pictures

Well I didn't get any of the work done the other day- beds cleaned up, stuff moved around in the front. But I did take a few this morning- one of the mature beautyberry - so bright with color when a lot else is turning brown- this is why I want some across the front

Like my ostrich ferns here on the sideyard- mostly dry fronds now, just one or two still green.

Here's a delightful surprise. A few weeks ago I filled a low spot in the back yard with dirt from that haul, then scattered thickly grass seed mixed with compost and potting soil (it's just what I had), and a layer of shredded dry leaves and straw on top. Watered every day for two weeks, then paused when it rained two nights in a row and forgot to continue. I went out later to water again- and found it's all sprouting! Way thicker than I expected. My first thought was one of happy shock: it worked! (As if it wouldn't, planting grass seed). Though I don't know if it will be established enough before winter, I did this kind of impulsively and late in the fall.

work!

I made a list of tasks for the garden, and surprised myself by getting more than half of them done today. Plus a few other things that I just started to do while out there. Spent much of the day outside, it felt great though my muscles are very sore now!

Broke apart a straw bale and spread it over the garden beds. I had four bales and was surprised that one was plenty for all eight beds- and a good two inches thick, at that. That stuff is really compact! I already like this better than dry leaves as winter mulch- it doesn't blow off and around the yard again when it's windy. Got to figure out how to store the other bales to keep dry. If I don't have any problems with the mulch (mildew, or tons of wheat sprouts ugh) I will happily use more on the beds in spring, around the plants.

I cleaned up the smaller sideyard today. Cut back joe pye weed where the dead leaves had blackened (from aphids I think). Pulled out flopped over gladiola foliage that was going through fence into the neighbor's space. My black-and-blue salvia is so lush and thriving over there! It had spread to almost completely cover the lamb's ears (which are nearly all gone- or dormant- only one sad plant could I find) and somehow, I don't care. I trimmed the blue salvia a bit, and gave it leaf mold mulch, and pulled up vinca around it much as I could.

Moved some plants around in the front bed, under the house windows. I dug up and moved forward the two small newer azaleas, and moved to the back the one young beautyberry that's doing great, and put in the same row two more beautyberries. They had been in the back side bed flanking panicle hydrangeas, and must've got too much shade or competition, because just thin slender bits compared to the one that's been in front. So hope they will grow more here, and grace my front yard, I can just picture them draping lovely over the edging onto the lower bed (it's two tiers kinda). There's two very cut back little evergreen shrubs in between the beautyberries, maybe they will show some green when I cut the beauties back. Or maybe they will get overwhelmed, not sure how that will work out.

I pulled up and cut back more yellow salvia in front (not so fond of it anymore). Yanked out some sensitive fern- likewise loosing my admiration for that plant. It just looks dead half the year- from heat especially it suffers. I mulched the two young arborvitae- they're actually doing well! Dug up and moved a few pulmonaria, and dug up and moved (divided also, to spread it out) the calamint  that was in front right by the porch (an azalea has taken its place now). I put it along side bed 4 in the garden. Except- there was something else there growing up new sprouts already. I don't remember what else I took cuttings of and stuck in the ground here. Wild geranium?

Broke up the bottom end of last year's leaf pile- the thick mulchy stuff that's (just like my compost pile) full of tree roots. I did a rougher job of it, this just for feeding plants. Gave plenty to the black-and-blue salvia (two bucketfulls), a bucketfull spread around the new redbud out front, and half a bucket each to the young trees on the larger sideyard (redbud and japanese maple hybrid). Also fed one rhodedendron, the smaller forsythia, spicebush, all the plants I moved around in the front, the larger established beautyberry (I had to prop up trailing branches off the ground- it's going to need a good cutback later this winter!), the row of boneset, the oakleaf hydrangeas, and my three surviving ferns in the way back. There's maybe two bucket's worth left to break up and decide who gets it.

I also cut back seedhead fluff off the larger 'chocolate' joe pye plants and the boneset, and scattered in places where I would like more to grow.

Sorry no pictures. Maybe I will get some tomorrow to add in.

I have been spreading mulch

 from last year's leaf pile, turning over and shoveling out the compost pile to spread on the garden beds. Doing it in smaller stages than years before, over several days. The regular compost pile, I don't think I'd turned it in two years. Bottom foot was completely infiltrated with masses of fine tree roots. I found the easiest way to deal with these, was chopping the compost/root mass into segments, flipping them over and whacking with the shovel blade over and over to loosen up the mass and knock all the dry sediment out. Tossing the now mostly bare root masses aside, I actually filled nearly twenty buckets full of compost. It was very fine and crumbly and dry, no worms or tiny critters at all. In fact I wonder if it has any nutrient value left, or if the tree roots took it all. Regardless, I spread it on the beds over the rough soil/clay layer recently added. 

Then on the third day, upended my smaller under-the-deck bin (an old metal trash can with holes punched in the sides) which has had a lot more use (I add to this most frequently, as it's covered tightly and vermin can't get in. It gets most of the kitchen vegetable waste, whereas the larger yard bin gets plant trimmings and dry leaves). Complete opposite experience: this compost was heavy, dense, moist, full of crawling worms, had a rich odor. I portioned it out among the beds (about three heaping shovelfuls each, mixed with the drier stuff from the larger backyard bin, spread it all out. Tomorrow will cover the beds with broken-down straw as winter mulch. (A neighbor wanted to get rid of some straw bales they had used for Halloween decoration- my gain!) Then hope it will all be well-mixed and softened by nature's work come spring.

I've also been mowing over the dry leaves several days a week, since it hasn't been damp this is possible and it will help feed my poor lawn. And picking up all the acorns. I realize now that my strategy actually worked: the squirrels have quit frequenting my yard because I'm removing the main attraction. Every few days when I have enough nuts gathered, I fill my pockets or a small bag and take a walk, throw them in the woods behind the neighborhood. The deer can eat them there. 

more cleanup

I have been attempting, this week, to clean up the garden beds and get them in shape for coming winter. Mostly because the compost bin in the back is full up and has been sitting there for over two years, and I hate the richness to go to waste. So I am working on pulling weeds, digging up and transplanting some perennial flowers into other spots in the yard, and spreading loads of dirt that I hauled home from someone's yard project over a month ago. One bag per bed. It doesn't cover with much depth, but tops it off enough that when I add the compost and then a layer of dry leaves, the beds will be full and can break down more over the cold season. So then in spring if I actually have the mental energy to plan and start a garden again, it will be ready.

It has felt satisfying to see the beds clean and dark soil again. It's mostly clay with some lumps I have to bread up, but I did throw a handful of compost with a few worms into each bag when got it home, so it's already started loosening up some.

I left a few nicotiana and borage in the corners of beds 1 and 4.

And the lovage is looking better now that the weather has cooled down.

I've been lifting off, digging out soil that sifted and straightening more of the edging bricks too, though most of the rows are not completely straight and still have a few crooked. You can see gaps here and there between them. Working on that gradually, a few at a time.

rewrap

I re-skinned my little greenhouse. 

Not sure why as I haven't been using it, which is the reason it sat with a panel completely missing from one short side, half the back torn, and most of the roof. It tore from age and weather, and I just hadn't had the motivation to go out and fix it. But with more possibility of rain in the coming months, I didn't want it to get into disrepair. Some of the smaller wood pieces are starting to rot, but most of it is still in fair condition, standing up and staying dry. It was satisfying to see the temperature immediately swing up to over a hundred degrees in there, once I had all the wrap fastened on!

I used medium weight mildew-resistant clear plastic shower liners again. I didn't get it on as straight and wrinkle-free as usual, and had to patch some gaps with tape. Also the support up across back of the roof panel came off, and I lazily just held it back in place with duct tape instead of going to find a screw and screwdriver in the garage. I can work more on it later.

sidetracked

Today I went out intending to straighten another line of bricks on the garden edging, some are still wonky. But I got distracted by doing things with plants instead! I guess that's a good sign of my interest reviving. I cleared grass and spreading bugleweed from the stone edge on the side bed in the backyard, pulled most of the violets out of the front bed, yanked out all the 'autumn joy' sedums in that area (they look diseased), dug and planted in their spot a few lungwort babies, cleared some weeds and sensitive fern (dying back) from around the young arborvitae on the sunny sideyard, pulled up the milkweed over there (it looks sickly too, and I still don't have any monarchs visiting), turned part of the leaf mulch pile and mulched all of the front bed. Whew! 

I wore my skating knee pads while doing the work. It really saves some aches.

My canna lilies died this past winter too. They had never flowered, so I don't feel that's too much loss.

The beautyberry are looking fantastic! I should get some photos (might edit to add later). Even the young ones I dug up and transplanted few years ago, are looking nice (though not making decorative berries yet). I have one in the front bed and am really looking forward to how showy that will be someday soon.

reckoning

There's a lot to re-evaluate as I start working in the garden again. I found out which plants can't survive the winter without extra mulch and care. I've lost my potted figs, chocolate mint, green onions, tarragon, some stinking hellebores, the hyssop, winter savory and probably more that I can't remember now. Or have forgotten their names. 

I was surprised to find that both rosemary plants are still alive- doing better when I ignored them. My shady sideyard has been overwhelmed by the joe pye weed and black-and-blue salvia (which pleases me). The salvia crowded out the lamb's ears and gladiolas. Somehow I don't mind loosing some glads- I'm not as fond of them anymore- but I do miss the lamb's ears. Mabye I will try to move them to a different spot, because I love seeing the blue salvia thrive. I even saw two hummingbirds fighting over the space this week! 

I find I'm not too keen on the yellow salvia under my trees anymore, or the sensitive fern that looks terrible half the year, or the 'autumn joy' sedums that the deer munch on so they don't look great and have very few blooms. My lilac appears to be suffering, some branches have died, and my lavender is much reduced in size, but I cut out a lot of dead stems and hope it will grow back.

Today I pulled out a ton of mock strawberry in and around some garden beds, and straightened out one whole brick row of edging, on bed 4. I thought I was lining the bricks up straight enough, but then when I got to the end the last brick wouldn't meet the corner one square. So I took them all off again and ran a string line from one end to the other. Redid it- much straighter! Packed the clay soil in tight underneath and hopefully I won't have to re-do this one for several years (the clay gets pretty solid). I'm pleased because this bed has always had a crooked edge where the stump of an old tree never came out. I finally broke up and removed most of that. Then planted some calamint (nepitella) along the edge- which I'd pulled up when trimming in the front bed. Stems had rooted where they trailed on the ground. Easy to move and put in more areas. Such a bright, sharp scent.

The lovage there at the end wasn't doing too great but a few weeks ago I cut out yellowing foliage, weeded around it, mulched and watered. It's perking up a little bit.

In bed 1, I yanked out all the mock strawberry but left half a dozen of this plant that's growing there as volunteer (or weed) also. I've always left a few of these around the yard, they seem to get eaten more by the insects - so I view it as a decoy or trap plant. I still don't know what it is!

I was also pleased to see that the little broken stone "mowing strip" I dug in along the outside base of bed 1, is mostly still in place! There were some weeds in the cracks but once I pulled those up, it was far easier to make this a clean edge when mowing. Encourages me to continue with that project (I have a lot of rocks stacked on my bench intended for this). There are more edging bricks to straighten too (as visible on the left).

Here's the few herbs I have: parsley, thyme and chives. All bought as starts from the nursery months ago, I didn't do anything from seed this year. With my cat Eliza in the window.

She was meowing at me.

I had basil and mint also, but they died. I forget to water sometimes, still. I've removed and dumped the soil from the planter boxes that hung on my deck railings. One was badly cracked and spilled- I'd fixed it with duct tape years ago but it wasn't holding and looked awful. Another was warped, and all four the plastic really faded and discolored. Not sure yet if I will replace those or use them somewhere else. 

It's a lot of work but I'm trying to just do a little bit at a time. Mostly focused on rebuilding and fixing structures in the garden, improving the soil again (when I pulled off the bricks, nice to see the soil was still dark and healthy-looking under the dried crusty top inches), and getting rid of weeds. Have to figure out a fencing solution too, or the rabbits will just eat everything I grow. Oddly, I have not seen many squirrels in my yard this year. We do have red-tailed hawks, an owl and foxes that come through regularly, I wonder if they have just reduced the numbers. Or if they don't have as many nuts to bury, or if they aren't interested in digging in my garden because the soil got so hard and compacted without me working and amending it.