Gate: Stay IN

It took us some time to get to a place where we thought we could get a dog. There's the responsibility, long work days, home projects, an unsuitable vehicle, and incomplete fencing on the yard. Over the past few years, many of those concerns were scratched off the list, really just leaving ONE gate needing constructing. So, we got the dog and the gate surfaced to the top of the priority list.

Nick likes to out-build any possible competitor, with little concern for complexity. We thought it would be neat to have a window/look-through of some sort in the gate. Ideas included using a vintage speakeasy door or iron bars salvaged from a railing. In this situation, a simple idea beat out the others. Nick used leftover lattice from the deck to create a semi-private window in the door. We left off at the end of March with the gate constructed, but without the arbor at the top. I wonder if neighbors and passers-by thought that the piece of scrap wood at the top was part of the finished design. It's just a brace to ensure the posts stayed plumb while installing the other parts.

It's not done, but it still looks good.

Several weeks passed before Nick could finish the gate project. He got a bad cold and then we had a rash of rainy weekends. Recently, the weather cooperated and Nick was able to finish.

In-progress.

Above, the nicely detailed horizontal board has been placed, as well as some shorter boards just under (perpendicular). 

NOW it's done!	Such detail...ooh la laa!

The finished gate and arbor is glorious. Nick notched out each one of the top boards, which adds dimension to the design. 

Yard Stuff: A Sunny Sunday OR Experiments

When it comes to gardening, I can mostly do what I want. If I keep it in a pot, Nick doesn’t care at all. He also doesn’t care if I weed, prune, or fertilize. However, he DOES care when it comes to putting things in the ground, though I still take gambles on small things that won’t be hard to take out later.

Sky pencil holly, laurel, bush tree, maple.

This is my little nursery with last year’s experiments. Sometimes when I find seedlings I’ll put them in little pots to see if I can grow them bigger. Here I have some laurels that I plan to take to Mom and Dad’s farm to plant. They may not make it given the climate difference, but there’s no cost to trying. They’re looking a little yellow, so it’s time to get them in the ground and feed them. At front is a little bush tree that I think came from the neighbor’s yard and is growing well. The pathetic looking thing on the left is a sky pencil holly from the front yard that I’ve put into PICU (Plant Intensive Care Unit), to see if I can revive it. I also have a maple that got fried last year when I was away for a few days. Its leaves shriveled and fell off, but it stayed alive!

Unidentified thing (left) and sweet gum tree (right).

This year’s experiments include a cutting from one of the sweet gum trees at the parking strip. This twig was growing from the base of the trunk, so I snipped it, dunked it in rooting hormone and stuck it in a little pot. Its leaves came out and are getting bigger! I moved him to an area of the yard that is a bit more protected so that he doesn’t stress from the direct sun.

Rosemary cuttings staged in a warm place.

These rosemary clippings were gathered from a nearby source. I hope they take root so I can plant them in a hot spot next to the deck. It’d be great to have fresh rosemary for cooking!

New hose and water soluble fertilizer.	This pieris breaks my heart. How do I make her happy?

The sky pencil hollies in the front yard have not been happy. I’m taking a bolder approach this year and if they don’t snap to, we need to do something else. I got some water soluble miracle grow and plan to feed them every 7 – 14 days, as suggested on the bag. The pieris that we transplanted from the front yard has had a rough go. Nick says it lost a lot of root mass in the move and he’s amazed it’s survived at all. This year we were heartened to see quite a lot of healthy new growth.

Yard Stuff: A Sunny Saturday

Recently, a request from a VIP reader came in wondering what we were up to in the yard (real time). On nice days, I typically do some weeding after work in the yard. I can never keep up! We've been shorted on sunshine the last two or three weekends, but today we finally got lucky. It was a perfect day to spend outside.

Evil Bluebells have taken over our side yard. These are especially hard to eradicate because you have to dig deep to get underneath them and grab the bulb. Even the gentlest tug on the top part will separate the leaves from the bulb. It's very frustrating, but today I was up to the task!

Side yard: before.	Side yard: after. What should I put here?

Last fall we purchased a bunch of thyme to plant in the joints of the stone patio. The thyme isn't very happy there and isn't taking off. We had extra in reserve for the walkway that we haven't finished yet. The poor things were suffering in their little containers, so I planted them around this maple tree. Nick doesn't like it, but I think they'll do well there and I doubt he'll get the gumption to change it.

Do you have the thyme?

I bought four watering bags to put around our trees. These Worplesdon Sweet Gum trees in the parking strip have hardly grown in the last two (maybe three) years. I gave them some fertilizer intended for rhododendrons and azaleas, because they are supposed to also like slightly acidic soil. It's hard to keep them watered because they are out of reach of the automatic sprinkler that we set up in the summer, so I thought these drip bags might make them happy.

Watering bags at street. Stupid grass isn't doing well there.

We have a dwarf rhododendron in each bed on either side of the walkway. This is the first year this little guy bloomed! His friend on the other side still hasn't bloomed, but maybe it will like the fertilizer I put near it. The dogwood was very happy with the fertilizer and the watering bag. He (she?) didn't bloom last year, which made us sad. I think things would be improved with a fresh load of compost to put everywhere. 

Dwarf rhododendron. So pretty when it blooms!	Blooming dogwood. Get bigger!