plants – Such the Like…

Spring! Despite the fact that I live in a climate that really has only two discernible seasons, I love Spring! My love overcomes the adversity of the blizzard of pollen that coats every surface including your teeth if you open your mouth at the wrong time. How can you not love the blooms of spring?

Spring is that golden time in the garden where nothing has really gone wrong yet. You labor, and your labor is rewarded by restored order and new life.

I am committed-I repeat-committed (!) that this will not be a repeat of last year (or what I like to call “The Year of the Fungus”).

We shall overcome! We shall overcome the beetles, slugs, black spot, powdery mildew, blight, fire ants, birds, squirrels, moles, and dogs! We shall overcome and we won’t spend a thousand dollars doing it. We will be thrifty and the garden will be lush and organic.

And after we accomplish these things, we’ll actually go outside and enjoy it …instead of retreating to the realm of air conditioning and tv.

Ahhh, the eternal optimism of Spring… 😉

Nemesis…defined as “a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent”

And she knows this…see the look of shame and apology. It’s because she loves me. She doesn’t love me enough, however. She’s dedicated to foiling my every move. Our battleground?

Our battleground is any area I attempt to cultivate as a garden bed, be it floral or vegetable, and the accompanying accessories. The weapon? Her pearly whites. Her chompers. Teeth!

It’s April the 11th. I’ve been ready to plant for weeks, but no…I’m stalked by this evildoer of a mutt. Let me recount the casualty list to date: $300+ dollars worth of drip irrigation, a waterhose (including the fitting that attached it to the spout), the styrofoam covers off the trampoline, two dessert sage bushes (established), a satellite wire, the inputs to our air conditioning unit, an aloe vera plant and numerous small plastic containers.

This teething rascal is relentless! But it’s April people and I have no choice! I had to plant! I’m missing the window of opportunity for Texas! It will be 100+ degrees in a couple of months. So I planted

A few tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, and I wrapped it all in ragged leftover chicken wire. And it seems to be working…so far….but I haven’t replaced the drip line yet. I’m still having to water. By hand. Daily. So, I found this