Spring is looking beautiful around here. Our meal last night was accompanied by our first asparagus of the year - came in 10 days earlier than it did last year.
While feeling unwelcomed and needlessly self-imposed pressure, I have given myself a talking to and have assured myself that if everything I want to do doesn't happen this spring, it's okay. I'm going to just pace myself and focus on manageable projects.
So don't anyone get confused. This post is not about challenging myself. I don't need any extra challenges right now. This post is simply a first documentation of what I hope will be happening around here over the next month or so.
What I'd like to focus on first is a large area that is in serious need of landscaping.
On the south side of our house is this really large, what I've dubbed, "bed of despair":
When we bought the house in the fall of 2021, this bed was way overgrown and needed work, but I have to say it looked a lot better then than it does now simply because it was green and filled with life. Nevermind that the overgrowth hid some unwelcome things... like stacked bricks, and torn and deteriorating black plastic. And weeds! Most of what is seen in these pictures that is green is weeds.
Sometime last year Greg began clearing out the unwanted overgrowth, and accidentally torched some desirable (to me, anyway) plants when he was attempting to kill weeds then. I didn't have it in me last summer to overly care about any of it, but at the moment I've risen to the level of finally being bothered by it, so I'm starting to apply myself to tackling it (with Greg's help, of course). Just before taking these pictures I treated the weeds around the perimeter of the house and detached garage with weed killer. Next (probably next week) will be removing the dead stuff, the deteriorating plastic weed barrier, and maybe tilling the whole area before beginning to bring this area back to life.
We've talked about planting a large portion of this bed to grass, sprinkling in some shrubs, and perennials. The problem with that idea is that grass needs to be mowed - every week, sometimes twice a week in the spring and fall. And if we plant some perennials in there along with grass, weed-wacking would probably also need to happen. It didn't take long for all of that to sound like just way too much trouble.
Another thing I considered was to plant some of this area with garden vegetables. But then I realized that long before it would be time to trim it all back for winter it would just become a different kind of eyesore than it is now. And next spring the space will pretty much look like this again.
In the end, I'm concluding that we just need to pray that some of the bushes come back (or plant some new ones), and with some strategically placed perennials and some fresh mulch, maybe this spot can actually look pretty.
A good place to start is looking at what we have to work with.
Phlox. I've never been successful growing phlox before, and since some is already established here, I have hopes that if I plant some more, it may do very well in this bed. Or maybe if given some decent soil, the phlox that is here will spread.
On the back side of that evergreen shrub (above) you can see that it's half dead. So, while it makes me sad, the shrub needs to go. Not sure how thick are the roots, and how difficult it might be to plant something in that spot, but first things first. We're planning on having a rogue mulberry tree in the back yard cut down soon. We can probably also hire the tree cutters to grind the roots of this shrub after we cut it down.
Other positives? Above and below one can see some nice big rocks placed kind of randomly in this bed (and there are even more that didn't make it into the picture). I'm thinking of planting some bulbs or even daylilies and sedum, maybe even phlox amongst the rocks - that ought to add some nice layered visual interest. The phlox, I'd probably need to plant next spring, but I can transplant daylilies and sedum from other spots around the house as soon as I'm ready to.
The bricks above, on the other hand, need to go. Their presence is a mystery, and while we're not exactly looking forward to moving them, taking the job slowly, we can surely put them somewhere other than here for now and figure out their potentiality later.
And lastly, in this bed, toward the back of the house there are some good sized shrubs starting to leaf out, and some beautiful pampas grass that is just starting to grow again. We shared some pampas grass recently with friends, but hopefully what's left will be showy again this summer and fall. I do love the pampas grass. If it wasn't such a bear to divide, I'd consider relocating some of that elsewhere in this bed. Actually, I am considering it. The question is, can we find the help we'll need to cut into it and divide it. This pampas grass grows huge. It can hide a multitude of things and boy, are there things on this side of the house that could benefit from being hid!
That's it for now. While there are other places outside around the house that need work, if this large area can be made to look better this spring and summer, I think it will give us a real boost. Our goal has been to improve and simplify the landscaping here. Last year was all about removing the ugly and half dying. This year begins the rebuild of a simpler, cleaner landscaping around the house. Easy care perennials and mulch will go a long way toward that end. I have experience with shrubs like boxwood, forsythia, burning bush, hydrangea... and perennials like peonies, tiger lilies, daylilies, tulips and daffodils, and now iris and sedum. I'm curious to learn about perennials you enjoy where you live.
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It is always a challenge to first figure out what you want to do and then to do it. I am at that point in my life where some of the heavier lifting must be done by someone other than me. I love Peonies and have a few plants, also love Daylilies and have some of them as well.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to plant some peonies here, Ruth. This bed that receives full sun, would probably be a perfect spot for a clump of peony bushes. These are about as carefree as a plant gets from my past experience.
DeleteThe space has lots of potential. Hopefully, you'll be feeling like tackling it soon. As for your half dead shrub, I'm wondering if some iron would help...it looks as if it might be chlorotic. I had a nearly gone azalea last year that I brought back from the brink with iron treatments. Course if your vision does not include the shrub, off it goes. ☺️ We are having wonderful spring through tomorrow, then back to chilly daytime temps and freezing night time ones. Oh well, eventually spring will truly arrive.
ReplyDeleteI have the usual perennials—daylilies, roses, daffodils, peonies, bee balm, astilbe, huechera, potentilla, and irises. I'm at the place where I'd like to hire someone to do the harder work...either that or put it back to lawn.
Huh. I know nothing about iron helping dying plants so you've given me something to research, Vee! I don't love this shrub, but it does serve a nice function on the front of this bed in that it kind of hides the unsightly rest of it (until one comes around and sees the whole thing). From any other angle than straight on, this side bed is a disaster.
DeleteI love asparagus! Have a cozy evening, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Billie Jo. I've been resisting buying asparagus at the grocery for weeks or months (can't remember when I last bought it) knowing we'd be enjoying fresh from the backyard asparagus again this spring. It is a real treat.
DeleteI hope you can do iron treatments as someone just commented and save it, I think it's beautiful! I'd add more phlox, maybe purple along with the white.
ReplyDeleteI was hopeful at first, Martha, but I did a little research and iron treatments sound like they might be expensive and more complicated (to me) than care to deal with. The sites I came across suggested the best option is to remove the damaged shrubs (or trees) and replant. Sounds easier and I'm thinking will save ourselves time and expense.
DeleteThat shrub looks like Arbor vitae which has been crowded. There's no coming back from that. Better just replace it.
ReplyDeleteCould be, Liz, since the whole bed was overgrown when we bought the place.
DeleteBecki, I am becoming more and more about ease of maintenance - that said, would something like a nice rock garden work on this side?
ReplyDeleteIt probably would, TB, but having purchased a half a dump truck of river rock (I think twice) a few years ago and having help then moving it to the back yard at our old house, I don't think Hub and I could manage moving the amount of rock this space would take. I've thought about it only just a bit, and every time I do I feel a bit faint thinking of the amount of physical labor it would entail. I think we're going to try to do as much of the labor on our landscaping as we feel able to do. I'll let you know if that idea rises to the top as we tackle this space. :)
DeleteWe had a freeze right before Christmas in which the temp plunged below zero. That hardly ever happens here. Turns out our plants and shrubs are not accustomed to those types of temps and some are not coming back to life this spring. So your little side bed looks better than the sad looking plants around these parts!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that, Bob. That's an expensive freeze if you have to replace or redo landscaping when you didn't plan on it. Our Christmas week was abnormally frigid too, but the temps here sometimes reach the negative teens in January (or even February) for short periods, so it didn't appear to harm anything here.
Delete"The bed of despair" made me smile. Oh, it is so easy to pile stress on ourselves, isn't it? I have had to intentionally give myself grace lately . . . with the house, with meals, with projects, with almost everything . . . because it is all I can do to keep up with the basics of caring for my dad and feeding my family. It is a season of simplicity and "good enough."
ReplyDeleteHoping you can make slow and steady progress on your "bed of despair." :)
Cheryl, I didn't realize your dad was needing special care. Indeed, we have seasons where "good enough" is plenty good.
DeleteOh so much work sometimes. At least it has seemed that way to me this year. We had a lot of damage with the Christmas deep freeze. I had to finally consent that the lemon tree died. We will replant this next week. I worked all afternoon in the yard trying to tidy up my beds. I do love day lilies. They seem to be my easiest plant. I use pine straw to put in my beds and it has been my best mulch over the years. Good luck with figuring out what to do. Not always the easiest decisions.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I've wondered what the mulch is you use. I'd never heard pine straw before. Always learning something!
DeleteCall Your Local Dig Safe!
ReplyDeleteMakes me nervous digging around areas where there surely will be wires and pipes.
Depending on sunlight, and wind shadows, A perennial garden would look nice there with a brick path to the meter.
I don't think we'll be digging deep enough to run into wires or pipes, but we'll be safe, May. Thanks for the word of caution.
DeleteMulch and perennials get my vote -- planting dependable things requiring little maintenance. Hide things with plants as you can but keep in mind how much accessibility might be required if what you are hiding needs repair (air conditioners and other utility structures.
ReplyDeleteAs for WHAT to plant, that, of course varies by planting zones across the nation. You and I have discussed the pathos of Hydrangeas.... Azaleas grow well here in North Central Florida, as well as Plumbago (a blue-flowered bush), and Camelias.
The nice thing about this wide bed is that we can plant things further away from the house that will hide some of the utility stuff, and still leave room to access said stuff. Never heard of Plumbago. This is fun to read people's ideas of things to plant.
DeleteOh lucky! My asparagus hasn't popped up yet, it usually only starts closer to June here. Your post reminds me that I have so much outdoor work to do and need to find the time. I still don't have perennials planted (flowers that is) but I'm hoping to get some beds ready for fall planting bulbs of at least tulips!
ReplyDeleteRain, I'd like to plant some tulip bulbs too. Hopefully, I'll remember it come fall. :)
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