My garden, summer 2020

I was so inspired by my pal, Whitney, who recently posted her summer garden, that I decided to do the same.  I honestly learn so much each year about gardening in Texas, (and waste a lot of cash in trial and error, oops), what works in our yard and what doesn't, what is super hardy, what isn't.  We get almost no shade, so a lot of the lush plants that I've always fallen back on for filler, like hostas, don't do well in our garden.  Also, because of the humidity, the full sun loving plants that I've always depended on, like lavender, don't thrive either. I've recently started keeping track of my gardening plans for each year on my Pinterest board, which helps me a lot.  I'm always snapping pics of what I like in others' yards, or even better, mass plantings outside of neighborhoods, since those are almost always in full sun.  However, even with as much researching and planting as I've done this year, I'm not super happy with how things are looking.  HA! I wish I could go back to March when I was putting things in and have a do over.  Oh well - that's how it goes sometimes.

This was the first year that I've planted Luffa.  These apparently do VERY well in Houston, but are extremely hard to grow! This was my 3rd go around with the seeds, this time putting them in this container, with high nutrient, organic soil (blue tape is to keep the squirrels away) and the plants are doing great so far.  I'm going to move them into the ground this weekend, but they apparently hate being transplanted, so we'll see how that goes.  

Next up are our backyard planters.  This area is the least sunny spot although still sunny, so I have a bit more flexibility with what I can plant.  These are my fave. 

I threw some basil in there just for fun :)

This is the first year that I've put some time into our fairy garden, instead of asking the kids to do it.  Each time we visit our favorite nursery we pick up a new garden item. It's been a lot of fun! If you're into fairy gardens, I've started a Pinterest board of ideas. Man, there are some cool ones out there!

The planters in the area by the front door.

My zinnia cutting garden - this poor bed gets absolutely baked all day long.  Zinnias are pretty hardy, thank goodness, although this bed is not quite as full as it has been in years past.  I try to keep planting seeds throughout the summer to keep it looking fresh, and they'll bloom well into November.  In the back are the knockout roses, which are absolute champs.

My goals for this fall and winter are to get some perennials in the ground. If you are reading this and you happen to know of some good hearty ones let me know. As of now, I’m planning on more daisies (I planted four Daisy plants this year), some grasses, and some more lantana. Feel free to make suggestions! 

Thanks for visiting my garden today! :)