Gardening Gardening in Texas can be a challenge, as you have to consider the extreme heat and humidity when selecting plants. But even so, gardening has long been a hobby of mine. When I was married to my first husband, I took great delight in working in our garden, in spite of the punishing heat of a Texas summer. When I divorced and moved into an apartment, I tried to keep in touch with the outdoors by growing container plants on my balcony. Then, when I moved into my very own home, I had a blank canvas to work with. You can see how I did in the My Cottage Garden section below. Now that Eric and I are in our new house, and I get to work on our garden, I'll be adding photos and discussing the failures and successes I have, as well as providing you with links to other gardening resources. Gardening Quotes - garden quotes, gardening quotes, quotes for gardeners. Jayne's Country Garden - My Garden Blog Gardening Links Garden Web - a garden community on the Internet. Dave's Garden - for gardeners, by gardeners. Better Homes and Gardens - articles, garden plans, regional gardening information. Garden Basics for Kids - Nice little resource for kids or anyone getting started in gardening. Thanks Bella for the link. Our New Garden When we first moved into our new house, I kept a record on this site of how the garden was doing each season, as we created the garden beds and got planting. I no longer update this site with garden updates, but maintain a garden blog instead (see link above) and keep this site as an archive of previous posts. Garden - Summer 2013 - yes, that's right 2013, not 2012! I can't believe it has been so long since I last updated! Garden - Spring 2012 - the spring of 2012 brought some much needed rain and relief from the drought. It even encouraged us to start a veggie garden! Garden - Fall 2011 - after a brutal summer, the fall of 2011 brought some nice surprises. Garden - Summer 2011 - the summer of 2011 brought record breaking heat and drought! Garden - Spring 2011 - Spring came early, but the rains didn't... Garden - Winter 2010/2011 - a particularly harsh winter meant some plants were lost, but in the end, spring arrived, heralded by the daffodils. Garden - Fall 2010 - fall color and wildlife a-plenty in the garden! Garden - Summer 2010 - The garden flourished in the summer of 2010, inspite of playing host to four kittens for several weeks. By the end of May 2010, we had a Parade of Daylilies going on in our front garden. Houston Grows Meetup, May 2010 - One of the benefits of blogging about my garden is getting to meet some great people with similar interests. Garden - Spring 2010 - After the long, cold winter, I was eager to get started on some garden projects and also worried about what might not have survived the freeze. Garden - Winter 2009 - The winter of 2009 will go down in history of having the earliest recorded snowfall in the Houston area! The Patio - Summer/Fall 2009 - One of our favorite pastimes is sitting out on our beautiful patio, chatting over a glass of wine Garden - Fall 2009 - After the brutal summer, I welcomed the cooler weather, and the butterfly migration. Garden - Summer 2009 - the Summer of 2009 brought with it a brutal drought, but even so, several plants thrived to attract the birds, bees and butterflies. Garden - Spring 2009 - Eric is amazed how quickly things grow down here Garden - Backyard Safari - Early spring 2009 - Since moving in to our new home, one of our favorite pastimes is sitting quietly on the patio and watching the wildlife in our very own Backyard Safari. Garden Late Winter 2008/2009 - even as the rest of the country is buried in snowdrifts, we are able to start work in our new garden. Garden - Summer 2008 - Our new garden will be a peaceful retreat for us to relax in, even in the heat of summer. The new garden - my mind is already buzzing with ideas for our new garden. My Cottage Garden Before Eric and I got married and moved into our own house, I owned a little cottage and spent many hours creating a garden that brought me great joy. You can see the progress of that garden through the links below, in reverse chronological order. Garden - Early Summer 2008 - As if the garden knows I'll be leaving it soon, it's putting on a display I'll remember. Garden - Butterflies 2008 - When I saw this little visitor, I just had to try and capture it in pixels. Garden - Spring 2008 - Even though I'm going to be moving this year, I'll be keeping the garden looking its best until it's time to leave. Garden - Summer 2007 - Come and visit my own little corner of Wild America! Garden - Spring 2007 - Lots of spring rain is getting the garden off to a good start in 2007. Garden - Early Summer 2006 - How does your garden grow? See how mine is coming along this year. The Patio Cover Project - To help me get the most use from my patio, I enlisted the help of my neighbor to build a shady patio cover. Garden - Spring 2006 - The lawn is trying to recover from the brutal summer of 2005 and other developments in the garden. Garden - Spring 2005 - See how the garden looks after one year. Gardening Progress - See how far the garden has come in just one short month! The Garden Project - In between rainstorms, during one week in February 2004, the garden gets a lawn and a patio! My Garden - what I started out with at my new house - not much to see, I'm afraid! About Me | Photo Album | Family | Hobbies | The Cats | The Horses | My New House | Music Tastes | My Writings | Words to Live By | Holidays | British Heritage | Texas Humor | IRC Humor | Romance | Gardening | Links | Webrings | Causes | Gifts | Memberships | Awards