Back Yard: 20 August 2011 & 10 July 2012

And same for the back yard - what a world of difference!

And...

Front yard: 16 October 2011 & July 9 2012

These kind of speak for themselves:

16 October 2011

9 July 2012

Transplanting and Other Weekend Fun

This weekend was a typical summer weekend for me.  Or rather, is typical of how I hope my summer weekends at home will be.

On Saturday before work started I went into Canadian Tire and picked up an outdoor laundry umbrella rack – you know the kind – once they are positioned you have about 5 lines on either three or four panels on which you can hang laundry? Saturday after work rushed home, set it up and hung out some laundry.  Yay for energy conservation AND for laundry that smells like fresh air! That night I had been invited to a friends’ house for a dinner and visit with a few other people I know – yummy food, good laughter and great people – a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Sunday I did another little bit of laundry, puttered in the house and just generally relaxed.

Today I took Jasmine for a short walk, mowed front and back lawns, cut off dead peony blossoms and then headed into the front yard to remove the boxy looking hedge shrubs that were running along the side of the driveway.  My plan for that space is to eventually move the pink peonies from the centre of the back yard (as well as yet another couple of roses I have found) out to the front yard and to replace the ones moved from the back with things that are more highly scented. 

All of the peonies I have found (as well as the roses, come to think of it) are scentless – and I LOVE scented flowers… so the eventual plan is to move anything unscented out of the back yard and replace with flowers that will fill the summer night air with perfume.

Cool, huh?

For now, though, most of what I have been getting up to is actual W O R K!! Digging out the boxy shrubs was hot sweaty stuff.  

With boxy shrubs

Granted, I actually didn’t NEED to do it in full daylight with the sun beating down on me – I could have done it earlier in the day – but you know how it is – the urge to do stuff didn’t actually hit me until AFTER I had some lunch and cider.

Boxy shrubs gone!

Horrible soil and rescued rose...

Come to think of it – maybe it was the cider that caused this urge to do stuff!

Anyhow… what I am thinking I will do is now leave the peonies that are in the back yard where they are until the foliage starts to die off – and then around the time I am turning the compost, replant them all then.  The thought for that one is that, since I will have all of this lovely black compost to use, I may as well use it to bolster up the dry and very unhealthy looking soil in the front.  I’ll dig a trench, fill it with compost, plant the peonies directly on that lovely rich stuff, and then top fill with the less that stellar soil that’s already there. 

I will need to spend some time with a shovel and screen – much of the “soil” in the front garden bed is filled with gravel and stones – and I’ll want all of that stuff out of there…

Isn't that soil terrible??

But look how pretty Rescued Rose is!

Hm.  This is looking like a LOT of work.  Maybe I should think about this and have another cider?

With love across the waters,