Garden tour

Pomegranite

Today 4 gardens were open to the public, organised by the Master Gardeners of Bryan College Station.    The first time they have done this apparently.  The gardens were located to the 4 winds across College Station so there was some driving, navigating and arguing involved!   But, we made it round the circuit.  People have managed to carve out gardens from wooded plots, unfavourable soil and very dry conditions...so no herbaceous borders English style, but some interesting adaptations to the climate and a lot of dedicated watering.  In one garden the vegetables, grown on raised beds, were protected by an electric fence.  Poor Peter Rabbit...no chance of a lettuce here and plenty of shotguns to enforce the point!

Interesting use for empty wine bottles

Unexpected sight on way to first garden...

Can't get away from them! 

Wish my basil grew like this! 

Garden owner and fat cat (on the right!)

Superior nesting box

Calm corner

Use of mirrors

Chillies galore! 

After the gardens, a quick lunch in Bryan and then off to the pool for 10 laps...both of us!

Rain water collection! 

Back home, the sky darkened and the rain started falling.  The tap water is so saline here that it kills plants so I've been buying bottled water for the daisies by the front door.  Today though I was in time to put my large bucket out and within a few minutes I had collected several gallons of rain water!

There are no gutters round three sides of this house, so the water falls off the roof in sheets and puddles around the building.  We assumed this was a mistake but apparently the subsoil is hard clay which threatens to dry out and crack causing shifting of the foundations so a good soaking around the house walls whenever it rains is positively desirable.   We live and learn!