DRY ROCK BEDS PAYING OFF

About a year ago, during our DROUGHT 0f 2009, I decided that the two sunny beds in the front needed an overhaul. I hate spending extra money on water, and I only water when absolutely necessary.
So I put in a dry scape in one bed and a gravel garden in the other. This week it's paying off. I'm not watering daily, but weekly. In fact, the agaves are feeling perky and enjoying the sun tan. I'll have to start watering the rest of the garden just like before, but it's nice to pass by these beds and just smile.

Our PEACE Garden....easy on the eyes and easy on the water bill.

New to the Garden: Cleome hassleriana

What an exotic, tropical looking flower for your sunny garden! I'm trying out a few annuals that 'reseed readily' and one of these is Cleome. It's native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and SE Brazil. People swear  it is 'easy to grow'. Ever heard that before? Some even say it becomes a weed. What a beautiful problem. It likes to wilt during the hot part of the day, but seems to recover with a tad bit of water. It likes well-drained soil, so I'll put it behind my agave bed in half day sun.  So far, any plant that can be transplanted in JULY is my kind of flower. My pet baby grasshopper, Ralph, likes the leaves. Ralph is pictured on the white flower below. As long as Ralph doesn't invite a few hundred friends, he can stay.

Rain, rain, go away?

Most of the time, Texas folks need a good summer rain. But not this week. The garden has had over 12 inches of rain due to tropical systems. Of course, this was the summer I had decided to set up dry gardening beds. So now we know how to make it rain!