Here are the pictures of our garden.  As you can see it has the new netting on it.  We ended up going with the 2 inch netting.   It may not keep all the sparrows out, but will keep the larger fowl out.  They are the major problem anyway.  

Welcome to my garden!

Yes, it is a green house frame, covered with bird netting and around the bottom 4 ft tall 2x4 no climb fence.   Their are 14 beds, 7 on each side of a central walk way.  The first bed is my herb bed.  The big greenish/gray plant is Bronze fennel.  

This is my herb bed.

What you can't see is all the little fennel plants coming up.  I chopped the oregano plant almost out of the picture,  You can see a couple of leaves of it between the two black hoses at the bottom of the picture.  The sage is almost hidden by the fennel.  I am not sure what the other big green plant is.  Rosemary I think.   Then the top of the picture is lavender.  For the herb experts is this rosemary? 

My Basel  and dill didn't come back from last year.  I will be replacing them soon.  I may also add a few more herbs since these have done so well.  

Cabbage and Kale anyone?  This is one of two beds of cabbage, kale and broccoli.  I cheated and bought the plants.  Then the peafowl loved the kale and almost did it in before it was discovered and a net tossed over it until the bird netting was put on. 

This bed only has two T-tape hoses.  These hoses have holes every 6 inches that let water drip out when they are on.   They recommend you put them underground.  We tried that last year.  It works well..... BUT out of sight out of mind.  Most had to be replaced because in weeding or digging we forgot they were there and oops instead of having a tiny hole it has a HOLE.   It would be nice if I could say that my children are the ones that forgot and punched holes.  That really isn't the case.  In our case the tubing won't last longer underground. 

Now before you say something about how close together these onions are remember gardening is a learning experience and children do most of the planting, including these onions! 

See the radishes and turnips coming up?  I love planting radishes.  The are about as close to instant gratification as you can get in gardening. 

For things that climb we have 2 trellises. 

We planted climbing green beans and cucumbers on these last year.  It worked really well except you needed a ladder to gather the green beans.  We didn't do a very good job of it, as you can see by the mass of green between the beds.  Yes those are green beans!!!!  No, they won't be allowed to grow there.  I just haven't weeded them yet.  

That ends the garden tour. I wish I could say I was enough of a gardener to do justice to this wonderful garden my DH has made.  I'm not.  At best I am a sorta gardener.   I hate to weed, and don't use stuff as well as I should.  I do know how to can, and do some, but not enough.

Now on to the porch tour.  I love spring!  It means I get to bring my flowers I have managed to keep alive all winter.  Yesterday we, (DH) brought them down for me.   This is one of my bougainvillea's.  The white one seldom blooms, but it is right now. 

I am sure many of you have sprouted an avocado.  This is my avocado tree. 

This tree is 4-5 years old.  I am sure it would grow better in a larger pot.  I am also sure dh wouldn't be happy as he is in charge of bringing them in each fall. 

Two of my begonias survived the winter.  This one is really pretty right now.  I am sure the shock of being moved outside will make it less pretty for a while.

All of my porch plants and flower beds are on a drip system.  Yes, I am lazy!  It is so easy to turn on one waterer and be done.   I do have to make sure all the drippers are working and that the sprinklers for the beds are in position.   Such hard work!  I don't forget to water near as much this way.  I wish I could figure out how to water my inside plants with a drip system.  I don't think my DH would go for it do you?  

Here is my "Memory" flower bed, really one of two.   This one has plants that my mom grew.

What you ask is in it?  That's a good question!   The little plants near the right side are chili pequin or birds eye peppers.  They grow wild in parts of Texas.  They are HOT.   My dear children have been know to share them with friends.  The seem to get confused on what they are when they share.  I have heard "sweet little berries" and my favorite, "baby tomatoes".   The peppers are about the size of a BB, turn from green to orange to red.  Once you get them established they come back from year to year.   The big green plant in the middle is just that a green plant!   I don't know what it is.  My mom called it a sage.  It isn't, but it is very strong smelling.  It has pretty red blooms.  It requires little water and little care.  My kind of plant!  There there are a few very hardy irises in there.  I say hardy because for some reason I kill them quite well.   Top it off with a few weeds and  it is just like mom's!

Because we have way to many dogs, cats, chickens, pea fowl and even ducks roaming around I have gotten very creative with my flower beds.  Here is my latest "fix" for the critter issue.

This bed is between the two ways on the porch.  See my plant and post in the edge.  The left side is the ramp to the porch and the right side are the steps.   Between that is 16 ft that I decided would make a great flower bed.  Dogs decided it would make a great bed.  The cannas I planted ended up being mammoth cannas and hid the view.  They got moved!  Then I got creative.  I did this earlier in the spring.  I filled it in with cotton seed trash, to help keep the weeds down.  Then I added cinder blocks and a 16 ft cattle pannel.  So far I haven't found anything taking up residence in my flower bed.  I do find that they will walk across it, but not dig a bed.  

This has worked so well I want to do it on some more flower beds.  I have another bed on the North side of the house that also has "Memory" plants.  It has my mint and umbrella plants.  Both plants my mom grew.  It also has my Mexican Petunia's.  I am thinking of moving some of my mint to the front.  Once it is established it spreads rather well.  It would take over the front bed in a few years.  I could live with that!  I love the smell of mint when it rains or you water. 

Hope you have all enjoyed my tour!