Our Little Oasis

As native Oregonians, not only have we acquired webbed toes for wading through puddles nine months of the year, but we've also grown accustomed to being surrounded by an abundance of foliage in every shade of green imaginable! Olive, forest, chartreuse, army, lime, celadon, hunter, kelly, moss, spring... you name it, Oregon's got it! Though we grew tired of the persistent, drizzly Oregon weather, we deeply appreciated the tranquil greens of the northwest.
Then, Dubai happened, and rocked our senses! Constant sounds of construction and traffic- hammering, crushing, beeping, honking. Artificial lights flashing everywhere, the harsh orange street lights glaring. There are many positive aspects to living in Dubai, but it is safe to say that there is nothing tranquil about it. One of the hardest transitions to life in the desert for us has been the lack of vibrant, green, natural life. Yellowish-brown landscape stretches as far as the eye can see. Even the sky hides behind a curtain of ochre dust. The views our windows boast of partially-completed skyscrapers and swinging construction cranes have long lost their charm (if it ever existed) , and we vowed to bring some green back into our line of sight! It was decided that we would turn our patio into a little oasis.

We waited for my mom's visit to go to the nursery, as she has quite the green thumb and would undoubtedly lead us to select the perfect hardy plants. Unfortunately, my lovely little (or not so little) virus dictated that I stay in bed, so I vegged (and pouted) while Mom and Isaac set off for the sprawling garden center along Sheik Zayed Rd.

They came home, beaming and proudly showed me their purchases- 2 gorgeous white bougainvilleas, an oleander, half a dozen brightly colored flowers, planter boxes, some beautiful glazed pots, and my absolute favorite- a lime tree! Isaac was grinning from ear to ear, and could hardly wait to move the plants out to the patio. Turns out Santa visited a bit early this year, and bought all of the plants for Isaac for Christmas- thanks again "Santa"!!!

Mom and Isaac stayed up planting after I turned in for the night, and the patio was such a beautiful and refreshing site to see the next morning! Now Isaac's flourishing herb garden is immersed in a nice little pocket of green. Amazing how a few plants can brighten any area and enhance your daily life!





Our little oasis




Mom, the patio garden architect, exercising her design skills, and planning for the trip to the garden shop




Looks good!




The "plan" =) I especially like the use of cocktail umbrellas for plants!


































Our lime tree! We are quite convinced it is THE CUTEST lime tree in existence!!!




Not one...




but THREE limes already!




I'm so excited!




The boys enjoy taking in the beauty of the plants as well