Tag: yard work

Rose Garden Cleanup

Final cleanup, fertilizing, and planting, ready to show off in 2023.

It only took about two hours this time and some back breaking arranging of the farm rock I use for steppingstones. Everything is looking good, just need some sunshine and rain to make it grow and look good. Some perennials didn’t do as well as expected due to the hot-cold-hot-freezing weather changes but I’m hopeful for good summer growth and probably a fall layer of leaves to protect everything. Moving the leaves out is a pain but so worth the effort.

The bell garden got the same treatment but mostly weeding and working in some Epsom salt into the soil and a good wetting. I do have to water this bed more due to the wonderful maple shade tree zapping up all the moisture but it’s working as well.
The large stone garden in the big yard is awesome this year with added butterfly bush, money plant and more delphinium.
Peony
Peonies have been beautiful and lasted a little longer with no hard rains to make them droop and lose their bloom.

I’m a happy camper!!!

Big Yard Flower Bed

In the beginning its barren and cold looking, almost like a grave.
It a small focal point of the yard between the house yard and the pond. Somethings have done well in it and others not so much. Every spring since five years ago I’ve added something new, blue and purple!
It is a four by seven-foot bed surrounded by stone from the farm. I have to keep stakes and chicken wire around to keep out the chickens and probably the deer & rabbits. This really doesn’t take away from the beauty of the bed when everything is blooming in it.
View from west end
View from east end, I had just planted the butterfly bush the week before. All of the plants are perennials. The Shasta daisy in the left corner just got divided and was bigger than a bushel basket last year. It’s the only white in the bed.
Butterfly bush
Perennial Foxglove
Delphinium in a brilliant blue
Money plant/silver dollar plant, seed from my granddaughter, Victoria.
Third year of the hydrangea from my husband

It will get a layer of mulch shortly and the bed will be done for the year. It gets full sun and I water it from the pond. Now I just wait for the blanket flower to perk up and show it’s beautiful blooms.

The Yard Cleanup

Unless it snows, winter can be very ugly! Then spring starts sprouting, and I get to work trying to make it lovely again!! The entire yard is cleaned up and here’s a few shots of the final cleanup.

The rose garden and northeast yard are full of leaves, maple tree limbs, and all of Sadie’s bones that she chewed on all winter fill the space.

I’ve trimmed the fall growth from the roses and the frozen tips. I’ve had two new roses to add to the garden and last fall I reseeded some of the perennials in that flower garden. I’m going to pull up a lot of the flat rock to use as borders somewhere else.

I worked one entire day and got all of the debris out of the yard and cleaned up. I was plum tuckered at the end of the day.

One of two roses have been planted. It looks like its blooming but that’s some red leaves and the label to remind me which one it is.
The second rose is a climber and red, it’s name is Don Juan. The other rose is a garden rose called Queen Elizabeth and is pink and white.
I also have lupine in that bed and it’s looking good but after frost the last two nights it may not look that good by the end of the day.
I moved the primrose from the bell garden to the rose garden for more sun. Maybe they’ll bloom better in this spot.
Leaves and debris are all gone. The Hostas in front of the porch are free of small limbs and leaves.
The hostas are starting to come up and I left some of the wood bark that has been swept from the firewood on the porch. Thought it might be a little more nutrition for them.
The flower bed on the outside of the yard got cleaned up and will be worked up for a new herb garden. I’m going to try my luck at raising them and drying them in the fall. The bed was full of hibiscus which will go to my daughter and went to New Kent County with hubby’s family that just camped out on the farm.
The peony and daylily on the outside got a good cleaning out. I just have one problem with them, they are full of grass and I don’t know how to kill it without killing the flowers. I’ll wait and see if they’re strong enough this year to kill out the grass.

Now on to the main yard bed and the bed around the gazebo!! Things are starting to look really good.

Southwest Yard Cleaned Up

Spring cleaning outside as well as inside the house will be happening the next two weeks.

Our yard is a mess from leaves, twigs, dog bones and any kind of debris that occurs over the winter months when I don’t get out to keep it clean.

Yesterday was beautiful and while hubby was busy with his chores, I started cleaning the southwest corner of the yard. It only took about two hours, but I got it done and it looks really nice. Now it ready for some lime and fertilizer because it has lots of moss and the grass is patchy.

No debris and bird feeding station has moved close to the yard but outside the yard. I will hang a hammock or swing at the bird feeding station.
With the bird feeding station in a new location, I should be able to hang laundry outside and give the bed linens a good airing. Sadie is looking for a couple chipmunks that have wintered in the backyard with the birds.
I love a clean yard!!

Next area is the southeast yard on the other side of the house, and it should take about an hour. Depending on the weather this should happen tomorrow.