My Growing Green Thumb

Only during this past year, since we moved from the townhouse to a house, have I taken any interest whatsoever in trying to achieve a beautifully manicured and landscaped yard. It is so much different when something is yours - then you really, really care - but when you're renting and you know it isn't yours, its not that you don't care, you just don't care as much. I'm really into the whole "my yard has to look fabulous" thing, lately, though, regardless of the fact that we are "renting," and do not own this house, and the yard is finally coming around. Right now - as summer has arrived - it will be difficult to plant anything new without it dying. It is just too damn hot for plants. Some of what was planted in the winter and early spring months seems to be doing great though, and, I think, by next year it will be perfect!

The pampas grass is full and fluffy and bushy - just like it is supposed to be.

My lonely little lime tree could use some help... I thought I planted a lemon tree. Nope. It is a lime tree. Oh well. Limes are good, too.

I've FINALLY got my first carnations! They're little baby carnations right now, but at least there are a few flowers. The birds are murdering my carnations, though. They eat all the buds before they can even become flowers. I need to get a high-powered squirt gun and then I'm just going to hang around the front yard and wait for those vultures to prey on my carnation buds and I'm gonna blast 'em. Nothing against birds, but they need to go find another front yard to belly up to for a bud-buffet.

The purple plants are a variety of spiderwort. They are doing just okay; they've been in the ground for two months now and don't look a whole lot different than when they were planted. I was told it was a "ground cover" and would grow up and out. Not seeing much "up" and not seeing any "out." But I liked the color, so I'm giving them a try.

My asparagus fern, or sprengeri must really, really like where I planted it. I had a few little sprigs there and already they've tripled in size in just a few short weeks.

This picture does NOT do the lantana justice, at all. It is simply and absolutely gorgeous!

Sansevieria doesn't flower, or turn some incredible color - it just kind of "is." This is all it will do. I'm getting some "baby shoots" on it though, so it must like where it got planted, and I needed something in front of the window - but didn't want a bush or anything huge that was going to block the sunlight.

This is my pride and joy in my back yard, the jacquemontia. In October these were three spindly little vines and look at them now! The garden-guru here on our compound told me that they did not like full sun and that they probably were not going to do well where I chose to put them. Ha! Proved her all wrong! They are absolutely thriving in full sun in the back yard and growing like weeds!

And last, but not least, the ruellia, which is doing okay, but not great. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much, too soon. I would really like to see this take off like my vines did and I suspect if they were not so frequently "watered" by the Kids - or more specifically - The Boy, then it just might grow "big and strong.