Gardening at Night

Tonite I had Cheetos and Pepsi for dinner. Not good. I started counting to 21 because that's the serving size for Cheetos, says Frito Lay. I lost count because I was on the phone chatting with Jane, Amy's mom. So once I hung up, I started over again. I know, not exactly ideal, but neither is eating Cheetos and Pepsi for dinner. I lost count the second time. With neon orange fingertips, I gave up.

But this blog isn't entitled What Not to Eat for Dinner, so let me get to the meat of this.

With all of the rainy weather Dallas has gotten lately, things look really lush around the Catherine Street abode. Oak Cliff in general is especially verdant in comparison to other parts of Big D, and I credit its age and established locals for all of the beautiful green growth. Having cliffs, tons of parks, a lake, and a huge public golf course doesn't hurt, neither. But with this lushness comes those unwanted weeds that seem to appear overnight. Jason mowed the lawn for the first time this past Sunday, and that took care of that. (I'm not one to actually weed when there's a perfectly good mower and a perfectly good boyfriend willing to do the job.)

That said, he took down dozens of 16-inch+ tall weeds, including this one that had some slimy friends feasting on it soon as the sun went down. Imagine my surprise when I saw this:

And here's a close-up (not for the squeamish):

I know they look all gross and boogery, but they are actually very cute, docile little creatures. I had three in my 3rd grade classroom years ago as part of a required science unit and learned to really appreciate slugs. Sure, they eat your plants, but if you aren't afraid to pick them up (why should you be?), you can plop them right next to a weed and watch them go to town.

Then tonite, I decided it was time to do some container gardening. I potted over a dozen plants, mostly herbs. I hope they'll be established and fully grown in time for my Studio Tour on April 21 and 22 (check out www.tefidesigns.com for more info).

I planted this Bolivian Jew in a planter that I got from my late grandmother Mildred.

Here we have tomato plants (blue container, large terra cotta), dill (froggie, small terra cotta), chives (round pottery) and an old kolachoe from last year (small green pot).

Here's some basil, rosemary, and Purple Jew (seriously, what's up with the jew thing?):

Here's one of Mildred's cacti, which has been growing like gangbusters since she died last year. Also, be on the lookout for some burgeoning strawberries soon...

This is a three-tier planter with last year's plants with one tiny addition at the bottom center. Yup, more strawberries!

We thought this hibiscus tree (a housewarming gift from the Hukills) was a goner. You see, I noticed it had a mad aphid infestation while we had it indoors during the winter. I put it out in the garage, but the cold was too much for it and all the leaves wilted and browned. I was ready to throw it out before my friend Keith pointed out some small buds. Holy crap! A little pruning et voila. Leaves!

And here's the whole shebang! In a month I expect it to be much greener. Plus, I'll be adding more color to it shortly.