I like to try different kinds of plants each year. Here's an assortment from spring 2009.

                                                                              — Marilyn, HCMG

Marilyn's Garden

Armenian Cucumber
Cucumis melo var. flexuosus

   This is the first time I have grown these, and I will definitely do it again. This variety is hard to find, but it is one of the best slicing cucumbers. I was given the seedling by a fellow Master Gardener.
   They taste great but look a little weird as they are ribbed and kind of hairy! They are mild-flavored and don't need to be peeled or seeded. I have read that they are not good for pickling.

Zucchini
Cucurbita pepo

   This beauty will be great grilled with some balsamic vinegar or stir-fried with a little soy sauce. A zucchini can be yellow, green or light green, and usually is shaped much like cucumber, but there are cultivars that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit.

  




   This pond has been seven years in the making. The first obstacle was digging a hole in the caliche big enough to accommodate the pre-formed pond shell. Then it was a question of how to run electricity out to the pump. Now we are planning to add a waterfall built from rock - there's plenty of rock in the Hill Country!

   These are just a few of my 90-plus houseplants outside to enjoy their summer vacation in the shade, of course.

   The gargoyle was purchased at the Boston Flower Show many years ago. I was heartbroken when a raccoon managed to smash it last year. I saved the pieces and used Quik-Crete to put him back together with a few quirky additions of shells and glass. He enjoys being under the grape arbor where, hopefully, Rocky the Raccoon won't get at him.














          
   The assortment of plants surrounding the birdbath attests to my eclectic garden philosophy.

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