Thursday, July 15, 2021

Some Garden Projects for the Gardeners

 Hi everyone. Happy Thursday.

Today instead of art I want to share some photos of one of my latest addictions. 

I've been working on some more garden projects when it isn't raining. I guess I have been  inspired by all these gardens I've been visiting. Smile.

My new projects don't look great yet, but since they are in process , it will take time to see what happens.

It all started with this strip between where the woods behind my house  starts and where my grass ends, out behind our fire pit. I don't want anything fancy but I do want something to separate the woods from the lawn.


Several years ago, I originally planted some overflow iris bulbs here, thinking they would make a nice hedge of green all summer. Unfortunately it wasn't sunny enough for them. 
This year I bought the 2 shade loving shrubs, a friend gave me some vinca (periwinkle), and I bought some sweet woodruff.  I'm not adding anything else to this area to give these little plants a chance to grow, with hopes that by next spring these plants will be larger and will have spread out some more than they are now. The 2 posts in this photo are where I put my bird feeders for the summer since I wanted to keep the chipmunks (especially) out of my veggie garden. That part has worked great so far.




To the side of this same area, you can also see my hosta. I bought those 3 years ago and after being eaten by deer the first year, they have grown back but only a bit.  I had hoped this year they would get bigger, but they are still pretty small. (Sad face about that.) I thought that since the irises wouldn't make a green hedge that these hosta would do that. Nope, not yet at least. I am curious about how some people get these large shrub like hostas.

I had an ugly plastic snow fence up here to keep the deer out for the last 2 years, and this year I decided to replace it.  These fence pieces aren't the largest, but they blend into the scenery from afar which is what I wanted. And they look way better than the snow
fence, even if they were tougher to put in because of tree roots and rocks. (And when my plants get larger, this fence will blend into the scenery even more.)

And don't you love that Polynesian or Easter Island  style head I found when I bought the fence pieces?  


Then there's my next garden in the process.

I am calling it my bee garden, because, obviously, you can see my beehive from here. Last year I built this stone walkway down to where the bees would be going. This year while visiting my hive I noticed lots of garden plants that had self seeded themselves behind my veggie garden fence. Plus there's a few sunflowers growing too from winter bird seed spillage.

I've got grass to pull out on the far end, but I've been moving some garden plants that I have thinned out down here. I'm hoping that next year I will have more of a full sun garden with lots more flowers for the bees.

And if my bees make it through the winter (which I am hoping and planning on), I am going to add a second hive next year. I don't want a huge honey producing set up, but I am enjoying the bees and would love a second hive.

Everything is so lush this year. This is my main garden.  I thinned it about a month ago. I am now trying to decide if it is still too full and needs a bit more thinning or if it is good as it is. Part of me loves the wild meadow look and part of me isn't crazy about it.


There's lots blooming and about to bloom.








In another week all my oregano will be blooming since you can see the blossoms above. That will add a lot more flowers.

I tried brussel sprouts in my veggie garden this year. They are doing fantastic.


So are the weeds. (smile) And you can see my carrot starting also.


When I weed my veggie garden I only weed around the plants themselves and leave the walk areas weedy. I've tried various methods of weed control, but nothing seems to do the trick completely. (And I don't want to bark mulch here because I like to rotate my crops a bit.) Maybe next year I will get more raised beds. This year I put in 2. With all this rain there is not enough time in the day to totally get rid of all the weeds. 

I do have some grapes coming. I'll get to make more grape jelly this fall.


And I left behind some milkweeds for the butterflies. Hopefully next year they will seed in my bee garden.


That's some of the gardening going on here at my house.  I love that it changes constantly and next summer, may be a totally different place from now.

Hope you're having a good week, and thanks for visiting.







13 comments:

kathyinozarks said...

Good morning Erika, I really enjoyed reading about your gardens-It is a challenge when you live in the woods-I had to finally break down and really downsize my veggie area and put up a tall chain link fence to keep the deer and other critters out at our woods home.
Have you looked into native wildflowers for your area? our state conservation here in Missouri sells the plants in the spring time for a big savings. a shame some of yours didn't self seed. If you have access to straw that isn't real expensive I would save up cardboard boxes through the year then flatten them and lay around the plants and in the rows-top with thick newspapers and then add the straw on top-it really helped me with the garden weeds and most of it all breaks down for the compost pile or til it in.
we are getting allot more rain this summer too than usual Happy thursday Kathy

R's Rue said...

I love your photos. So beautiful. Have a great day.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

CJ Kennedy said...

Your garden is so beautiful and lush. I'll be interested to see what you do to separate the woods from the lawn area. The area I was hoping to be a meadow has no overgrown as wood plants have taken over. The Easter Island head is a fun addition. Enjoy the sunshine today before wet weather returns for the weekend.

Valerie-Jael said...

Hi Erika, you have been working very hard in your garden and got a lot done. I didn't know that the deer eat your plants. The flowers are all beautiful, and I love the wild meadow part, that's how I like gardens! Your head sculpture is fabulous. Well done on getting so much done! Hugs, Valerie

Iris Flavia said...

Great projects, bet you will have a beautiful garden there soon.
I only have self-planted plants this year on my balcony. And they grow. But they´re only green, so war no more than that!
Hope you get a second hive next year, it´s like really important, wish I had the space and was brave enough to join you.
Grapes, wow!
You sure have a great place there :-)

Jeanie said...

You have been incredibly busy and prolific with your work. I love the fencing and the new greenery. Also, that you have a "bee garden" and a main garden! I know how much work that takes (which is why my garden is such a mess) so bravo!

Divers and Sundry said...

It's wonderful to see all your different garden areas. I like the meadow look, but it can be hard to maintain. You look like you already have a bee-friendly yard :) All those flowers!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Enjoyed the garden tour to see what’s growing in your garden, Erika. Weeding was always our least favorite gardening task as well.

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

Erika you have a magnificent garden if you could see the true size of mine you would call it your sprout patch hee hee.. My Granny had a huge hosta hedge i've never had any luck with them the slugs get to them before they become anything.. The Bee and Butterfly Meadow is a good way of keeping your Bee's well fed if they don't want to venture out too far f the weather is bad.
You must be having so much fun designing it all.. Keep up the good work.
Hugs Tracey xx

Dortesjs said...

beautiful photos of a beautiful garden

craftytrog said...

Your garden looks amazing Erika! Ours is blooming at the moment too. I love summer!
Hugs,
Alison xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I am SO far behind, I may never catch up. Your gardens are truly lovely. There are SO many different types of hosta. Yours may never get much bigger, but you can thin them in the spring when they first come up. They look like asparagus shooting out of the ground for a couple of days. That is when you need to transplant them.

I'm with Kathy on weed control. Read about lasagna gardening and you will never weed again. I used shredded bills in addition to newspapers. Cardboard is a must, though. I like the meadow look, but that fence with the Polynesian head is fabulous.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Your garden areas are so beautiful - I definitely have garden envy - I do miss ours! Hugs, Chrisx