When Mother Nature allows I get out and play in the yard. Last week I spent three days and completely cleared the debris and now I’m ready to rearrange my flower beds and fix it up!
Two weeks ago this yard was full of leaves from the leaf drop in the late fall, limbs from numerous storms through the fall, winter and spring.
All of the leaves and tree debris are gone and now I wait for warmer weather to sow some new grass.
East side of the house would be great for a flower bed along the side of the house but because of the maple trees there only a very short time for anything to get enough sunlight. I’m thinking about those shade loving hostas but I need to wait until next spring for them because we need to do some major work to the floor of the enclosed porch on that wall this year. It is nice and clean on that side of the house though.
West side of house, big cleanup. I would still be working on it if Eddie hadn’t use the leaf blower to get around the house and the wood house. The wind seems to rotate most of the leaves in this area. This side of the yard will need the most grass seed and straw. It’s covered by shade from June until late fall. When we have ice, it’s worse on this side and longer to leave.
The flower beds are ready for some new growth and I’ve started flower seeds for the “dinner bell” flower garden and I’ve expanded my rose bed. I’ll be replacing six roses, last falls cleanup left me with the area in front and behind the yard fence and I’ll be working on a new project between the front yard and the gazebo by the pond. More on that to come soon.
It looks so neat and empty. Although I am a Californian, . . . and a horticulturist, I prefer to keep my garden as simple as possible, which is why I so rarely show pictures of it. (Actually, right now, it is mostly undeveloped.) My colleague down south does just the opposite. He is a landscape designer, who tries many new cultivars of plants in his own garden before using them at work. There is more plant ‘material’ in his garden than I could fit into ten acres! It is WAY too much junk, and almost all of it is just there to be pretty! Almost none produces any fruit! The contrasts or styles is amusing.
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It looks really bare now but once the perennials come up and start filling out it will be lush and full with only a bare minimum to mow.
Like you I think you can overdo with too much and take away from the real beauty, less is more!!
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That concept can make gardening difficult though. When I planted my fruit trees, it was difficult to find a situation where they were not cluttering the redwood forest. I really do not like to obscure the redwoods, even with trees that I really like.
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Why not try some shade-loving veggies in those areas?
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Jennie, we have a huge garden and keep the vegies in that area. The area of the yard that gets so much shade is a frequent walking path which doesn’t help the situation. I just need to find the hardiest grass seed on the market and try to stay off of it while it’s first growing.
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Forests are a tad bit different from my yard though!
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Rita, I’m jealous of your snow-free yard and fields, and excited by your plans for the near term and ideas for the future. Happy planning and happy planting! Mostly, happy spring!! ☀️🌷🥀🌹
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Jane, Eddie keeps reminding me to do to much in the yard yet because he KNOWS there’s more winter weather coming. We always have snows and ice in April and through about half of May!!! I’m just thrilled I got the yard cleaned of debris before May!! 🙂
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Enjoy it whenever you can. It got up to 60F here today after three (count ‘em) snow storms last week! We live in hope. Meanwhile, watching those lovely calves drop and thrive is a blessing of this time of year, too.
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