Notes by the Yard: Feb. 28, 2009 Backyard

Much work in the yard for Feb. This is the time to prepare for the Spring. And, Spring has sprung. Back in 2003, we had a hard freeze on March 21st. I don't expect that this year (year of Hope?)((Capitalize the "H"))

I added a cross to the seating area between the garden and the tractor shed. Also please take note of the blooms and the new leaves. The cross I made in the Austin CC class "Art Metals". The garden is going well. I planted asparagus which takes about 2 years to get started (more with the hope).

Check out the photos posted to the right. I included some other photos with other issues. I put an updated big muhly photo. I burned the big grass on Jan. 25th, 2009. This is a great update. The grass came roaring back. It looked like a porcupine for awhile. Now, like a big muhly which will be healthy for another 5 years. Then, another burn.

I also included a shot of a hackberry which I took out. It is a native and not near the house. But, it is right next to our garden live oak. I had a tree specialist out - Don Gardner. He said that the hack. would take resources from the live oak. Adios hackberry. This is very unlike me for my space. Hackberries are great trees for wildlife. They have a tendency to drop limbs so near the house, or car is bad. They also just die. But, while they live, many animals like their berries and live in the dying tree. Here is a post for why not to take out standing dead trees and debris. In future posts, I will go over the oak wilt issues of my neighborhood and what is being done, or not done, to combat this problem.

Cross by local artist