Captive Crapes at the oil change place, Hwy 105, Conroe. Sometimes you think things are supposed to look a certain way because that’s how you have always seen them. I used to be that way when it came to crape myrtles. The annual butchering they suffer is a direct result of living in the city.
These poor butchered specimens are how I thought they were supposed to look. Of course I lived in The Woodlands. To me shrubs like this always looked like a group of anorexic models with flowers in their hair.
I had never given a great deal of thought as to whether models or trees looked particularly attractive when they were severely anorexic. I normally think that if I can count your ribs it's bad news. If you happen to be one of my Daughters or Granddaughters, I think you are just fine anyway.
I did think about how the Crape Myrtle shrub got to this point. They came to the United States from China in the 1840s. I firmly believe that if the Chinese had known they would be received like this, they would probably not have allowed it to emigrate.
We had a landscape expert that did this to three plants that were privileged to live in my little corner lot. They shared the free water and sun with that ecological disaster known as a manicured lawn.
When it comes to variety it always seems that the Home Owner Associations (HOAs) and people who must live by HOA edicts march in some sort of robotic lock step. As we segue into a brief discussion of HOA activity I am reminded of the words of that great Philosopher Hank Williams. I really don't remember if it was Sr. or Jr. as it was a song possibly sung by both: "If you mind your own business you won't be minding mine". If there were paraphrase marks I would have used them instead of quotes. I'm sure that the Hanks said it better than that.
If you go to a planned community there are probably less than 20 main types of homes. The very rich are outliers of course so the number is expanded for the Woodlands and Kingwood, but, there are only so many things one can do with a lawn, rocks, or fountains. Folks pay a bunch of money to landscapers and home remodelers just to fit in. I prefer the LGDI method, Let God Do It. There seems to be just as much variety and I don’t pay some dude in a pickup to move rock and wood around my front yard.
These poor butchered specimens are how I thought they were supposed to look. Of course I lived in The Woodlands. To me shrubs like this always looked like a group of anorexic models with flowers in their hair.
I had never given a great deal of thought as to whether models or trees looked particularly attractive when they were severely anorexic. I normally think that if I can count your ribs it's bad news. If you happen to be one of my Daughters or Granddaughters, I think you are just fine anyway.
I did think about how the Crape Myrtle shrub got to this point. They came to the United States from China in the 1840s. I firmly believe that if the Chinese had known they would be received like this, they would probably not have allowed it to emigrate.
We had a landscape expert that did this to three plants that were privileged to live in my little corner lot. They shared the free water and sun with that ecological disaster known as a manicured lawn.
When it comes to variety it always seems that the Home Owner Associations (HOAs) and people who must live by HOA edicts march in some sort of robotic lock step. As we segue into a brief discussion of HOA activity I am reminded of the words of that great Philosopher Hank Williams. I really don't remember if it was Sr. or Jr. as it was a song possibly sung by both: "If you mind your own business you won't be minding mine". If there were paraphrase marks I would have used them instead of quotes. I'm sure that the Hanks said it better than that.
If you go to a planned community there are probably less than 20 main types of homes. The very rich are outliers of course so the number is expanded for the Woodlands and Kingwood, but, there are only so many things one can do with a lawn, rocks, or fountains. Folks pay a bunch of money to landscapers and home remodelers just to fit in. I prefer the LGDI method, Let God Do It. There seems to be just as much variety and I don’t pay some dude in a pickup to move rock and wood around my front yard.
Google Images The top picture represents what folks pay others to do to their crape myrtles. I noticed that folks that did not commit this ritual winter atrocity were rewarded with something that looked more like a shrub should look.
Two of my three plants decided to roll over and die not long after I purchased the house. The landscape pro then decided he would plant a couple junipers. They did no better.
Two of my three plants decided to roll over and die not long after I purchased the house. The landscape pro then decided he would plant a couple junipers. They did no better.
Crape Myrtles, I think, growing on Crighton Road. When I managed to get out of the woodlands I noticed that people didn’t all march in lockstep. A startling concept is it not.
As a military retiree I understand keeping my quarters the way the hierarchy wants . The difference being that I was living where I was told and not paying much to do so. Now, I was paying good money to hear some clown tell me how to live.
Allowed to grow before butchering. Still stunted. While learning to drive my son confused low and reverse causing me to buy a new garage door. A new door was installed and within 48 hours I was cited because it had not been painted beige.
My mind became set somewhere at the intersection of that and the fight over asking permission to keep two puppies in my back yard. I decided to dump towns and HOAs for good. I also began to wonder how things would look if you just let them grow.
Now your mileage may vary but I am very happy that Sally and I went for it. Haven’t done it all perfectly and we won’t but it sure beats what we were used to.
My mind became set somewhere at the intersection of that and the fight over asking permission to keep two puppies in my back yard. I decided to dump towns and HOAs for good. I also began to wonder how things would look if you just let them grow.
Now your mileage may vary but I am very happy that Sally and I went for it. Haven’t done it all perfectly and we won’t but it sure beats what we were used to.
Foreground, Rose of Sharon with a row of crapes in background. Wonder of wonders they will grow. I think the type trunk means they are still a shrub and not a tree but that has been hard to reconcile for the past few years. I stuck a 3 inch pipe in the ground beside them when I planted them about 15 years ago. I read something that said if you deep water them daily for the first year they can survive just about anything. I now believe that is correct.
I planted in the spring if I remember correctly. That whole year I would return from my work, fill up a tank on a trailer, and slowly go up and down the drive pouring buckets of water down those pipes. They just took off and grew like bad weeds.
The fairly thick trunks in the right half of the background is what happens when you force a tree or an anorexic model to eat. They will pack on pounds. I had planted them on either side of the drive wondering if they would form an arch. Obviously I had to just keep on wondering for a while. Now there are little Crapes popping up all over the place..
I planted in the spring if I remember correctly. That whole year I would return from my work, fill up a tank on a trailer, and slowly go up and down the drive pouring buckets of water down those pipes. They just took off and grew like bad weeds.
The fairly thick trunks in the right half of the background is what happens when you force a tree or an anorexic model to eat. They will pack on pounds. I had planted them on either side of the drive wondering if they would form an arch. Obviously I had to just keep on wondering for a while. Now there are little Crapes popping up all over the place..
They did form that arch. There are at least three differing sorts of crape myrtles here. They have different color blooms but they also have a differing of thickness of the trunks.
I can tell you that when we return home from Conroe the temperature always moderates. If the road was hot, home feels at least 10-15 degrees cooler thanks to the shade. On a cold day it is always warmer thanks to the windbreak or the canopy. It's all because of 5 acres of trees but we first feel it from the crape myrtles in the driveway. We may not be able to grow a garden very well because of lack of sun but we will starve in greater comfort than others.
I can tell you that when we return home from Conroe the temperature always moderates. If the road was hot, home feels at least 10-15 degrees cooler thanks to the shade. On a cold day it is always warmer thanks to the windbreak or the canopy. It's all because of 5 acres of trees but we first feel it from the crape myrtles in the driveway. We may not be able to grow a garden very well because of lack of sun but we will starve in greater comfort than others.
There are other advantages to country living, including the nonexistence of any HOA. I am aware that there are some folks who are just ridiculous and devalue everything. On the other hand with many HOAs I see the old axiom: "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely".
We have two deed restrictions. I cannot have more than two cars that are not current on registration and insurance. Also, I cannot go into business raising hogs. Other than that I am pretty much on my own.
I have hired five donkeys and a llama to keep the grass under control. There are several chickens and ducks that handle the weeds (at least the ones they like). Insect control is courtesy of the same crew. You could not pay me enough to move back to The Woodlands.
I am still working on my anger issues when I see an acre of trees mowed down to move in an (unshaded) trailer. Another time that happens is when I hear a realtor utter the mindless phrase “highest and best use". I have found that normally involves knocking down acres of trees for another (badly needed, I am sure) strip mall.
We have two deed restrictions. I cannot have more than two cars that are not current on registration and insurance. Also, I cannot go into business raising hogs. Other than that I am pretty much on my own.
I have hired five donkeys and a llama to keep the grass under control. There are several chickens and ducks that handle the weeds (at least the ones they like). Insect control is courtesy of the same crew. You could not pay me enough to move back to The Woodlands.
I am still working on my anger issues when I see an acre of trees mowed down to move in an (unshaded) trailer. Another time that happens is when I hear a realtor utter the mindless phrase “highest and best use". I have found that normally involves knocking down acres of trees for another (badly needed, I am sure) strip mall.
Yours truly is not a photographer or I would have made the blooms contrast better. They are up and down the driveway. If you can't see from the pictures just drop by the house.
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