Funathon (ficaFun?) last call and picspam! ...of the garden variety.

[stoney321]

Granted, it's going to be crappy picpsam, but I'm getting ahead of myself. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP FOR THE GUD SUMMRIES FUNAFIC FICATHON WHATEVER. Go here to add your final choice, if you haven't already! Wheeee! Emails coming Memorial Day weekend (May29th, for UK/Ozians) as a reminder for the due date of July 4th.

Now, a little bit about my digital camera. It sucks. No, really. Mr. S bought it. He looked for "bargain" instead of "ability to take pictures you actually would keep." Keep in mind:

• the camera blows


• my garden, like me, is better looking in person


• my garden, like me, is a year and a half old (wait...)


• everything in my garden was started either by seed or 4 inch cutting last year, so don't compare your LUSH PENNSYLVANIAN GARDENS, zomg.


• It's Texas. Prairie. *sighs*

First off, this is an Angel's Trumpet (Datura, not Brugamesia, Julia.) and will grow to about four feet high and five feet around. Got the very first bloom this morning.





Behind it, about a foot is one that blooms eggplant on the outside, white inside. LOVE this plant. (the flower is nine inches in length. See? Crappy camera.)

This is my climber, put in June last year, about six inches of stem. It's done well. Currently it's 24ft. high. That's the top of my office window next to it. Got three blooms yesterday, we stopped counting buds when Em and I hit 30. I'll take more pics when it's in full bloom.



This is a bed I put in along our driveway last August. Everything is a Texas native. GOD I hate our camera. That's 26 feet long. Can't tell, can you? :(


For those who want to know, spirea in front (the feathery, plumey foreground, yellow rose, lavender, bluebonnets, autumn sage in the middle, silvery shrubs are Powis castle Artemesia, blue point junipers in the back. They'll get to 15 feet.

Here's the house of Stoney! Be it ever so humble... (The bay window is my office.)


This is my kitchen bed. Again, roughly 26 feet in length, and my camera sucks. Did I mention that? Basil, bee balm, rosemary, curry, oregano, five kinds of thyme, thai basil, lavender cotton, and a JFK rose that needs some work. Ergh. (foreground at right, beautyberry - gets to five feet in height - bare space to the left is for peppers, TAM jalapeno)


Eventually that concrete patio will be all flagstone with a pergola over head, one support will be stone with a built in fireplace for wintertime outside goodness.

And these are just funny pictures I found while trolling the web. AWWWWW! And HEEEE!




That last one came from "funkygraphics" Hahahaha!! Isn't that hilarious?? Are you making kung fu sounds?

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE! I'll post the masterlist to the FicaFun (Funkyfic?) tomorrow! (Off to shop for a birthday, then back later, for those who care about such things. :* )

Comments

[marlo.livejournal.com]

DUDE!

That is a formidable abode. Holy smokes!

The roses are beauuuuuutiful. ^_^

Heee! Dueling kitties!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

(Oh, man, our house is MODEST in this neighborhood. We're practically ghetto. Erm, you can get a lot of house for your buck in Texas. It's one of the many perks. :D )

ROSES. I have three others that are covered in buds... I wish my camera didn't suck - the yellow rose out front is STUNNING. I've had people stop in their cars and get out to look at it. *preens*

I'm such an old lady.

[wickedgrdn.livejournal.com]

Your garden is awesome. Very pretty. And I have to say I love your house- it's gorgeous. Love the asskicked pic-hee hee!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Oh GOD I laughed so hard at the kitty kicking the dog's face! The spit!! Hee heeeee!

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

GARDEN!

Come fix my garden.

*looks wistful*

also, eee, KITTEN!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

*rolls up sleeves, grabs hoe*

Dude! The dog is killing me with his complete shock! (and beeep! to the ladybug pic.)

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

I swear that the hort types started calling it Brugmansia after The Teachings of Don Juan was published, just so people wouldn't associate it with them damned drug-taking heathen hippies.

I can't keep it alive here, alas, but on the other hand I saw one in Santa Barbara that was about 10'X10' with a six inch trunk, covered with blooms in December (it's as famous locally as The Big Fig, apparentgly).

Either my camera has had a stroke or photobucket is eating about 60% of my resolution.

Julia, such a tidy garden! Mine is shaggy and invaded by thugs, but 22 years of planing the wrong geraniums will do that

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Well, here, the Brugmansia is an annual, so there's the reason I make the distinction. (But you can get some fantastic color variation with the Brug. over Datura...)

I would worry about you planting one up there, as the cows might get into it and it's highly toxic to grazers. My aunt lost a goat! :(

I've been busting my hump getting the beds cleaned out in the back - there are a good three more beds back there I didn't show - mostly because one is completely kitchen functional and not pretty, and the other has been taken over by an invasive golden artemsia that TAMU is going to get an earful over. (I'm testing it for them. yeah. It likes our soil and heat.)

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Hah! *I've* seen it! /Rocky Horror

Holy fahk you reech beech...okay, my Donnatella sucks. Dude - your house looks MASSIVE. I mean, it's big and pretty and very in keeping with your neighborhood, but the way that's framed makes it look very gubernatorial. Goober. Heh. If I'd never seen it I would be very impressed with you! Hah. I'm still impressed. But mainly for your knockers. *runs and giggles*

Anyway - love the climbers! They're gorgeous. :)

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Oh, and MASTER! MASTER! Master gardener is pulling your weeds...stuck in my head. Thank you!

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I am so in awe of your green thumb. And your house, which is stunning. Especially with the beautifully manicured gardens!

And, hee, that last picture is killing me.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Dude, I am PANICKED about showing my gardens, you kidding me? Thanks! And if I have my way, that front yard will be nothing but native plants with only an 18 inch strip of grass along the sidewalk to appease the HOA. (And that crappy pear tree in the front will be GONE.)

I LOVE that last picture!! I was about to spam your journal with it, in case you didn't see it here! (Sure fire way to put a smile on someone's face, right?)

*squish*

[http://users.livejournal.com/peasant_/]

Your house is awesome. And I am deeply impressed with 24 foot of rose in one year.

Everything is a Texas native.

Um, no, given the plant list you give in your next paragraph - really not.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah they are. They're all specific species either developed at Texas A&M University to withstand our heat, or natives found in the wild here.

I mean, roses are everywhere, spirea is everywhere, but these particular varieties are natives.

Roses do EXCELLENT here with the many many pounds of sun we get - thrips can be a pain in the neck, and are taking over my JFK in the back. (in the kitchen garden)

[lettered.livejournal.com]

I always feel like explaining that it's Texas to people when I show the garden, too.

Everything looks gorgeous. I especially love the garden along the driveway. I can't believe the blue bonnets are STILL blooming. I went up to Austin for Easter and the drive was pretty much solid blue, so gorgeous. Don't they usually get too hot by this time of year?

That's the spitting image of my parents' house. Actually, of the neighbor's house, because the model is the same so my parents had to choose a different facade. hahahahah! Oh suburbia.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Nope, this is when the Bluebonnets are in their peak. They've got about a week left, though, so snap your pic if you haven't already! I like when they start fading and the Indian paintbrush begins to come out. Red and blue and lovely.

Heee!! Probably the same builder: Highland?

(And thanks!)

[cherusha.livejournal.com]

PWNED!


(oh, and your house and plant thingies are so lovely I could eat them all up. ^_^)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

KITTEH and PUPPEH!!

Is that a Rhodesian Ridgeback? I love them! Hahaha!!!

(sends you fork and napkin so you can tuck in)

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Your gardens are gorgeous.

My narcissus and hyacinths are currently in bloom. Everything is starting to sprout and I really have to get off my ass and finish cleaning up my beds.

I'll probably post a pic or two tonight or tomorrow.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OH how I love hyacinths... They only stick around for about two weeks here. And they're annuals. :( I used to diligently chill my hyacinth and tulip bulbs and put them in at Christmas for two weeks of color, and then I snapped out of it.

Cannot WAIT to see your pics. *hurries and invents smello-vision*

(thanks! Seriously worried about you northern gals with your lush gardens...)

[cordelianne.livejournal.com]

Your garden is beautiful! It's just been the last couple of weeks that we've had tulips and a few spring flowers in Toronto. Those roses kick ass! Also, you have a gorgeous house.

Kitten & ladybug, so cute! *g*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! *pines for tulips* It's just too hot to justify putting them in. :(

KITTY AND LADYBUG! I just want to squish them! But not... killing the bug squish. :)

[pernickety.livejournal.com]

You have a gorgeous garden! I'm so very jealous of your nice weather. We're still waiting for the weather to warm up so that we can be semi-sure the frost won't kill our seedlings.

Can't wait for pictures of your climber in full bloom!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I loved how the grass was like a jewel in Germany and Austria in March... And the communal gardens!! (I have a neighbor that HATES my garden. I bring bees, you see. :|)

I loved seeing yours covered in snow! Can't wait to see pics of yours, too!

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

:;sings Brick House::

Excellent abodage, there, chica! Your gardens loook soooo pretty. I'm still in the leaf-budding and daffodil stage. My garden peaks in june, baby. ::sighs:: I'll try to get some pics when the lilacs go off, though. They're very pretty.

And hee to the kitty graphics! So funny!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Heh - so does mine! It looks SO puny to me right now...

LILACS. You're just torturing me, aren't you?? :*

*loves your kitty giggle icon*

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

So pretty!

I am in love with your house. And with you, but that goes without saying. :)

♥

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

♥
♥
♥
!!

[funkparadise.livejournal.com]

I love your garden. ::eyes dying plant in my kitchen::

And I'm loving your house...like woah.

The asskicked pic had me rolling-ha ha ha

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Poor little kitchen plant. *gives it TLC*

Thanks, and HAHAHA! I KNOW! It is still cracking me up!!

[semby.livejournal.com]

Wow, your house and garden are beautiful!

And awwww to kitty + ladybug! I'd seen the ass-kicking kitty before, but that's one that will probably crack me up every time I see it.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And HOW FREAKING CUTE is that white kitty? I want to gobble it UP!

[blueswan9.livejournal.com]

You have such beautiful gardens, stoney.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks! Honestly, I'm a bit embarrassed by how wee they are... I'll be sure to take pics in July when everything needs to be pruned with a chainsaw. :D

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Hey!
That's the house - and when I say 'house' I mean 'mansion' - that I want!
But where I live, I'd have to be a millionaire, possibly twice over to get one like it.
*is impressed*
*and green with envy*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Puh, our house is PUNY in comparison to the neighborhood! honest and for true. That's one of the benefits of living out where cattle used to graze. :)

*sends you realty info for house similar to mine two blocks over for sale*

(And thanks!)

[tinpanalley.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous work, Stoney! My dad has fifteen acres that he plays with and I know how much work it takes to keep those spaces beautiful! Go you!

And, your home is lovely too! AND, the kitty...*died from the cuteness*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

F-fifteen? Surely not all landscaped! *salivates*

IS THAT WHITE KITTY THE CUTEST THING EVER????

[elcazavampiros.livejournal.com]

I don't know about how sucky your camara may be, but damn you're house looks huge (much more huge than in real life). And I like how your bushes aren't perfect squares like your neighbor's. You must post pictures of those!

Gardening! Once schools out I'm working our yard into a frenzy. I swear!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

HA! I need to post pictures of Right Angle Man. GAH. He's at it again today... FREAK!

(Whatchu mean my house ain't big in RL? Them's fightin' words! hahaha!)

[altyronsmaker.livejournal.com]

Firstly,

I'm so jealous of your house. It's beautiful. HUGE, but beautiful.

Secondly, Lovely gardens. My thumb....she is black. I can't even keep philodendrens alive. *sniff*

But hey, you EVER need aloe? WE HAVE IT!!! in spades. Like it's feral or something. lol.

Lovely piccies, stoney.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE aloe! I have four different varieties - that grows great here! (But a lot of people - like my MIL - kill aloe, so it's not COMPLETELY black!)

...are you overwatering the philodendrons? That's... Well, they're hard to kill. :) *tickles you*

Thank you so much - I don't think the gardens are looking great yet, but they're still shaking the dirt off their shoulders after popping up. Give 'em a bit to stretch their legs. :D

[neur0vanity.livejournal.com]

You have a lovely house.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

Hi, friended you. Hope that’s OK. Enjoyed your garden pix. My icon is last year’s wisteria. Grows up through three trees now. 2 ponds, loads of fish. Will take photo and post it. Texas always sounds hot! it’s been raining here in England on and off all day. Daffodils, tulips, anemones all out. Primroses, too. Started cutting lawn last week. Hey, it only takes 400 years of mowing, rolling and feeding to get a good one. I have 390 to go!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, wisteria... SO gorgeous. And sure, sure! Friend away. This is an open, come as you go place, so if I freak you out with my spazziness (trust me - it's happened!) feel free to knock me off your reading list with no worries. It's YOUR free time, why would I mind? ;)

*sigh* One day I'll have the garden I want with a koi pond and lots of secret pockets to relax in. This garden's less than two years old, and gardening certainly isn't for the impatient!

(Texas is VERY hot. Good thing I like lots of sunshine, or I'd melt. But I do envy the English their ability to have fucshias (spelling?) all summer. They're month long annuals here.

[screaming-mimie.livejournal.com]

shit, like 5 of my houses would fit inside yours.

[screaming-mimie.livejournal.com]

and if i were to use correct grammar, it wouldn't have sounded like i have several places of residence.

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

So pretty!
I just did my annual gardening on Monday. I pulled some dandelions, and I sprinkled the container of flower seeds over my little garden area. Now I just wait & see and maybe I get flowers, maybe i don't... My Iris and Tulip plants are coming up like crazy though!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

HA! That's fantastic gardening. :D Oh, tulips... Such a pain in the ass to grow here - very iffy, they are. I'm a huge fan of wildflower beds!

(And thanks! One day I'll spring for a decent camera and not tell Him what I've done.)