MARCH 2009 - MINDY'S GARDEN DAY, Part II

Photos taken during the project were by Glinda (that's me). Photos taken a few days after we left are by Mindy.

Karla thought our post needed this view of all the stuff we seven women use on these projects. In addition to the horticultural supplies like composts, mulches and plants, the hostess provides coolers full of cold drinks and we each bring an assortment of tools and totes. Sometimes we bring plants to share with each other, too.
Let's head back to the project:
DivaAnnie likes to work at ground level. She amazes us with her persistence and patience. Instead of using force or violence, she carefully untangles and clears areas ready for amending. And when she puts a new plant into the ground, it stays planted!
In the outer courtyard here's Sophia prying up weeds along with some shrubs that were a previous experiment by Mindy. The coral berries were native, but they seemed to sucker too freely without looking attractive. That Mahonia/grape holly can stay - it will work in the new design. This time Sophia got to work at ground level - last November she was high on a a ladder cutting the fig vine off the timbers.

Once the outer courtyard was in better shape, Mindy took the new tiller on its maiden run. It did a pretty good job, but when the Divas dug deeper than the tines could reach, more and more long, huge fig roots kept appearing.

Mindy, Mattie, DivaAnnie and Karla continued to fight with the fig roots around the not-live-oak, then used hand tillers before replanting holly ferns. After the dying tree is removed piece by piece, the philodendron seen in the photo at the top of this post will live in the inner courtyard. Mindy told us the entire fig colony started from two small 4" pots from a local nursery.
Out around the corner Buffy had dug in compost and loosened the soil to plant a Chilopsis/ Desert Willow. Once established it should be drought-tolerant, and a good rain should persuade it to produce lovely flowers. This particular Chilopsis is a variety called 'Bubba'.Buffy and I had fun reinstalling that huge 'spineless' cactus to the left of the Desert Willow. If you've never met one - spineless is a relative term. We had gloves on but still ended up with little spines all over our clothes and unprotected skin.

Hard soil, semi-shade, wandering deer and limited water make the courtyard a difficult situation for any gardener, but Mindy does not give up easily! After bags and bags of composts were added, the new planting of soft-leaved yuccas, holly ferns, Four-nerved daisies, bluebonnets, iris, lambs ears, Setcresia/purple heart and Mexican feather grass was set in.

The flat-backed water barrel was in place for our Diva day, but not hooked up. There were full water barrels on the patio so we walked through the house carrying water from the back of the house to the front courtyard, giving all the new plants a good drink and then mulched them.


The Divas hunted around the property for stones and used them to edge the left side of the courtyard. A Loropetalum went in against the wall, with pockets teased out for foxgloves, and more setcresia closer to the oak. Mattie got artistic at the corner of the house, fitting stones together under the spot where a rainchain would be hung. It was nearly 5 PM when Mindy called us in to eat - so not exactly lunch - but a delicious meal.
The main dish was wonderful - Cold Peanut, Chicken, and Soba Noodle Salad
accompanied by Hot and Spicy Asparagus.

The lettuce was supposed to be a garnish, but we didn't leave one leaf! Mindy thought her cake was too crumbly but we thought the taste was perfect. Here's a close-up of the Texas Mountain Laurels decorating the table.
We went back out and tried to get a little more done before packing up the tools and doing some clear up. We left Mindy and Warren with shovels in hand, using decomposed granite to fill in the bottle edges.

Let's take a stroll from the drive down the sidewalk past this very Hill Country front garden. We like the way Rusty the metal horse sculpture looks in his revamped quarters among Hesperaloe, yucca, cactus, desert willow and salvias. Past the cactus and the crepe myrtles, we approach the entrance to the courtyard. It's a few days after the Divas met and the rain barrel is now hooked up.
Now the new rain chain hangs on the left of the courtyard.Instead of carrying water through the house, Mindy can use the coiled hose to water the courtyard plants. Encouraging the bluebonnets to bloom.
Another cherub hides in the purple heart across the walk.
From the front door the view into the courtyard is a pleasing one
And at the base of the rainchain, Mindy will see a little souvenir of the day...when Mattie made the rock-splash, she tucked a heart-shaped rock into the very center.

FEBRUARY 2009 - MATTIE'S GARDEN DAY

Austin set a heat record the day before our first project of the year - ninety degrees in February! It was a relief when we Divas of the Dirt woke up to cooler weather on Saturday. Heat would not be our foe, but the fierce wind never let up the whole day. Mattie presented a perfect breakfast - berry bowls, English muffins and two broccoli-cheese quiches (one cheddar & one Swiss). Here's Diva-Annie admiring the pretty table. We had a lot of catching up to do on what had happened since our January planning brunch - neither conversation nor meal could be rushed. The Divas thought it might be fun to use this blog to record our projects instead of waiting a whole year to put them on the website. So this experimental post tells of current events, using photos taken by both Mindy & your correspondent, Glinda.


The day was still chilly and even more windy when we went out to see the supplies and new plants Mattie had bought and discuss how to best help Mattie with her wish list. We noticed a fine looking Loropetalum/Chinese Witch Hazel, ferns, Texas Sage, Lantanas, Viburnums, small trees, shrubby Germander and some flowers that were new to us. Mattie's neighborhood has deer - that would be a deciding factor in plant placement for this project. The deer sometimes roam in front but the back is protected with a privacy fence. Some parts of the yard get partial shade and the soil is usually dry even when we're not in drought.



What we hoped to accomplish:
#1, replace a dead holly in front of the house with another shrub. It was decided to replace the holly with a native Southern Wax Myrtle

#2, In the back we'd replace some shrubs and add new evergreens to make a screen in the back left corner. The large Crepe myrtle added height, but it's deciduous - no good as a screen once the leaves fall. Some of the plants used here were a second Wax Myrtle, two 'Spring Bouquet' Viburnum and a Xylosma . A pair of young Barbados cherries could be moved from the border to a bed near the back of the house. Our dry spring meant the planting holes would be dug then watered and allowed to "set" before the new plants went in.

#3, make a new quarter-round bed where drive met street. The grass doesn't do well here and Mattie wants waterwise plants. A small Cenizo/Texas sage wouldn't look like much at first but with time will be a large, silvery green shrub.

#4, make a new bed in the blank far end of the front yard. This is another place where lawn is unhappy! A senna tree and a second Cenizo would work here along with some experimental plants. With luck that senna will become a beautiful tree.

#5, fiddle around with some blocks to make a raised bed and decide the location of a future path at the far end of the house back. We decided to prune an existing ligustrum to arch over the projected path and to plant a loropetalum on the opposite side. The Loropetalum/Chinese Witch Hazel would contrast its feathery beauty with the solidity of three small existing boxwoods.


The Divas got to work in different parts of the yard, naturally moving to whatever area needed help. Since the drive bed was the part of the yard that Mattie saw every time she left or returned, it had to be a priority. Buffy raked and Mindy used her special diamond shaped, sharp hoe to clear the spot for the drive bed. Divas worked on the dead holly, adjusted the layout and dug holes for the back shrub border and cut up dead branches for yard waste pickup. Sophia went to pick up a borrowed tiller and another Diva-delegation went shopping for even more mulch & different composts... in spite of the chilly wind blowing dust and debris in our faces, we were on a roll!


Finishing task #1 was fast and straightforward - soon the new Wax Myrtle had been composted, planted, watered in and mulched.

#2, planting holes in the shrub border were watered and left to mellow.

# 3 went much faster than anticipated once the borrowed electric tiller was started up.

#4, we laid out the edges for this proposed bed with a garden hose, but we didn't start turf removal. If we ran out of time, this border was the expendable project.

#5, the old Ligustrum was pruned into a tree shape above the path, the Loropetalum planting was in progress and the arranging of the concrete pavers was begun by the time lunch was announced.


Oh, my - Mattie has set the bar very high for 2009! Karla and Mattie had made glowing, healthy bowls of Carrot, Apple & Ginger Soup with Cheese Crisps (find this wonderful Whole Foods recipe here). The delectable Crab Cakes nestled on baby spinach also came from Whole Foods - did you know that Whole Foods started here in Austin? Mattie's lean old dog Bianca limped in and out of the room a few times, then went back to her pillow by the fireplace. By the time we'd moved through Sherbet to Lemon Bars with a perfect crust we Divas were looking for pillows, too. It was hard to get up and go back out into the dusty wind. But we did it... we got everything done! One by one the shrubs were settled into the back border.


Soon the drive bed had been planted and watered. The many small rocks that turned up everywhere we dug were collected and used to line the front bed. Some medium-sized rocks were set in as accents. With the hose as guide, the Divas edged the Boomerang Bed - its shape appeared as the grass disappeared. Large rocks took time and effort to remove - they were saved for use when the bed was done - eventually framing the small Senna tree Mattie is placing. Founding Diva Sugar stopped by to say hello - we're always glad to see her and this time Sugar not only cracked us up with amusing stories, she and DivaAnnie foiled a jailbreak. Delicate, elderly, limping Bianca slid out the open gate while mulch was being carried in, and suddenly dropped a decade in dog-years. With a look of determination she headed down the sidewalk for parts unknown, gaining a one block headstart before the humans caught on she was gone. DivaAnnie set out after her on foot while Sugar drove in pursuit, confusing the escape artist by slowly turning and stopping the car as a barricade across the sidewalk. DivaAnnie is a Dog Whisperer, and Bianca was soon safe at home getting attention. We moved around from one part of the garden and enjoyed seeing the changes. The shrubs were small, but with a little imagination one could see that the layered green screen in the back garden will look great in a few years. In the front yard the new Boomerang Bed framed the lot and looked pretty cool. Mattie hopes this Lion's Tail/Leonotis menthofolia will keep blooming in cheerful orange.

By 5:30PM, we'd used all the mulch, added final touches and gathered our tools. As we said goodbye Mattie handed each of us a pretty rain gauge on a stand, filled with water to act like a vase for a stalk of Alstroemeria . It would be fine memento of this long and satisfactory day.

Brunch at Trattoria Lisina

We Divas of the Dirt enjoy cooking for each other during the rest of the year, but in January we like to meet at a restaurant. The declared reason is that we need to set up the calendar of project days for the coming year but the real reason is that it's fun to be together.Mindy had already been out to Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood - she didn't have any trouble convincing us that we needed to see this Tuscan-inspired destination with its adjoining Mandola Winery. The winery is a venture of Damien Mandola who with restauranteer nephew Johnny Carrabba hosts the cooking show Cucina Sicilia on PBS. There may be cedar scrub all along the roadside on the drive out, but once you pull into the complex, you're in a Hill-Country version of Tuscany. Across the way is a young vineyard and the landscaping enhances the illusion.The food may be a little pricey but it was absolutely delicious - beginning with bubbly Prosecco, breads and olive oil. We moved on to Calamari and Bruscette topped with Cannellini Beans, Tomato/Basil and Chicken Liver...then finished with Gnocci, Clams, Pizza, Minestroni, Insalata, Cannelloni Lisina and Osso Buco.


Next time you see us we'll be back in our gardening clothes - here's hoping 2009 will be a good gardening year for all of you and all of us. Happy New Year from Buffy, Glinda, Sophia, Annie, Mindy, Karla & Mattie

Six Gardens Down - One to Go

The 2008 Diva Diary will be posted next January - but we can't resist sharing a few glimpses of what we've done this year.

The jury is still out on whether we're a garden club whose members enjoy cooking for each other, or an eating club who tries to work off a few calories while helping in each other's gardens.




Diva Mattie's February Feast



Diva Glinda's new front bed was made in March



In April we were glad that Diva~Annie let us take down the self-seeded tree hanging over the walk


Diva Sophia's table is one of our favorite places - especially in May



Diva Karla's patio reached 99°F at our June project - we needed those chairs!




Diva Buffy's turn in October stayed under 90°F - we loved the metallic blue berries on her 'Spring Bouquet' Viburnum.
Still to come is Diva Mindy's Day - she promised us no Bermuda Triangle for 2008!