I am not a master gardener, not even a moderately competent gardener, but through experience I have learned what will survive in my yard, under my care.
First, there is the tulip tree, that was already in place in the back yard when I moved into this house some 25 years ago. It is close to the kitchen window and also visible from the upstairs guest bedroom. It provides leafy shade on the patio in the summer, and in the late winter it is loaded with flowers that resemble tulips. They last about a week or so, then the blossom petals cover the patio for more enjoyment for another week or til the yard guy blows them away. I do nothing run the sprinkler system and it gets watered.
Next are the azaleas. I have a bunch in the front yard, they have thrived and spread practically covering the other bushes in the area. I dump some azalea food around them after the blossoms drop off each year. Then in March (this year, in April) the flowers are abundant for about a week or two. My yard will never be on the azalea trail, but I enjoy looking at them. Again, nothing except once a year azalea food and water along with lawn sprinkler system.
Then there are my giant crape myrtles along the back fence. They were also growing well when I arrived at this house, and they bloom in late July/August, and shower their tiny flowers all over the pool. The backyard becomes a tropical paradise then, with banana plants growing tall and flowers all over the pool surface. I pruned them once, about 20 years ago, like you see all over town, the crape myrtles with a blunt cut in February, then whippy flowered branches appear over the summer. By the end of the summer they were back to 20 ft. tall. So I repented of my crape myrtlecide, and since then have let them grow. I think they are the giant variety, now I would guess they are about 40 feet tall, taller than my second story windows anyway, taller than the power lines (which are not live, since they go over the back side of the pool). But the height keeps the morning sun from waking up guests on the back side of the house, and keeps the pool in shade til about noon in the summer time.
Other plants I like are seasonal (poinsettias at Christmas and Easter lilies at Easter) and no one expects them to survive. They bloom on schedule, look great for several weeks, then can go away.
However, a few years ago I planted my Easter lilies outside, and the next year they came back! Not exactly at Easter time, but still, I was quite proud. They are starting to bud again this year, and I'll take the one I have in the house now and plant it outside when the blooms fall off.
One final outdoor plant that does great is a camelia. I have 2, one outside the courtyard and one inside the courtyard. Both bloom in the winter, look beautiful for a few weeks, and are nice green shrubs the rest of the year. I can't find any pictures of them in bloom, but they take no care either, except getting water from the sprinkler system.
Other plants that do well without any effort are the banana trees, a large sago palm and some photinia shrubs that have grown tall and have red leaves in the spring, before they turn green. And of course the ferns in the courtyard usually grow well in the mostly shady planter and survive the winter somewhat protected.
So I have learned what thrives under my care, and what doesn't, so even though I have time (being retired and all), I don't spend the money (being on a fixed income and all) on plants that will not survive in my yard. Thus, I am a negligent gardener.
The doors were open and ceiling fans going, and there was a nice breeze blowing through, quite pleasant. Kathy and Jan and Kathy, guess which one is retired! I think I look the happiest!
After lunch I stopped at the rec center for my lap swim time, then back home for an afternoon of blogging, napping, then sitting by the pool. Oh, plus I was toodling around town topless. Who wouldn't be smiling?
I barely got them fed, bathed and bottled before they crashed at 6:30. So far so good!! (Jennifer did notice some dried stuff on Jake's head the next afternoon, but it was a quick bath and didn't involved washing their heads.)
There was a short bottle break at 1:30 a.m., but then they went right back to sleep til about 6:15. Jake woke up first and we snuggled for a few minutes before Claire got up.
Bill brought breakfast over and spent the morning with us. It is nice to have someone else to hold a baby and they liked having a different face to look at.
The babies spend some time practicing their sitting up and playing with the new blocks from JanMa.
Claire is starting to exhibit the superwoman pose, which cousin Travis used to do just before he started crawling, so maybe Claire will be getting around soon. She is also showing frustration, like she knows she wants to do something but just can't figure it out yet.
Travis in the superman pose last August.
After breakfast we went for a walk, then had water in sippy cups again.
Jake is also on the verge of learning something new, how to jump in the Jumperoo.
We ordered the chocolate molten cake for dessert, and the waiter brought it out along with a birthday dessert tray, a nice surprise.
We were already full, but gave it our best shot.
Claire enjoys her dinner also.
Video of Jennifer feeding both babies in the evening.
And even an airplane needs vacuuming...
Bill did most of the "on the ground looking up" work.
There are all kinds of things to see at a non-commercial airport. Like a plane being towed by an SUV.
And since Hooks has a seaplane landing lane and a large pond, there are ducks. We had to stop the car to allow a mother duck and ducklings cross the road. Then I had to follow them a bit as she took them down a drainage ditch, had her lunch, then led them back across the road to the pond. Pictures and video below, they were so cute. Notice the one duckling with a white patch on his/her head. Don't know what that means, maybe just that it had gotten close to a dandelion or something.
White Patch duckling
Back to the pond
Video of mama duck taking ducklings out for a walk, the video shows them in the ditch, then heading back to the road and across the road back to the pond.
After the walk, we all need drinks. They love to drink water out of their sippy cups.
They also like to sit in their bumpo seats while watching TV.
Both babies can support their weight on their legs, here is Claire, she is standing up while I hold her for balance.
Claire likes to roll over toward Jake and grab hold of his mouth. He likes to chew on her fingers.
Both babies enjoy an icy cold teething ring.
Babies are getting better at sitting up, a video below shows Claire getting twisted around in her boppy pillow, then getting herself back into a sitting position.
Videos of Claire learning to roll over, then Claire getting herself back into a sitting position after falling over in the boppy pillow.
But the twins are sitting up better now, they get some practice in their boppy pillows.
So now they have moved into their high chairs for the evening meal. Last Saturday, I got to be a part of their evening routine.
I got to feed Jake peas and then cereal.
As soon as they finish eating, they go upstairs for their baths. First Claire,
Then there are my giant crape myrtles along the back fence. They were also growing well when I arrived at this house, and they bloom in late July/August, and shower their tiny flowers all over the pool. The backyard becomes a tropical paradise then, with banana plants growing tall and flowers all over the pool surface. I pruned them once, about 20 years ago, like you see all over town, the crape myrtles with a blunt cut in February, then whippy flowered branches appear over the summer. By the end of the summer they were back to 20 ft. tall. So I repented of my crape myrtlecide, and since then have let them grow. I think they are the giant variety, now I would guess they are about 40 feet tall, taller than my second story windows anyway, taller than the power lines (which are not live, since they go over the back side of the pool). But the height keeps the morning sun from waking up guests on the back side of the house, and keeps the pool in shade til about noon in the summer time.
Other plants I like are seasonal (poinsettias at Christmas and Easter lilies at Easter) and no one expects them to survive. They bloom on schedule, look great for several weeks, then can go away.
However, a few years ago I planted my Easter lilies outside, and the next year they came back! Not exactly at Easter time, but still, I was quite proud. They are starting to bud again this year, and I'll take the one I have in the house now and plant it outside when the blooms fall off.
One final outdoor plant that does great is a camelia. I have 2, one outside the courtyard and one inside the courtyard. Both bloom in the winter, look beautiful for a few weeks, and are nice green shrubs the rest of the year. I can't find any pictures of them in bloom, but they take no care either, except getting water from the sprinkler system.
So I have learned what thrives under my care, and what doesn't, so even though I have time (being retired and all), I don't spend the money (being on a fixed income and all) on plants that will not survive in my yard. Thus, I am a negligent gardener.
