It has been almost a month since we have been back. Time enough to say goodbye to the Athens blog, and miss seeing all things Greek. And time enough to start digging around in the garden, and come to terms with a return to a smaller more contained blogging world. And time enough to start enjoying the changes and growth that I am seeing in the garden.
I am happy to see that the Ruellia planted in the duct cylinders is thriving... It is so tall that it is easily visible through the living room window. This is definitely a successful experiment, which means that I will be purchasing more cylinders very soon.
The combined plantings of the Bamboo, and the Bamboo Muhli, have succeeded in growing into a veritable hedge. I love the different thicknesses of the feathery grass and bamboo leaves.
And in front of the bamboo the cacti in the miniature zen garden are happy and bigger too.
FIVE pomegranates are hanging on the "ornamental" pomegranate tree. What I am wondering is, do ornamental pomegranates always have fruit but it isn't edible, or... is this not actually an
ornamental pomegranate? I am confused about this one.
The Texas Mountain Laurel got bigger and even had flowers this year, which is nice to know even if we missed them. Something to look forward to next year!
The Cross Vine, doesn't seem too terribly cross, and has a few flowers to show for itself. But it hasn't done anything wildly dramatic while I was away. (Of course I was kind of hoping it would have covered the back fence in my absence)
Quite a few peaches, but they are very small. Still, At least it is trying to do the right thing.
Hmmmm. Can't remember what this is called,
Or this.
But the above flowers and the Mexican hat
and some wine cups are all very welcome new additions. VERY cool!
This succulent,
and this one, are my two favourites on the patio. This one in particular has such a glorious symmetry.
A funny little pink moth was enjoying this flower... and I thought at first it was an odd pink petal on the blue plant, but then it fluttered over to another flower.
View of bamboo from patio,
And OH MY GOD!!! I'm not sure quite what to do over here. The two roses and the grape vine are all vying for space. Crikey!
The Rock Rose is also trying to claim a large section of the yard.
And on the other side the Artemisia is taking some space liberties too.
It took about a week to get rid of that nasty grass that grows out sideways and flat to the ground...grrrr.
But when all is said and done. What is wonderful about the garden is seeing the sunlight shining through the green of a multitude of varied and beautiful plants.
I am beginning a new project... A few new plants and hopefully soon some patio stones that will take the place the grass that I dug up here... the slow reduction of grass is just going to have to be one of those things that inches its way along, due to the obviously back-breaking nature of the job.
Oh, how I love the Texas Bluebells!!! A really beautiful addition given by my very wise and wonderful gardening mother. Every year they just get thicker and more abundant.
This is kind of a crap photograph, but the Gaura is HUGE beside the peach tree there. It is nice to see things doing well.
Artemisia may want to take over but it is hard to begrudge it the space when you see the early morning light sparkling through it's leaves. It looks just like a cloud.
Close up you get a snowflake effect.
And I love this one because the darker leaves in shadow are the ones in focus, with the much lighter sunlit foliage shining through from below.
It's nice to be home.
I am not sure if you can see from the next picture, but the Virginia Creeper is creeping in on the house...
In all the rooms, the windows were just unable to hold back the unrelenting advance of this intrepid plant. Yikes. Don't mess with Mother Nature.
These little dried seeds are smaller than a dime in circumference, and were so enchantingly sweet. They reminded me of old coins one might dig out of an ancient archaeological site.
Then there were the Catherine Wheel seeds, which made me think of fireworks.
And finally my favourite, these tiny almost glass-like pods, which I had to bring home and photograph a multitude of times, but the little discs are so small, it was almost impossible to really get a good picture. 
Each one of these is only about the size of a small lentil
Before we left, I did an final mowing and weeding and watering, and the garden looked so serene in the early morning light.
I hope the young trees survive. The fig has completely leafed out again, and so has the pecan.
I keep telling myself that even if it gets totally over grown, or sun burnt and dry, I can't possibly have to start back at square one. Right? Right?? Surely not. 
The Rock Rose was covered!
How splendid she looks!
Blue salvia,
Red salvia
and the longed for Pride of Barbadoes....
A surprising cluster of Blue Sky,
and the promise of more to come.
Even the seed pods of the Mimosa looked fabulous as they caught the early morning rays.
Forever in my heart, my dear old curmudgeon of the hills. xoxoxo
Oh yeah, oh yeah! I know you aren't supposed to count your chickens before they hatch...BUT, I am pretty sure that I am going to get some Pride of Barbados flowers soon. Please, PLEASE let them bloom before we leave!
