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Monday, June 16, 2008

A Garden Story, Chapter Two

We now resume garden tour. I meant to post pictures of each garden last night, but forget these two. Guess that just shows how tired I was.

I really have not done much to this first one since we moved in, other than edge and mulch. I'm not crazy about the plant in the middle, but the deer never chewed on it so I can see why it was planted. One of these days I may move it to the bed out by the road.

An anecdote about this one...I once fell through the lawn, right by that tree. This was before we had the fence and I used to take the cats out in harnesses. I was walking up to the tree to attach Fred's leash so he could lounge and I could do work around the yard, and the ground went right out from under me. In an instant of panic I managed to throw myself backward and land on my butt on the edge of the hole. I landed hard and my back didn't feel right for a couple of weeks after. It was pretty scary, having the ground give out like that. It was a fairly deep hole too, though sloped, and ending in big rocks. Now every spring I tend to explore the yard quite gingerly at first.

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This next one is sort-of brand new. The first fall after we moved in, my parents came to visit and my Mom brought little roots from the lilac bushes at home. We planted them at the edge of the lawn. Eventually I added other plants along the edge, to make a bit of a division since the lot next door is empty and growing wild. I went and scavenged rocks to make a bit of a boundary. When we put up the fence, everything was all squished up against it, though my lilac bushes finally started to thrive once they were safe from being deer food.

Our friendly landscaper asked if we'd like them to fix that up and make a proper bed out of it, since they would have the equipment there to make my little vegetable patch anyway. They dug up all the plants, cut out a new bed and replanted everything. It definitely does look better now, and I no longer have to worry about the lilac bushes growing into the fence - they have lots of room. You can just barely see them at the far end - with all of that green, they do tend to blend in.

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Cats in the Garden
Putting up the fence was great, because it gave me a deer-free space and eliminated the frustration of trying to figure out what I could plant that would be safe. I have researched plants that deer supposedly will not eat, I have bought plants that were labelled as deer safe, and more often than not, the deer still ate them.

But the best part? My best garden pals can come and go freely, hanging out with me while I putter around the yard.

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This corner is a little wild. Must prune that forsythia bush this year. Once the fence went up, it grew like crazy and I didn't give it the attention it deserved. It's done flowering now, so I must get around to giving it a trim. There's one on the other corner that is in the same state. Again, these are from cutting that my Mom brought. Little pieces of home.

Also, note the little garden ornament under the bush. I finally brought out my garden ornaments this weekend as well. They do add little finishing touches. If you look closely in yesterdays photos, you can probably find them. But have no fear! I feel a garden ornament post coming on for tomorrow!

In the meantime, check out my wild ones.

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Daily Record
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Weight: 144.1

BF: Muffin, coffee w/cream (Must stop doing the muffin thing before it becomes a habit)
Snack: grapes
Lunch: Greek Salad(made @home last night), multi-grain bread w/hummus (Salad was pretty good, it held up overnight in the fridge. Bread with hummus was really yummy, had two slices which was maybe more than I need? But I have these little pre-portioned hummus packets and it's too much for one slice of bread. I feel satisfied, but not stuffed though, so maybe 2 slices is ok).
Snack: grapes
Supper: BBQ Chicken, Corn & Black Bean salad

Workout: 1 hour treadmill session

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, first of all, that is truly adorable that you put your cat door in the window!

I can't believe how green your grass is - you must have a lot of rain there... everywhere you look here the grass is just brown, brown, brown!

I love your garden, it looks like a great place to be to relax :-)

Anonymous said...

seriously green!

love,
Miz of the dead looking TX grass.

JavaChick said...

Yes, things are pretty green at the moment. We get a good amount of rain this time of year. By August, could be a different story.

Jaime said...

One day, my gardens hope to grow up to be like yours! :)

Crabby McSlacker said...

What awesome pictures! Cats and gardens are both very pleasant to look at.

But... you fell through your lawn once??? That is SO creepy. It sounds like the beginning of some science fiction tale... or Alice in Wonderland or something.

JavaChick said...

Bi0nic - I'm sure your gardens will grow up just fine! It just takes time. Should have seen mine when we first moved in...Not so pretty.

Crabby - yes it was creepy. I had visions of being stuck down a deep dark hole full of creepy crawlies and no one knowing where I was...I think I like the Alice in Wonderland idea more, but that is certainly not what came to me at the time.

the Bag Lady said...

Falling into a sink hole in the lawn is not something the Bag Lady has on her list of things she envies about this post! But there are a few things she is envious of in your garden!! :)