An Ode to my Backyard

Here's my yard...Ya, it's got a lot of weeds. I keep meaning to get rid of all of those weeds but that takes time..more likely a Saturday of time that, until now, I haven't wanted to give up. In the next few weeks that's going to change. Yep, I'm going to attack those weeds and get rid of them once and for all. See all that lowly green and those cute, yellow flowers? Oxalis. The weed that chose my backyard and will not leave it alone. The weed I will, yes, WILL, eradicate.

On to the actual planted flowers. That bush on the left? I actually bought that..spent good money on it. Of course, when I did, it was a cute little stick bush with a beautiful purple flower on it. I loved the flower. So I bought it. I can hear my mom laughing right now. I had little concern for what it would become. Little did I know that it would fall in love with my garden and go into turbo-growth. I cut that bad boy down every few months and what happens? It grows back...bigger...stronger...flowerier. Don't get me wrong, I still love the flowers. People ask me all the time what kind of bush it is. Now I'm tempted to say, "do you want it? I'll dig it out and give it to you, free!" For now, I'll let it stay a part of the Lee backyard but I think its days are numbered unless I can get it under control and that actually takes a green thumb, which I don't have.

The "bush" to the right of that is a rose my mom gave me because she didn't want it in her garden. Now I know why. It will grow about 6 feet and then, at the very tippy top of the branch, a beautiful, fluffy pink rose will form. It takes patience, lots of patience...and lots of room. I think my neighbors like it but I do occasionally see a chopped off branch that trespassed a little too far into their domain. I never wanted to get rid of it because the flower itself was so beautiful. Thankfully, my mom brought me a rose that has the fluffy, pink, beauty of the one I own but the ability to produce more than one flower on a branch! Imagine the possibilities! Imagine the wall of pink, fluffy flowers! I can't wait!

My iris are my pride and joy. I love them. I don't have enough of them. Unfortunately, they are always getting stepped on by the phone company guys who come in my backyard to drill that large log (also known as a telephone pole) and check for termites every 6 months. Yes, guys, there are flowers in that bed of weeds and you're KILLING them! Reason # 400 for cleaning the weeds out of my yard.

Next to that (If you're still reading, I appreciate your support of my yard "venting), is a hibiscus. It froze a little while back and it still looks like it's suffering the results of that freeze. It only produces a handful of flowers and I'm constantly questioning "to-rip-out or to-not-rip-out" only to forget about it and watch as it daily clings to life. Oh, and you can't miss that hot pink bouganvillia hovering over my hibiscus from the neighbor's backyard. A little bit of bougan is ok...as long as I don't have it planted in my yard.

Next is my Joseph's Coat Rose. This rose is my favorite! It flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, and pink and LOVES its place in the sun. Definitely staying put!

The orange tree is last and smells the best. Seriously, it's got to be one of my favorite scents. Springtime brings so many blossoms that burst with fragrance and turn into so many oranges that it's hard to know what to do with them all.

So, now you know how my next few weekends will be spent...with a shovel...and an ipod...and hopefully my parent's help. Weeds-be-gone and new plants welcome! I can't wait.

In my "dreaming" about my backyard and what to put in it to enhance that "retreat" feel, I wandered through Lowe's the other day and found this fountain...

Here's a zoomed-out view. Isn't it sweet? Just dreaming...and chatting with the birds. Just what a garden is made for.