Gardening news

Lately, I've been trying to get control of my back yard.  It's been a jungle all spring and summer.  I have too many large bushes back there and the wild violets have gone crazy and almost managed to take over the yard.  They did completely cover the path between the steps from the deck and the back gate.  I have managed to pull up all the violets and other weeds that were growing in the path, but there are still  MANY growing in the flower beds. 

Anyway, I have trimmed some of the bushes, so that at least I can reach the path from the steps - the hydrangea was completely blocking the path.  However all the bushes (except for one that has only been in the ground 2 years) need radical trimming.  A friend is urging me to cut the hydrangea back to the ground, but I just can't bring myself to do that.  I will give it a radical cutting this fall.  It is too big for its space at the bottom of the steps, but that is NOT my doing.  It was there and already too big when I moved in.  I will just have to be very strict with the other overgrown bushes (four of them) and cut them all way back.  I just am waiting until they finish blooming this summer. 

When I was visiting my family in NY State back in June, I brought home some flat stones my brother had in his yard.  (For some reason, he didn't want to take them to Wisconsin with him when they moved!!)  I decided these stones would look very nice on the path, but of course there weren't enough of them to make adequate stepping stones.  So today I went to the Stone Store and selected more flat stones.  The main criteria for them was that I had to be able to lift and carry them.  I think I bought about 20.  My friend went with me, as she needed to get a few rocks for her yard.  When we got home, she helped me carry some of my stones through the house to the back deck.  After lunch, I went out and started carrying them down the steps and laying them in the path.  It was very hot work and I'm not quite done.  There are 6 more to take down.  I have laid them on the path, but not done any arranging.  Last week, I purchased plants to put in-between the stones.  These little plants can actually be walked on and will fill in the spaces between the stones.  They will not grow as tall as the wild violets, so will be a better ground cover.  Should look pretty good next year.

Last week, I also did a bit of work in the front yard, pulling up all the Queen's Ann's lace.  That stuff has a pretty strong root system.  I needed to get it out before it went to seed.  It was a mistake to transplant it from the wild.  It spread all over the bed and into the grass.  (Not as bad as the violets, however.)  Most of it is gone now, but I'm sure a few survivors will come up in the spring.  I'm thinking of redoing my front flower bed, but it will be a major job, so it certainly won't be done this year. I love plants and could easily fill twice the space, if I had it.  Unfortunately, I am at the size limit for the beds in the front.  If the Homeowner's Assoc. would let me, I would have no grass, just plants and a path in the front yard.  Maybe someday.....

 Not a very good photo.  I was taking it into the sun.  But you get an idea of what the path will look like. 

If the weather cooperates, I hope to get the stones in place and the step-able plants (not pictured) planted between the stones.  If it rains all week or stays in the high 90s, not so much will get accomplished.  Time will tell.

This picture is taken on the deck.  You can see a few remaining stones on the table.  I'll take them down later, after sunset.  The plants on the talbe and on the chair are some I just bought.  The red ones on the table will go in a pot and stay on the deck, probably.  The green/white one will go below the deck, in the deep shade.  There is also a begonia, which needs to go somewhere, but I don't know where.  The petunias in the little yellow and blue pots live on the table, but have been temporarily displaced by the stones!