Ah…..yes, some of the things that dreams are made of….

 

or, at least MY dreams of a luscious landscape around my cottage, a place to ponder, reflect & just be happy to be alive.

It’s finally springtime in Texas!  (that time of year when all Texans rush to the garden centers, eager to load up on flowers, bushes, soil, seeds, tomatoes, birdbaths….because it’s so pleasant outside and we simply cannot retain the knowledge that our precious little plants will be withering in the hot Texas sun in July)   Oh sorry, I digress!  Well, I’m just itching to be right there with the rest of you, but I’ve been held back a bit…

Why, you ask?  Well, remember that Jose is not available to paint my bricks, trim, etc until JUNE!  I cannot plant any perimeter gardens until the painting is complete; I also must wait for my privacy fence to be replaced before I can plant anything next to the fenceline!  UGH!!!

So far, I have visited the garden center for large bags of fertilizer & ant killer; I wouldn’t usually do that, but my entire side yard filled up with little mounds at the first sign of warmer weather, and there were so many they were actually continuous!  Fire ants are not my friend, so the lawn guys spread that and weed ‘n feed this week.  I did buy a cute hose-holder and a nice sturdy water hose; the sprinkler system in my yard is just as ‘vintage’ as the house, so it’ll need an overhaul too!

I also got a good start on my raised herb garden….and I’m  sprouting dill, cilantro and basil to be planted soon…

 

So, in my frustration over having to WAIT for my hydrangeas, hostas, caladiums and the sort….I ran across a great article on Houzz about growing trees in containers!  Now I’m excited all over again….here it is for you to read as well:

 

It makes perfect sense to put my yearnings to work on container gardening for now!  I absolutely love the idea of growing a dwarf Japanese Maple in a huge pot, as a way to further diguise my huge AC unit….

The pot can sit between the steps and the garden gate we’ll be securing around two sides of the unit; the pot will be a nice filler to pull your eye away from steel, and the shape & color of the foliage will fill that gap nicely!  (how I wish I’d photographed this, and all of my azaleas before they finished blooming!

If you photographed yours, please share them with us in the comments below!  Azaleas are nature’s works of art, to be enjoyed briefly and shared…

 

OK, so while I’m dreaming, just look at this picture:  I think I have a real shot at making my gazebo look like this one day!

(I have already planted hollyhocks bulbs around it, but not too close since it has to be painted also….see what an optimist I am?!)

 

 

My friends, I really cannot complain about having to wait for some things….each afternoon when I arrive home, I take Kobe out to run around a bit while I relax on my new covered patio, enjoying the breeze and the tinkling of the windchimes, with sounds of kids playing basketball down the street, and distant sounds of the families, kids and coaches gathering for the games we’ll pass on our evening walk…T-ball, softball, baseball, track, this time of the year….and I smile, remembering how far we’ve come in transforming this cottage that has so graciously  become my home this year….and I am filled with gratitude for it all….yes, even the waiting.