Cullen Gardens : June 2011

~ Cullen Gardens ~
We are in full bloom around here!

Hydrangea

 

Orange Lilies

    

  Rose of Sharon: 

This is a great hot weather plant, very drought tolerant.  Mine started out and bare root plant that was around 1 foot tall, now it is around 15 foot tall and 8 foot wide.

 

More Hydrangeas

Manda villa vine, just getting started.  My goal is for it to cover the ugly chain link fence this year.  And this is the vine to do the job,  once Manda villa Vine get started they spread like crazy and bloom all summer long, They are very drought tolerant, I planted this one in the driest part of our back yard.

I have never had my caladium bloom, so seeing this was a great surprise, now I just need the three plants I put out to take off and grow big Big BIG!!!

My yellow lilies in the front berm look beautiful!!!  I bought them two year ago at Lowe's on the clearance rack after Easter for around $1.50 each,  The blooms were almost done but I knew that the next Spring they would be beautiful all over again.  Now two years later they are triple the size and all the neighbors love my yard! (Big smiles from me)

I do not have any type of brick or metal border around my berm.  I didn't want to have one that had to be reset/leveled or the weeds pulled out of it or anything my husband could hit with the lawn mower.  This is a natural border, all it takes is a little work around the edges about every couple of weeks.  My husband does clean up the grass edge with the weed eater and cuts a sharp 90 degree edge when the grass starts growing good in the Summer.  I call it my paisley shape berm, my husband calls it an amoeba.... I find that offensive for some reason, I much prefer calling it my cute paisley print berm.    

My little peep approves!

These are Stella d'Oro daylily from my mother in law.  This is the second year they have been in the front berm and she was right they grow fast, I will be thinning them out at the end of the season.

Our Vegetable Garden:

Zucchini

 The blooms are so beautiful on these plants.  Today I spied the first zucchini growing, I'm so excited.  I consider the plants just growing a success.  They never ever grow for me, I mean NEVER!  But this year is looking up!!!!

 Tomatoes: 
Yellow & Red cherry tomatoes
Yellow tomatoes (less acidic)
Roma
Better Boys
Big Boys
Plum tomatoes

  Lots of fresh basil to go with all our tomatoes this year.

 Flat Leaf Parsley too...

Other herbs growing in our yard: Rosemary, fennel & chives

Cullen Veg. Garden

Our backyard: June 4, 2011

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I forgot to add this little find!  

I was thrifting at my favorite secondhand store and came across this umbrella stand for $4.  I think it will be perfect in my garden......somewhere.......maybe with a fern stuck in the top or an ivy vine growing around it!  

I love finding treasures like this!  So what would you do with it, have an idea, please share!

Happy gardening and STAY COOL!!!!!
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The Cullen Gardens: April Update

I JUST squeezing in our April update:

We have been very busy working outside the last few weeks in between the crazy thunderstorms and tornado warnings.  I love working in my yard, although my manicure and pedicure don't like it, but I would rather have dirt under fingernails than a boring yard.  My husband tilled up the garden area and with the super duper help from a tough five year old the MAN WORK was done.

 Miss S. pulled all the weeds out of the garden spot:

 Apples are starting to form on the apple tree:

Joshua's zinnia seedlings:

Some of our plants:  We went up to a locally owned garden nursery last weekend and found some wonderful vegs. and flowers.  So wish I had waited and bought all of our plants there, half the price and better quality than the plants at the chain home improvement store.

Just a few of the plants are in:

 

~My helpers~

The front berm is doing wonderful I went out and weeded it last week and finally got the gladiola bulbs in (a month late).  I decided to go with a white/pink theme this year for the new plants.  I filled in the blank spots with white Sweet Williams (Dianthus barbatus) and light pink Periwinkles (Vinca).  The front flower bed just in front of the house has the light pink Periwinkles and white/green caladiums.  If the sun ever decides to stay out long enough and start warming up the soil the flowers will start growing and I can share some flower bed pictures.  We are expecting some more crazy thunder storms tonight. 

You know they do say April showers bring May flowers.  More so for us, April thunder storms with tornado watches hopefully bring calmer, sunnier May days.  ;-)

~Happy planting~

UPDATE APRIL 27th, after MORE rain, tornado warnings and flooding, this is what our garden looks like: Ugh!!!!!

  Our lap pool Veg. Garden

Our swimming hole Backyard

Update: After all the rain, this is what my peeps looked like! lol

I know, I know (to the ones cringing at their clothes) I have learned to pick my battles.

The mud washes out and the peeps slept really good that night.

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