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Building Pathways

I’ve plotted out pathways for the back garden, although nothing will be permanently installed, so things could be changed later. The first step was to lay down cardboard weighted down with stones to mark the routes. Then I had to pause this project when we got heavy rain that left the ground very wet for… Continue reading
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Rock Rose

Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala) is another plant that I learned about at the Park West pollinator garden, and consequently decided that I would like to have here. It’s a small pollinator-friendly shrub with high drought tolerance. This plant went in the ground just after the new soil went down in the back yard, and soon… Continue reading
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Incy Wincy Spider
I spotted this cute critter outside my garage about a week ago. It’s a Western Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona oaxacensis). It’s a determined soul. Since I found it, its web has been demolished on a daily basis by heavy rain or strong wind. And yet it remains. Sometimes I’ve seen it on a web (which is… Continue reading
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Second Attempt At Lawn Wildflower Seeding
A few days ago I leveled the front yard with extra soil and then dispersed wildflower seeds in the bare spots. The next day there was heavy rain that disturbed and/or washed away some of the soil, and did who knows what to the seeds. I’ve decided not to repeat the soil leveling this year.… Continue reading
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Tiny Grass Seedlings

One encouraging sign after the recent “monsoon” rain was to see hundreds of tiny new grass shoots from the native grass reseeding project 10 days previously. That tells me that these “Thunder Turf” seeds had a chance to germinate before the heavy rain came. I still only have about a quarter of the native grass… Continue reading
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Native Plant Sale Purchases
Twice a year, our local Native Plant Society of Texas chapter (Guadalupe) holds a plant sale in Seguin. The fall sale occurs during the annual Pecan Fest celebration, which was a few days ago. My fall planting plans in the back yard mostly involve getting as much seed to take as possible, because that’s the… Continue reading
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Flowerpot Parasol
This was a surprise in my front flower bed a couple of days ago. A day later it looked like this: It’s a Flowerpot Parasol (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii), and it is perhaps not surprising that it has appeared after we have had significant rain following a drought. Most likely spores have been in the ground or… Continue reading
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Another Disruptive Rain Event
Apparently I have a history of causing flooding rain events to occur just after I have sown seeds. It happened six days after I seeded native grasses in the spring, and this week the day after seeding wildflowers in my front lawn (which was also two days after leveling the front lawn with extra soil… Continue reading
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A Big Day In The Back Yard
I had been looking forward to this day for months! Seven cubic yards of enriched topsoil were delivered here earlier this week by Maldonado Nursery. In preparation, the inner part of the back yard has had Bermudagrass removed or killed with the intent to plant or seed a variety of native plants. (The outside edge… Continue reading
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Wildflower Seeds In The Front Yard
I am taking advantage of the front yard having quite a bit of bare soil after the leveling project, to add some wildflower seeds to the front lawn area. This is a bit of an experiment, but if it works, in the springtime there will be an area in the center of the lawn that… Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
