A new day has dawned. I will yet become gardener. A stroll in our garden over the weekend set a new fire in me. I hate our garden. I hate our yard. What can you do with a 45 degree slope (okay not quite but close enough.) We will be buying a new drive way quite soon, I can feel it in my bones. It has cracked and sunk again, as it has apparently in the past. So that said I know we can't afford to pay someone to keep the yard and make it look nice.
We have weeds that was once our grass. We have a center island that is choked with choke cherry shoots,weeds and bushes that have out grown their place. There is nothing fancy, nothing exciting and but much infested with weeds Lots and lots of weeds. For the last 3 days in the late afternoon when the heat is dying out of the day, we've been in the garden.
I sprayed the grass a week ago for bugs - with the drought so bad at this time watering restrictions make it impossible to do much else... but the girls want to walk in the grass, so the bugs had to go. There is no point in doing anything with grass at the moment, it is so scorched with the drought and lack of watering that there is no telling what is really there, so I think I'll wait and remain hopeful for some rain in the fall and then call somebody in to sort out the mess we call a lawn.
So on to the bushes.... at first I was mad that walkway was being covered by the azaleas out front.... Then I discovered that the azaleas are almost 4.5 feet tall. They need drastic trim... Ideally I want them about 2-3 feet tall as they are in front of our bay windows. But again the drought makes it an unwise idea to hack away at the azaleas or we could shock them into a bad state and they may not flower come spring which is something dh looks forward to! :) But these bushes are a security hazard - not that I'm paranoid but someone could hid in the bushes and break in through any of the front windows. So the goal will be to make them shorter.... neater. So that has been one my accomplishments of the last few days. Trimming them so they don't get too unwieldy come mid winter. Again if it rains a bit, I will launch my attack. I've so far managed 1 and 1/3 of about 8 bushes in 2 days... not bad, but my arms are kind a tired.
We also have these bushes that are shaped in a mound. They too have reached over 4 feet in height, and I want them trimmed or removed. I'll settle for trimmed for now. I've cleaned 3 of the 6 of them up as they were shaggy, but again if it ever rains they will be trimmed down to about 2 ft in height. The next 3 of these will be more difficult but it will be done.
The holly bushes will be gone. I will pay someone to extricate them, if I have to. I've been bitten by the nasty thing too many times. You get bitten by one and jump back in fright and the 2nd one bites ya too! I may be a tad anti-social but who in their right cotton picken mind would put Holly Bushes - broad leaf, prickly Holly bushes right by the front door? Flanking both sides of the door? They've apparently been there for 25 yrs through 2 previous owners and now 5 yrs with us. I pledge, that for my sanity and that of those who come after me they will be gone before the fall, if I have to take them down and dig out the stump myself. (so if you read and garden, give me a suggestion for a simple bush that I can put near my front door. Something fragrant would be nice, but if it really attracts bees or other biting bugs.... maybe I'll stick with a simple low Euonymus - maybe a Fireball Burning Bush type - now that would be pretty! Plus I'd like short but if it needs trimmed.... well I'm your gal! :)
I'll keep this here as my idea list! :)
On to the weed pit that we call the center island. I will attack that. I just want the weeds gone and for it to look like someone loved it a little. I think, for the next couple years we'll irradicate the weeds, poison ivy (apparently it is there dh has gotten it a few times) and periwinkle, leave it for a summer while I research and hatch a plan for some long term low maintenance but pretty plants.
In the mean time I'mgoing to get a rose. In honor of my dd's sister (but not my child) and plant it in the garden. Our memorial rose bush.
Ya its crazy. I may not succeed in anything i try here, but hey at least I can say I tried and gave up with a fight! LOL!
So wish me luck as I attack my garden and turn it into a much nicer paradise. So that in addition to the other things you've read here, will be in my repertoire. If you're not into gardening and don't care, I won't be offended if you skip over these posts! LOL!
