Hello everyone! I have been offline a bit lately, partly because it has been pretty darn nice out here, and I’ve been able to do some gardening. If this is a typical Dallas spring, I love it! It has been much cooler here than the so-called Houston springs. We have had a day or two of warm humid weather, but then a cool front comes through and we get right chilly mornings and dry, perfect days.

I have been moving plants around, pulling out things I don’t like, and planting new things. I am lucky because I do like a lot of what is here. We have a mature herb garden, including a 10-foot bay tree, and very large oregano, lemon balm, sage and rosemary plants. I have added “Texas tarragon” and annuals such as cilantro, parsley and dill (for cool weather) and basil (for warm weather), mint off in the corner where it can’t cause too much trouble, and various thymes, winter savory, and St. John’s wort in the brick area off the driveway (I removed random bricks to plant herbs there).

I was very happy to see that bay tree when we were looking at houses, as I left a nice one back in Houston. They are pretty evergreen trees, and fresh bay leaves are better than dried. I was also happy to see native (yellow) columbine occupying a large patch near the gate, another thing I left behind in Houston. This spring I watched to see what would come up as a surprise. There were some tulips, daffodils, quite a few peonies, and Solomon’s seal, lilies, iris, two hellebore (Lenten roses) and hostas in the shade bed by the carport. I hope the peonies bloom; our neighbor told me the man who lived here before was a big peony gardener and actually took some of the rarer peonies with him.

Our backyard is very pleasant right now. The dreaded (by Ed) pecan tree makes the backyard nice and shady. I’ve planted a few pots for the deck, and Ed bought some nice chairs and will add some more to match. We installed outdoor speakers so Ed is entertained. We have a few birdfeeders and a birdbath, so the cats and I are entertained.

Oh, and best of all, Dallas (unlike Houston) has fireflies, and they’ve started coming out at night!