A fresh delivery of decomposed granite was greeted in the usual way in the Patch.

She ran out to watch the delivery,

eager to set up camp on the summit of the new mountain with her dog,

who had his now customary conniption faced with the paw-sinking pile.

Any opportunity to wield a large metallic implement.

Myself on the other hand, after having already moved two dump-trucks full of the stuff this past week,

I just glazed over, stared up at the peak, and pulled this sort of pained expression:

Still, this was a relatively small pile and we made haste to the delight of Lord Kumo who has a new-found fondness for getting chauffeured around in a wheelbarrow.

In fact it is so hard to keep him out of it it is annoying. I half expect him to gesture a royal paw as he trundles down the pathways in his one-wheeled vehicle. He already has on the white gloves after all.

The granite was being used to back-fill this brick circle I laid out a couple of weeks back.

Now to go around, level some of the bricks and wait for the granite to cure,

and the stock tank full of cattails to grow, which they will, very quickly.

Moving along:

The growth on this post oak leaf looks very H.R Geiger.

Who knows what lurks inside these aquatic looking vessels?

Of course this could be just a load of old galls?

Lots of early butterflies emerging this week, these two giant swallowtails floated around in synchronization before landing on this Buddha’s belly bamboo.

Even though it was a poor blooming year for this mountain laurel tree, my copper canyon daisies have looked like this all through the winter. I cannot remember them ever blooming so long and so consistently.

Daffodils are also out,

and, to the delight of the cardinals, I even have some bunches of ripe loquats.

My daughter thinks these emerging datura structures make ideal fairy houses,

if she plays around with this plant she may actually start to see fairies.

Oleander paratroopers disembarking their vessels.

One of them must have got blown off track…

punching a hole in the roof of my shed as he landed.

Finally:

“The Curse of the Japanese Yew”

“Why Yew little…”

I officially give up.

Eight plants, multiple locations and vendors, all start off looking well, some living well over a year…then the inevitable:

Aw come on!

I have seen Japanese Yews growing around Austin, but not for me for some reason. As much as I want them to work as a shade shrub this always happens. These particular two are in fertile soil with a soaker-hose, yes a soaker-hose, the only additional irrigation I have in the Patch apart from my “everything but the kitchen sink” collection “system”… (Oh yes I pulled out all the stops to make these plants work!).

Am I the only one that is hexed with this shrub?

“Mumble…mumble…yews…Japanese…mumble, (some hissing and unfortunate drooling)…Patch, (head flies back…wild laughter).

 Brrr, on that cursed note I will leave you with this:

I bet that tiki torch adds a nice atmospheric touch at night.

Not that I am one to talk with my wind-chimes:

Stay Tuned for:

“Posh with a Capitol P!”

All material © 2013 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.