Winter Work Day in the Garden

I think I have mentioned I'm between jobs (still) at the moment, so yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and tackled an eyesore in the garden that has been bugging me for years.

This section of bare wall at the end of the garden is UGLY!!!  I've wanted to do something about it since we moved in, but since there were originally three pine trees outside the wall, the whole area was so chock full of roots it was impossible to dig.

Obviously, the trees are no longer there (thanks to the developer not taking care to protect the trees in the neighborhood while putting in walls, utilities etc) so I decided that the time had come to tackle the issue.

Up until now, the area has been home to a selection of containers (more or less empty at present), but I wanted to add an evergreen that would (a) HIDE THE WALL and (b) offer some habitat to the birds who visit.

I found what I was looking for in this Hollywood Juniper.

According to the tag, it's a fast grower and will fill out to 30' tall and 10 feet wide.

Getting it in the ground was a bit of a battle. In addition to the tree roots that I knew were there, there's a hard layer of clay about a foot underground.  We broke it up as best we could using the auger that my husband uses to aerate the lawn and filled it in with good soil before planting.  Looking at this photo of it in place, I can see that when it's mature it should fill the area nicely, hiding that ugly wall and offering us some privacy if the field across the street behind the wall gets built on, as I'm sure it will.

Today I refreshed the containers with some cool weather color - white and purple alyssum and some snapdragons, and arranged them around the birdbath.

I also added some alyssum, dianthus, stock and salvia greggi to one of the island beds (the other one will have to wait).  

After all that I took a well earned break on the patio, and look who paid a visit...

These are Cedar Waxwings and I have never seen them before!  I've added them to my "Life List" now.  Amazing to think I might have missed them - I just happened to look up and there they were.  I wonder if they will stop by and be counted at the weekend, during the Great BackYard Bird Count.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Blooming Wonderful!

In my last post, I mentioned that the Achillea beside the Vitex tree had made it through the winter and I pondered whether or not it would bloom this year.

Well today I got my answer!

I was out taking photos and noticed it's covered in tiny flowers. They haven't quite opened yet, but it's going to be lovely when they do.  There also seem to be quite a few seedlings around it and I'm wondering whether I should leave them where they are or move them and risk losing them.  This is my first time growing these delicate, feathery plants so I'm not sure how to treat them.

I've been watching the bulbine with interest too. It's another new plant to me, this is the only one I've ever had.  I really expected it to turn to mush over the winter and was pleasantly surprised when it stayed plump and green.  Now it's covered with these delightful little blooms.

 The Mars grape vines is leafing out nicely.  I wonder if we'll be lucky enough to actually harvest any grapes this year?  Last year, the local raccoons had a feast and left us with nothing.

 
 Here's a battle I chose not to fight.  Around the back side of the pine tree, a lot of very prickly green briar started popping out of the ground.  I had seen this around the gum tree on the lot next door before it was cleared and it's obvious the whole area was covered in it before they started building the subdivision.  Well when this started coming up, my first instinct was to yank it right out of the ground.


Easier said than done... even with gloves on it proved painful!  


So last summer I decided I'd let it grow and all I do with it now is to whack it back with the trimmer at the same time when I edge the grass around the garden.  It keeps it in bounds and now (for the first time) it's putting out flowers.  I think the birds might have a treat this year if it puts out berries.

I made a start this weekend, planting the island bed. It still looks pretty bare, but at least it's a start.  I put in a couple of pink muhly grass, some burgundy gaillardias, some bare root hollyhocks and some columbines. There are already some day lilies in the bed, as well as the river birch at one end and a Sam Houston peach tree sapling at the other end.

I love the columbines, but had the hardest time trying to photograph them because of the breeze.

While I was working on the island bed, Eric was planting some veggies and herbs in the veggie bed. We're starting easy, since this is the first time either of us have ever had a veggie garden.  We've got a couple of tomato plants, a bell pepper, and some parsley, basil and spearmint.  He also sowed seeds for some peas, cucumbers and carrots.



Wish us luck with our venture!





Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Sunshine on my Shoulder

Last week, when I was planting the hollies in the front bed, I mentioned in my blog that I wanted to introduce some color into the bed by planting more daylilies and some perennials.

Since it was so lovely and sunny this weekend, I was eager to get out and plant a little sunshine of my own.

I've already got several daylilies in the bed. Unfortunately I have no idea which they are, having lost the piece of paper on which I had all the varieties marked out on paper.  I do know, however, they are mostly reds and yellows, so when selecting some varieties to plant this weekend, I opted for the sunny hues of El Desperado and Strawberry Fields Forever. 

The Little Path to Nowhere, that I put in that bed at the beginning of February, is working out even better than I could have hoped. It made it so much easier to have stepping stones that I could stand/kneal on while planting the bulbs.

When I was done planting, I turned my attention to the back yard, where I had noticed patches of green where there shouldn't be any...

Even as recently as last year, I would have gone after them with Round Up (in fact, I did).

But I'm making efforts to use less chemicals in the garden, and maintain a healthier environment.  So instead, I used a little hand tool that popped them right out.

And since I was on a roll, I looked around the back garden with a critical eye and decided it was time to relocate some plants.

When we planted the grape vine last year, my husband told me that one he had in his garden in California was a bush type.  Not knowing any better, we expected this one to be a bush type also, but it very quickly proved that wasn't the case and within a couple of months, it was crowding out the purple fountain grass.

Since I had already decided to remove the (apparently dead) oleander from its spot next to the utility boxes, today seemed as good a day as any to get that chore done and make a new spot for the fountain grass at the same time.

I hope it likes its new home and that it rewards me by putting up new growth in a month or so.

On the other side of the utility boxes, the other (dead) oleander posed more of a challenge to remove.  As you can see from the photo below, I apparently planted it right on top of the telephone cable last year!

I got it out using hand tools, cutting the roots one at a time, and lifting it carefully out of the ground.  I found the phone line too, so I was careful not to damage it. 

I think that area is now calling out for a large container with plants in -- I won't be planting in the ground there again!

All in all, a very productive weekend and, as always, my feathered friends were keeping me company.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.