in Brenham, Texas (the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream) so all is not lost. 

Some kind of noisy cranky blackbird.

With this post I've included shots of our visiting critters and individual plants to go with the wider shots of the backyard. 

I hope you enjoy our little pals. I try to grab a picture whenever they offer access. Most of the photography is done from "The Gram Daddy" patio chair.

 

Danged birds splash all the water out.

This spring I have added a new layer to the butterfly project. You will notice several square raised beds scattered about the yard. I built those to add the "under canopy" trees. 

Individual trees are Red buds,  Eve's Necklace, Mexican Plum, Myer's Lemon, Anacacho Orchid and a few others. They will grow in the shade of the oaks. 

Another back yard view

They will add a layer of springtime blossoms just under the canopy. It should be quite a show. The mid canopy crew won't compete with the oaks for space and the best part is they are all butterfly friendly. 

A not so lonesome dove, there are over one million in San Antonio.

I wanted my favorite tree, the beautiful Ozark Dogwood but was told they just can't deal with our, long, long, hot, hot South Texas summers. From one Ozark native to another, I completely understand.

Mr. Squirrel waiting his turn to bathe...

For an aging perspective, the big roses along the wall are now one and a half years old. The rest are at one year. The Butterfly Hotel is for the most part 6 months or less. Almost everything in the butterfly project is indigenous and should be fairly drought proof. The roses are all from hardy Texas German or Czech pioneer stock. They should do well without a lot of pampering.

Tropical Milkweed waiting on spring customers

We don't do a lot of fussing and feeding once something is planted. Water weekly and hope for the best is the motto around here.

                       This Boomer Magazine brought to you by:

                               John B. Boykin 

                          "The Hard Hat Photographer"

                   

                                          web site

                            San Antonio          The World

                              Bored with life ? Get a project ! 
                               Get yourself up and do something !