Much like Seneca in yesterday's post. the season for Spring planting is virtually upon us - for better or worse, Spring appears to have already sprung. The best I can hope for at this point is that Summer does not start in April and extend through October.
As I think I have mentioned previously, between last year's Face Of The Sun event and this Winter's Arctic Blast From The (Glacial) Past, most of what we had as landscaping - to be fair, not much - is pretty much trashed. On one hand, that is pretty depressing. On the other hand, it is the opportunity to resign things.
The "redesign" has two elements. The first is that whatever I do, it needs to be able to manage striking heat, Arctic cold, and periods of drouth. The other is that rather than try to remake everything, I am going to try to do things in smaller chunks (simply put, I do better with smaller chunks).
What does that mean?
The garden area will be refocused into my two strips, the one that I typically use and the one along the house:
The strip along the house. Long time readers will note that the lime trees have been pulled out - they did not make it this year, so I made the call. Of note for both of these areas is that I intend to to use a small scale irrigation system this year - the cost is not much and it will undoubtedly cost me less overall than last year's hose and sprinkler system on a timer.
This stretch is is in front of our house at the front door - not as important to me, but it does matter to The Ravishing Mrs. TB, so I will need to figure out something within the confines of overall guidences.
This last area is directly outside our front window. Originally there were bushes that grew in the open space there, but they died out in the storm two years ago - however, the outer hedge has maintained itself rather nicely, so it almost a sort of "hidden garden".
My current "office looks out it as well, so improving it will help me as well.
For the larger "lawn" spaces, I am working on locating a drouth-resistant grass that is relatively native that can make do with no formal irrigation system (the cost of installing one is probably daunting enough, but especially in this economy, probably unwise as I will likely not get the value out of it).
Where Mother Nature is concerned one door closes and another opens, good luck TB. I envy your early start to a growing season. Two inches overnight and two to three tomorrow. Snowfall is a tradition during the boy's hockey tournament.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nylon12 - Given my ever present ability to kill growing things, it is always challenge. I am trying something a little different this year and working with what I have instead of cursing the darkness.
DeleteWow to the snowfall. My brother in law The Outdoorsman had to travel to The Great White North this past week for work. He sent a picture. He was not smiling.
Depending on the wishes of the CGO (Chief Gardening Officer) ornamental food producing plantings might be an option.
ReplyDeleteAfter winter again bumped off a pair of tiny boxwoods, the CGO decided those two concrete planters would host a variety of garden herbs.
A look into edible gardening turns up a lot of interesting ideas.
Our perfect planting would be be some sort of genetically tweaked vine that wakes up in the middle of the the night, then it would quietly strangle the browsing deer, and then drop the remains into the equally tweaked giant Venus Flytraps.
What could possibly go wrong?
CGO. I approve this title.
DeleteHerbs are actually really great and something I do not grow enough of, especially as we use enough of them. Rosemary is a standard growing item (perennial, except it cannot stand a deep freeze), and I grow mint here because I love the smell of it (although it does not really belong here and only survives because it is partially shaded and I water frequently).
I approve of your proposed genetic mutation experiment, although I fear it will go horribly wrong as it sounds like the beginning of multiple low budget sci-fi end of the world movies gone horribly wrong...
There is a grass down here near the sun's surface that is everything you could want. A Saint Augustine variety called Cobalt is their latest offering. I don't like broad leaf grass, so my favorite is Texas Tech's hybrid called Turfalo. It's a buffalo grass hybrid. The skinny leaves of buffalo grass felt like heaven to my bare feet as a kid. I liked the dusty green color too.
ReplyDeleteI'm planting my "garden" now. I'm a bit late as always. It usually winds up being a burnt sacrifice to Ra.
Bon chance! uh.... buen suerte.
STxAR - I saw both of these varieties in my search (more on that in tomorrow's post). I was frankly amazed at the variety of native grasses I had no idea existed. A whole new world to explore.
DeleteLate - I figure I have about three weeks to get everything done, which would be great except that I will out at my parents' for a week of that. Thankfully we get more daylight this weekend so I can put in more time after work without threatening to injure my feet as I dig away in the fading twilight...
Over the years, I've never had much luck with any sort of planting next to brick, concrete or stone as you have around your house. They are such heat sinks that it makes everything stressed during the hottest parts of the year. They are great in spring and fall though. I've had better luck moving plants further away from buildings and sidewalks.
ReplyDeletePerennial sorts of things seem to do better, especially those with woody stems. The only good news for the backyard at least is the way the house is set, it remains relatively shaded most of the day in the Summer so is only indirectly exposed to the heat (of course, that indirectness can be enough).
DeleteEveryone in my area told me that I would not be able to grow roses. They don't grow here. So I took 8' long landscaping logs and made an octagon and lines it with soaker hoses. Put landscaping barrier down, dumped tons of mulch on top. Grew those roses to every one astonishment for years. Only thing I had to do was water every 4/5 days. Turned in on to trickle all night and had happy roses.
ReplyDeleteDo Not Plant Climbing Vines - Planted wisteria, that was a nightmare. Put the plant in one spot and trimmed weekly and sometimes almost daily. Came up in the side yard, across the driveway. Took years to finally get rid of all the volunteers. Nothing killed it.
Best thing I did when we moved was find a local feed store, not a chain, and asked them for lawn and veggie growing advice.
gl
GL - Well done. I think that one can grow lots of things that "should not" grow there, if one has the dedication and patience for it.
DeleteAgreed with climbing vines. I try to pull out the junk vines here every year.
Good planning, I think, TB. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYou all be safe and God bless.
Linda, I like to hope so! Just keep trying until we find something that works.
DeleteI look forward to watching your redesigning take shape, TB. I've been eyeing tall grasses myself. I don't think Hub will want to deal with them (iow, mow around them), but I think they'd make a great screen between our garden and the neighbor's swimming pool. OTOH, I hate to be so obvious about putting up a "screen". And my time in the garden (morning or early evening) rarely corresponds with their dips in the pool.
ReplyDelete