Frog Statues Moved to New Home

This year we have moved the frog statues to the planter south of the house. They are nestled in with the Schefflera and look very much at home.

Planted Herb & Flower Seeds

Today I planted some of the herb seeds: dill, chives, parsley and cilantro. I also planted the eucalyptus and Marguerite daisy. All of the seeds were started in Scott's Potting Soil for Seed Starting Mixture. This is the first time we've tried this product.

The Purple Martins Return to Lake Brownwood

Today was the first time we have seen any of the purple martins. Usually they arrive during the middle part of February. Two martins flew past the martin house several times, chirping loudly as they passed. We did not see them land on the bird house.

Planted Dwarf Batchelor Button Seeds

This afternoon I planted seeds for the Dwarf Batchelor Buttons in the planter on the redwood deck. I planted the seeds in Miracle Grow Potting Soil. Some of the plants will remain in the planter. Others will be used in other places

Started Dew Plant Cuttings

This afternoon, I took cuttings from the Dew Plant and began to root some new plants. The new plants will be used as a ground cover for the pots with the two Schefflera trees.

Installing A New Electrical Yard Light

Today we started to install a new electrical yard light in the Saint John's Wort. We had previously set the post into place. It will be south of the garage, west of the house, nestled among a grouping of hydrangea. Today's project was to install the electrical connection. The wiring comes from the utility pole south of the property, going under the rock retaining wall, among the oak trees and to the yard light. The next phase of the project will be to select the light fixture and to wire it.

View of electrical wire leading from light post.

View of electrical wire between oak trees.

View of electrical wire leading to utility pole through Saint John's Wort.

Cold Front Expected Tonight

The weather report calls for a cold front to come in tonight. The expected temperature is 36 degrees tonight and 34 tomorrow night. By the weekend they are projecting a high in the low 80's. We decided that it would be a good idea to bring all the plants back inside for the next couple of days, until it warms up again.

Peony Plants Start to Grow

This peony plant had been moved from the redwood deck when the deck was underwater. We'd left it in the yard near the Japanese Maple. It didn't get as much sunlight as the other plant. It didn't start growing as quickly and is a smaller plant.

The Peony plants are really growing. This plant had spent the winter out on the redwood deck. It has been getting more sunshine than the other plant, so there is more growth on this one. It needs to have a wire tomato support placed on it soon, before it gets too large.

Lake Brownwood Over Spillway

The lake is still over the spillway, but not nearly as high as it was a few weeks ago. It's now just a little over the rock sidewalk that leads from the koi pond to the Martin House. The cannas are starting to grow. The Button Willows need to be cut back. Later on we will try to spry them with shrub and brush killer to see if we can’t eliminate them. So far, they have been very resistant to anything that we have used to kill them.

Fern Bed Begins Spring Growth

The Holly Fern and the Japanese Aralia have started to grow. The Japanese Aralia will need to be pruned this year, since it is growing over the sidewalk. We will attempt to root the cuttings. The Banana and Hostas haven't started to come up yet.

The Saint Augustine has started to grow. It will need to be fertilized within the next few days. The oak leaves are falling.

The Ivy Basket Topiary stayed outdoors this winter, most of the time it was next to the house. It has now been moved back to the redwood deck, onto the picnic table where it will remain this summer.

The Esperanzas, or 'Yellow Bells' were taken into the house last fall to protect them from freezing. It has been taken back outside to acclimate it to being outdoors again.

The Hibiscus were taken into the house last fall to protect it from freezing. It has been taken back outside to acclimate it to being outdoors again.

The Hibiscus were taken into the house last fall to protect it from freezing. It has been taken back outside to acclimate it to being outdoors again.

The Arrowhead Ivy was taken into the house last fall to protect it from freezing. It has been taken back outside to acclimate it to being outdoors again.

The Moses In A Boat was taken into the house last fall to protect it from freezing. It has been taken back outside to acclimate it to being outdoors again.

The Schefflera plants were taken into the house last fall to prevent them from freezing. They have now been taken back outside and placed on the deck to allow them to get acclimated to being back outdoors.

The Schefflera plants were taken into the house last fall to prevent them from freezing. They have now been taken back outside and placed on the deck to allow them to get acclimated to being back outdoors.

The red oleander had grown a lot since we planted it. This year it will need to be pruned. I will try to root the cuttings.

The azaleas are just beginning to start to open. The only ones that are actually showing any color are the ones next to the koi pond.

The azaleas are just beginning to start to open. The only ones that are actually showing any color are the ones next to the koi pond.
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Last fall, we moved the plumbago into the garage, after giving it a severe pruning, to prevent it from freezing. It has now been moved back to its “home” next to the koi pond.

Poblano Peppers

I've always liked the way that Poblano Peppers look when I see them at the grocery stores. However; I've never been able to find either seeds or plants. This year I will try to germinate seeds that came from some of the dried Poblano Peppers that were sold at Wal Mart. Today I planted some of the seeds into starter pots to see if they will germinate.