Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Tyler Rose Garden on the Texas Capitol grounds

Before

Here is the Tyler Rose Garden on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. I love walking by.

As you may or may not know, it’s rose bush trimming time in these here parts, right around Valentine’s Day on up to the end of February.

Tyler Rose garden after being trimmed. Nothing there but the stubs of the rose bushes.

After

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..

Here’s the rose garden after it’s been “trimmed,” a gardening version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It looks as if someone just took a chainsaw and walked up and down the rows. (I’m pretty sure that’s not how it’s done, it just looks that way.)  They cut it back like this every year and every year the rose bushes grow and bloom wonderfully.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast

Here is my beloved yellow Lady Banks rose bush. Unfortunately, the drought has taken its toll and much of the bush died. We have received a notable amount of rain in early 2012, but it was too late for many plants. And we are still in a drought.

I already posted a photo for this Weekly Photo Challenge subject, but sometimes there are multiple photos I want to use, so I did.

A yellow Lady Banks rose bush, much of it dead due to the drought

Lady Banks 2012

A yellow Lady Banks rose bush, in full bloom

Lady Banks 2010

Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulge

Here’s where I like to indulge myself: in the batik section of my favorite quilt fabric shop, B&B Quilting and Gifts in Buda, Texas. When I win the lotto (by either finding the winning ticket on the ground or someone leaving it on the windshield my vehicle), I’m going to walk into the shop and say, “I’ll take one yard of every bolt!”

That’ll be the day.

Batiks at a quilt fabric shop

Buy first, figure out a project later