I am so surprised how little I've been in the garden these past couple of months! Perhaps it's because I know how much work I have to do, or perhaps it's because there are a few things I want to change in my garden and have been putting it off. Now it's too late to make those changes so it's better I just get in there and at least clean it up, and that's what I intend to do today.
Do you keep a journal of your garden? I do. I have to! I can't always remember where I put plants especially if you're like me and change things up frequently! In fact this year I actually took a side garden that I had planted a few years back and dug every plant out of it, amended the soil, which was still pretty good, and replanted the plants but differently. Overtime I noticed that some plants grew faster than others, or taller than I thought or didn't do as well, so the planting arangement had to be changed to encourage better growth and the overall look of the garden.
It was a lot of work, and I won't see the change until next year, but I think it was worth the effort.
I also keep a journal so I can go back to last year and monitor how well a plant is doing! Are we late blooming? Was the weather this damp last year? It really does help to have those references. I'm actually glad I have this blog, because I'll be able to document my garden in real time. Woohoo, this might be better than the journal I currently have because it's handwritten! Who writes by hand these days!
Anyway, here are some pictures of what my garden looks like today!
I'm almost embarrassed because there is so much work to be done to this garden in general. I wish I could do so much more to it than I have but I find my back yard garden to be full of challenges. We have a very big deck, south facing with lots of sun, which I love and those stairs go up a hill . There are tons of trees in the back, which provide a lot of privacy from neighbors, but also a lot of shade. Disappointing for a gardener that loves flowers! So my selection of plants has to be not only shade tolerant but has to fulfill some of my need for blooms. Very challenging indeed.
Here is my side garden. The garden I completely replanted in early September.
Just a total mess!!
I hope it will look a hell of a lot better once it's cleaned up.
I'll show you the pictures when I'm done. See if it makes a difference.
And feel free to offer suggestions! I welcome any thoughts you might have! And I would love to hear how you over came your own garden challenges. Share please. We could all learn from each other!!
Cheers!
