<p>My flowers have been absolutely gorgeous this year, the best ever. Makes me wish I had planted vegetables instead, but I always wind up feeding the groundhogs.</p>
<p>dmd77 - who invited you to my pity party?? 
just kidding…sounds like a great garden!</p>
<p><em>sigh</em>…maybe next year.</p>
<p>JustaMom: I really do understand. This year’s garden is, somehow, amazing. Seriously. People driving by slow down and point at it. But I’m 55 and this has never happened before. I’m due.</p>
<p>After two decades of the yards of places we’ve lived being something I like for my son and dogs but otherwise just endured, I decided to give gardening ago. It’s my first official empty-nest hobby! I’m very lucky to have some gardening-mad friends who’ve lived here their whole lives who are mentoring me. </p>
<p>It’s been six weeks now and the road has not always been smooth. For example, who starts gardening in the summer in south Texas? That’s just crazy. But I did it and forced poor Mr PMK to help, so here we are. </p>
<p>So far I am only doing flowers. We ripped up the side yard, Mr PMKjr put sod down and I am making a flower bed. For as delicate and sweet looking as flowers are, they sure are a lot of work to dig holes for and replant. Whew. I thought about edibles but I truly think I would come unhinged if something came along and ate what I’ve been sweating my heart out for over these past weeks. Also, the thing I most wanted to plant (lettuce) does not grown well here. Darn. </p>
<p>Also! I am very proud to report that I dug up a volunteer palm tree and put it in a large pot. I thought I had killed it but I’ve been watering for two weeks inspite of it turning brown and droopy. This morning there was the most lovely green shoot coming from the center! Joy!</p>
<p>^^^You should be able to grow lettuce in the winter. Maybe start it from seed in October or November? It usually survives here in MD, and starts growing again in March. It Texas, you’ll be eating it all winter.</p>
<p>My “garden” is small - one grape tomato plant doing decently well- husband eats them all off the plant as he walks by though - they never make it to the house (hose is just past the plant).</p>
<p>Herbs doing good- 2 basil plants have put out all summer, parsley has regenerated, chives very healthy. Have lots of lemon thyme though not sure what to really do with it (!). </p>
<p>A word on cilantro - the flat leaved kind rarely lasts long. In addition to that type (which only lasted maybe a month) I bought another variety - it’s cilantro, but looks kind of fern-ish (I’m too lazy to walk out and read the plant variety) and it has held up very well - if it starts to flower, I just snip off that part and the rest of it produces well. The texture is different, but the taste is pretty much the same to me.</p>
<p>Last night, when I collected a few oversized zucchinis from the garden, I thought, “Hmmm… One can kill a person with one of these things!” What did I know - they can be used as weapons:</p>
<p>[Local</a> News | Montana woman fends off bear attack with zucchini | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012976003_bearzucchini24m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012976003_bearzucchini24m.html)</p>
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<p>The comments are funny, too, like this one, “The bear was obviously a teenager. Everyone knows teenagers are repulsed by zuchini.” ROFL :)</p>
<p>My tomatoes were a disaster this year. I collected only a couple of gallon-sized bowls of cherry tomatoes, and the beefsteak varieties have never had a chance to ripen in this rotten weather! Zucchinis did do exceptionally well, so we are protected from black bear attacks.</p>