Sunday, August 3, 2008

Oma & Opa's Haus part 2 ~ The Garden

One of my favorite things to do while visiting Oma and Opa at the lake is to walk the garden and yard to see what's growing. You'd think that since it's central Texas, there's not much because it's so hot and dry. But not in their garden! It's like an oasis. In fact, you have to be careful about spitting watermelon seeds and tossing cantelope or honey dew seeds into the mulch......critters (including these little trouble makers) move those seeds and things GROW!


The flowers that bloom change with the seasons. The roses bloom all summer long.

The hibiscus grows all over the place and some of the blooms can get quite large. One summer, they were the size of dinner plates!
The peach tree was apparantly planted over the septic tank and it gets quite lush and green, but it just hasn't been producing much fruit each year. This year there are some peaches, quite big actually, but Opa is thinking of taking the tree down.
Oma decided to try something new this year. She bought some hanging planters and planted bell peppers in them. It's the strangest looking thing, but the bell peppers are growing! You can use the planters for tomatoes, too. And boy can Oma grow tomatoes!! No matter where we live, she's got the touch!
They have a lemon tree growing in a gigantic tub on one of the porches that is just loaded with lemons. I watched the bees buzz this tree all during the spring as it was loaded with blooms. The cool thing is that these lemons are PINK on the inside! Great for summer drinks! It's not a great picture of the tree but check out the blue sky in the background!! It's really that blue!
This plant was given to Oma by her neighbor who didn't want it any more. She calls it a Firecracker plant. It's the coolest looking thing in person and I think my favorite plant in her yard. I take pictures of it every time I visit but I can't seem to quite capture it's beauty. I just love the color and the wispy textures!

Oma and Opa spend lots of time in their garden and yard, spending countless hours planting, weeding, watering, enjoying and loving all that's living there. It's so beautiful there, wouldn't you, too? More soon................

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found you through my dear friend, Lidy at FGH. Oma and Opa are Danish, right? One of my best friends is Danish. Beautiful garden. I think gardening keeps you young, they do a beautiful job. I'm in Southern Calif, but my line of baby clothes rep is in Dallas. I am in more stores there than here. Haven't been, but hope to some day...
So nice to meet you,
Karen EIleen

Allie said...

Karen Eileen ~
So glad you stopped by! Oma and Opa are also German for grandmother and grandfather. My father was career military and we spent a lot of time in Germany, plus my mom's heritage is part German as well. Dallas is a great place....not so much when it's 107 like today, but there's great shopping in air conditioning to take your mind off of the heat! :)
~Allie

Merisi said...

Yellow Rose of Texas! Plus so much more. Wonderful garden. Pink lemons, pink lemonade. I am always in awe, when I see those fragile branches holding so many fruits. Have you ever been to the Amalfi Coast in Italy? They have a special lemon growing there, use as a grapefruit, but much sweeter. The lemonade made with those lemons is the best thirstquencher, no sugar needed, for all there natural sweetness and taste. Imagine that your parent's lemons are truly special, with all that heat you got there! I was in Bratislava today, and on my way back I abandoned the highway and spent some time in the middle of nowhere, land as flat and almost as hot today as in Texas. Searing August heat even here. I love it! Thank heaven it cools down during the night, air conditioning is practically inexistent here but for the cars.

Merisi said...

Please pardon the mess, regarding bothsyntax and orthography. The heat ... ;-(

Fete et Fleur said...

Oh my! Their house and garden is exquisite. What a treat for you to be able to visit there. It must be like a mini-vaction everytime!

Thanks so much for your lovely comments on the shoes.

Hugs!
Nancy

Alisa Noble said...

Wonderful! Pink lemons... and that peach is huge!!!

Sherry said...

There is nothing more peaceful, more beautiful than a well tended garden...flowers, fruits, vegetables...this one has it all. I've never seen a "pink lemon" but I can just picture how beautiful one would look in a lemon drop!!! ;)