Houston Garden Center

The Houston Garden Center is our go-to nursery.  They have a huge selection of whatever you are looking for to pretty up your space.

There is so much to choose from.  It takes me a minute or two to ground myself so I am not so overwhelmed.  The first thing I do is walk around and look at everything before making a decision.  Kind of like I do in a Christmas store.  :)  Gotta make sure I'm getting what I really like.

The hubs and I were in complete agreement on which flowers we should choose.  We both wanted bright colors.  Last year we chose white as they show up really well at night.

The funny thing is (and I haven't said anything to him) is he chose Begonias.  Begonias.  Do you have any idea how many times in the past I've chosen Begonias and he would say "I don't care for those"?  Do you?  Lots!!!  I smiled to myself and said "you can have all the Begonias you want."  Wink, wink!

Here's the ad for the Houston Garden Center.  They have really good prices with very healthy plants.

Do you like to work in your yard?  I absolutely love it.  I'm the person who sprays fertilizer on their plants and watches every.single.day to see if they have grown in any way.  I stand at the back door, before going out, surveying to see if there has been any change.  I even take photos before I apply the fertilizer and a week or two later.  I want to see the fruits of my labor.  :)  Then I want to tell you all about it and show you.  OMG!  I know...too much, right?  I just can't help it.  Thank God for my husband....he pretends he's listening.  :)

I realize it's a commitment and some people aren't interested in the time or the money.  For me it's therapeutic.  Digging in the dirt, listening to the squirrels and birds making their noises, your worries fall away.  Thanking God for the many plants, flowers, birds, bees, lady bugs, and maybe the lizards.

My best advice to you, should you decide to venture out and pretty up your yard, is invest in Neem Oil and Slug bait.  Seriously.  I'm not joking.  Sprinkle the bait among your flowers immediately after you plant them.  IMMEDIATELY.  If not, there will be a party at your place and your flowers will be eaten by the next day.  Not totally eaten, maybe half.  Many years ago the hubs and I planted Pansies, my favorite flowers.  The next morning our flowers were pitiful.  Half eaten and there were slugs everywhere.  I was so sad.  I declared war!  I was the crazy lady sprinkling salt on the slugs.  And yes, I was in my pjs and had a flashlight, too.  I've learned to always have slug bait on hand.

Now let's talk about Neem oil.  If you have hedges that are looking a little scrawny, chances are some little bug is eating it.  Spray your hedges in the evening with the Neem oil and in no time your hedges will be healthy and full.  We have many plants in the front and back yards so we usually have at least four bottles of Neem oil on hand at all times.  Keep in mind, you will have to respray cause whatever is wreaking havoc on your plants will come back.  I usually spray every two weeks.  It is so cool to see new growth come up where you thought it was dead.

Take care, be safe and plant some flowers!

XOXOXO

Debbie