My mother-in-law came in for the weekend and the theme of our visit was gardening. She was a master gardener in Indiana, but has lived in Phoenix for the past 7 years. She's been doing her best to garden in the desert, but misses the gardening she was accustomed to.
We started out our visit with a trip to the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. It also happened to be the annual plant sale, so we had a great time.
Bluebonnets
Sculptures from the current exhibit.
Aspen and her Nana atop the tower
View from the tower
Cave on meadow trail
After shopping Friday, Saturday it was time to plant. We started bright and early in the front yard. We increased the size of the bluebonnet and daylily bed and transplanted the coneflowers from the back yard, and planted black-foot daisies, and texas yellow stars.
Then we moved to the back yard. I gave mom a plot of land that had been previously donated to Aspen and then quickly abandoned. Mom had her run of plants and yard art. She planted lamb's ears, coreopsis (Jethro Tull), pentas (graffiti white), and rock rose.
Nana's Garden
Welcome Sign
Nana with her Garden
While Nana was working on her garden I planted elsewhere in the back yard. In the corner where I had recently planted a yellow and yellow/purple columbine, I added a turk's cap and two red/yellow columbines.
I also planted a dwarf palmetto and two heart-leaf skullcaps along the side fence.
I planted this white honeysuckle right outside the kitchen window. It should make dishes more pleasant in the coming years.I haven't taken pictures yet, but we also added some yard art in the form of a ceramic owl, a flamingo w/ a pink gazing ball body, a trellis for the beans, a bright yellow pot for my new manfredo, and of course all of the pieces for Nana's garden.
Just when you thought the weekend couldn't get any better we woke this morning to the sound of rain, just what our transplants needed. Thanks mom for a wonderful visit!
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5 comments:
Y'all did a great job--looks really good. I can't imagine how your mother-in-law has adjusted to Phoenix gardening!
The rain sounded so beautiful this morning. I just wanted to keep sleeping to that sound.
Pam/Digging says:
Your mom and daughter are so cute in those pics. It sounds like you had a fun gardening weekend together. Tell your mom to look for Scott Calhoun's new book about desert gardening called The Hot Garden. I'll be reviewing it this week, and it's terrific and inspiring.
By the way, if you'll enable Name/URL comments, it'll be easier/possible for people without Google accts to comment.
Iris - Thanks for the compliments. It's definitely a work in progress, but I'll get there eventually. It took her several years of failed plants, but she's finally accepted that many of the flowers she loves are just off limits.
Pam - I look forward to your review. I'll have to tell her about it, or make it a birthday present, which is only a few months away. I didn't see the option for Name/URL. There was either account, or complete open access including anonymous. Maybe I'm missing something.
How wonderful that your Mum can share your love of gardening. Do you go to the Phoenix Bontanical Garden when you go there. They have a reciprocal with the WFC. We always visit when we go to Phoenix. We had 1 1/2" in the rain gauge. I am over the moon.
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