Using scaffolding to trim palm tree

My husband uses scaffolding to get up high enough to cut the dead palm fronds off the palm trees in our back yard. I took this picture of him as he laid down to rest for a short bit. It's a lot of hard work to maintain the palm trees. I appreciate him for his ability to work hard.

Gardening in pots

This cute red and teal shelving unit I moved out front. I had it on my back porch for a couple years. My back porch doesn't get any sun so I moved it where it could be more of use.

I recently started planting Succulents in pots since my front porch gets full sun almost all day. Not sure if I'll keep these all out front in the upcoming months, especially the smaller pots. I enjoy looking at the pots through my window.


A smile bicycle planter.


Look how pretty the climbing rose bush is. Only in the spring does it flower.


My red bicycle planter has has sunflowers growing. These are the smaller varieties.


My adorable bird pot.





Aloe Vera with Baby Sun Rose.


Portulacaria afra, "Elephant Bush" with more Baby Sun Rose.






This is a pretty arrangement with a decoration from Hobby Lobby.




Lavender (smells so good).


Jalapeno Pepper plants that I forgot to water yesterday. So they were drying up on bottom.


These two pits have a mixture of things including oleander, sunflowers, vinca flower, and elephant bush.


Oleander and elephant bush.


Grow bags with lavender and some with sunflowers.


Sunflowers.


A creative way to grow more elephant bush.


We do have two large garden beds with a drip system and other areas in the back yard and front yard on a drip system. Plus many pots using a drip system. All together my husband I have spent countless hours pitting it all together. I just seem to want to keep growing things so I have many pots that I have to water by hand. I love it all but it is very time consuming and my lower back at times screams out in rebellion.

Hanging succulent

I have growing in my front yard and in many pots Portulacaria afra, "Elephant Bush". This succulent is amazing. Cuttings easily grow and can handle any weather in Mesa, Arizona.

A few years back I bought the tin with stars at a thrift store. I spray painted it red. I had it in my backyard but really had no purpose for it. I had this idea pot in my head to grow the succulent in it. 

I put sand in the bottom of the tin.

Looks cute hanging in front of my lady banks rose, my climbing rose. 

It is fun to be creative and add color to my gardens and outside my house. I like that I now have a purpose for the red star tin.

Garden decor

I love my red bike planter.

I adore my table and chairs from American Furniture Warehouse. On top is succulents. One is a blue ceramic snail pot and the other is a small polka dot water can. Both are lovely. I love lots of color.


This is my owl succulent pots in a pot from Ross.

I actually had the succulents on the table but decided to put them in the larger pot with soil to help keep them moist. Succulents may not need watered as often but as hot as it gets here in Mesa, Arizona, they do dry out fast.

Broccoli from my garden

It is nice to go in the back yard and cut off a head of broccoli, instead of buying it at the grocery store.

Sunflower

This sunflower is the tallest one so far. Quite a beauty!

Sunflowers, Grapes, Potatoes, Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

Beautiful May Sunflowers

These are some of my many grapes growing. 

I built a wall for the grape vines. 

They like to climb and grab on to anything.

The first is some small potatoes. The second as you can see are cherry tomatoes and one Roma tomato. Small but it tasted great.

Bell Peppers grow so fast. 

Home grown Bell Peppers and Watermelon

In the summer in Mesa, Arizona many plants live through it but not all produce. Bell Pepper plants do very well despite the heat.

Colander filled with delicious green and red bell peppers. 

I love it!!!

This picture was taken on September 19th and a week or two later my family and I enjoyed the wonderful sweet taste of a fresh watermelon. 

This was my second watermelon. 

This watermelon was delicious.

It's all about the sunflowers.....

Look at all these beauties!

This one is getting heavier and soon ready for me to cut off the head to let dry.

Some of the flowers got knocked off when my head bonked it. 

The mammoth sunflowers live up to their name!

Sunflower growing in the garden by the citrus tree.

I sure love sunflowers! I have them all over. Many haven't bloomed yet.