Clean up continues

I've spent most of today working on the side yard, cleaning all the pine needles out of the rock walls, digging up vinca and cutting it back, cleaning up the stairs, raking out the flowerbeds, pruned the trees and cut back the Alder, cut down the Black Locust that found its way into my flower bed, and cleared out broken and old gardening supplies from the shelves by the shed. I'm covered with dirt and tired, but when I look at what I've accomplished today I feel a sense of satisfaction and as Scarlet O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Transplanting

Today I moved the blackberry bushes from next to the path to along the chain link fence. I am told that it's really hard to kill them, so I hope they survive. I also transplanted two Indian Hawthorne bushes (small ones) from the front yard to the back yard. I hope they survive there. The soil looks rich enough. I lost my Blue Nikko Hydrangeas to the snow this year, so I'm hoping the new shrubs will get established and provide me the privacy I'm looking for in my "dining room". This is what it looked like before I put the shrubs in...

And this is what it looked like after...

Not as exciting but still necessary I did some more raking and cleared out the dog run. I'll leave the bagging up for Eric. I also pulled a ton of invasive vinca from the front yard area by the bedroom window and along the fence line in the backyard.

Things are getting greener

A lot has happened in the yard since my last post. The trees and shrubs are all in full leaf, my blackberry bush has awakened from it's long winter nap, and we had our first Spring cleaning in the yard last weekend. We bagged up 13 large garbage bags and 5 trash cans full of pine needles and yard waste! And there's still more, but I'll work on that next week. As you can see in the photo the vinca (on the right side of the steps) is coming up nicely and it has a lot of flowers this year. The Lady Ferns (on the left side of the steps) are coming back and of course, the grass. The steps will get a good weeding and the errant vinca vines will get pruned back.

The vinca along the fence has grown in thicker this year and the suckers around the sycamore are growing in. I'm trying to find out what they are. My garden buddies say it's some kind of Alder, Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia - Mountain Alder. The leaves are similar but they don't match it exactly, and it's supposed to grow near riverbeds. God only knows how it got up here.


The trees and shrubs are starting to fill in and hide the view of the neighbors house which I'm happy to say is now, thankfully, vacant, but with the leaves comes the weeds and my flowerbeds are in need of a serious clean up.

Today, I took on my first gardening project. As I said in an earlier entry, we had the concrete and rock surrounding the spa removed and hauled off which left me with a blank spot in my yard and no ideas of how to fill it. There was a concrete slab (3x5)under the spa, and I had no idea what was underneath it so I just had the guys leave it there. Unfortunately the thing was right in the middle of the yard, (it's right underneath that grouping of pine cones). Anyway, I asked my friend, Linda, (she's always got great ideas) what to do with it and she gave me a great idea for a waterfall garden. I bought one of those small pre-formed water fountains a couple of years back and I made this the focal point of my new planting area. Linda said that since I couldn't hide or remove the slab that I should incorporate it into the plan. She suggested that I should place a line of rocks on either side of it and put the waterfall at the end.


Next, I put a couple of steps in to take me down to the same level as the slab. There was enough of a drop that I put in two steps.So, here are the steps with the concrete slab in front of them.


I found a soaker hose in an area of the garden I was no longer using and brought that over to use in my new planter. I moved a few rocks around the yard, transplanted some Lamium and strawberries, and I had a good start for my new planter. Once the groundcover get established I'll bring in some flowers and maybe a couple of shrubs behind the waterfall. If I'm lucky the Lady Ferns will find their way over there and I won't have to plant anything at all.

A Facelift For The Front Yard!

Our neighbor across the street is having a bunch of grading done on his lot in June and he didn't know what he was going to do with the excess dirt, so I offered to take it off of his hands. He was more than happy to give some to us, so come June we will be able to level out our front yard and I can terrace it the way I've always wanted too.

The first buds of Spring...

Things are slowly coming to life. The blossoms are almost gone from the cherry tree and the vinca is beginning to pop up.

The large shrub at the foot of the parking pad is beginning to get it's leaves.

A Harbinger of Spring

I just saw a male American Robin grooming himself in the cedar tree outside my kitchen window.



The daffodils have blossomed in the planters, and my iris are beginning to peek out of the vinca. I found out from my garden web site that you can mow vinca down in the fall, and it will come back in the spring with a lot of new blossoms. I think this year I should do that since mine hardly blooms at all anymore and it is getting a bit unruly. It's still to early to plant though, last night it was 29F.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish...

The Ortega’s finally came back, and hauled off the last of the rocks from the spa they busted out in October. I’ve been living with those eyesores in our dog run since BEFORE Halloween. After the snow hit I was concerned that the dogs might jump the fence because the rocks under the snow made the snow bank a lot higher that it would have normally been. We called them several times about coming back over to finish the job, but got no response, so we thought they were going to stiff us. We were really shocked at their behavior because we have hired them for several jobs before, and they always showed up on time, and did the job efficiently.

We ran into a slight disagreement over two of the pieces, which were large concrete footings, they tried to tell me that they weren’t part of the job (ha!), and that they shouldn’t have to haul them off, that and they were too heavy for them to lift. They were part of the job because they were within the rock they were busting out. As a solution we could both live with I asked them to bury them over where we stack the wood, so now they are out of sight, and won’t be in the way of any future planting projects, or the new location of our patio set.

It just goes to prove that you shouldn't pay somebody before the work gets done. They bid the job very reasonably, so when we agreed on the amount (under $150) we expected to have the work done in a week. We even felt sorry for them because they had to make so many runs to the dump that we gave them an extra $70. I later found out that they just pocketed the money, and dumped the rocks in the river bed!

A light dusting...

Today we got a light dusting of snow hardly enough to mention. I noticed that the leaves on the maple tree are starting to bud and the plum tree in the front yard is beginning to get a few pink blossoms.

Local Wildlife

We have coyotes and they usually come out at night. Once in a while you will see one in the day time on our street or crossing the main highway. I heard from a lady on the track below us that they had a mountain lion on their street and that it was stalking her and her dogs when she went out for a walk, but the people on the street were feeding it (a definite no no), and so it became accustomed to being around people, and being fed there.There are other birds that I used to see but they too are scarce now. When we first move up here I saw a mountain quail on our fence, but that was the only time I saw one, and we also saw quite a few California Quail. Before the Bark Beetle infestation many of these birds (shown below) were very common in our yard. Another factor that has changed is that there are a lot more people that are full-time residents now, and that keeps the birds away, I think.



This is a Western Tanager and he is rare to see as well.

This is a Spotted Towhee and he used to be frequently seen but I haven't seen any for awhile.
This is a male House Sparrow. They are also frequently around my feeders, and are around all year.

This is an American Robin. They are pretty big and we used to see them hunting for food in our front yard. They are seasonal birds and are not around all year.

This is a male House Finch. The females are all brown. They are frequently around my feeders and waterfall/birdbath.




These are Acorn Woodpeckers, and I've lost more than one mornings pleasant sleep over these guys rat-a-tatting on the side of my house, not to mention that they are wreaking havok with the paint job!





This is a Mountain Bluebird, and if you are very lucky you might catch a glimpse of one flitting through the trees. They don't frequent my birdfeeders so I have to watch the meadow behind our house to see one.

This is a Mountain Chickadee. They are very shy and it takes a great deal of patience to see one. They flitter and bob around a lot. I see them mostly in the fall and winter months.

This is a Stellars Jay, and he can be quite annoying. They have a very loud "caw caw" sound, but they are also capable of mimicking hawks. They are around all year.

This is a Black-Capped Chickadee and they have a very sweet trilling call. These little fellows are at my bird feeders all winter long.

This is a Black Bear and she probably weighs at least 500 lbs. It's a misnomer that black bears are all black, they are not, this one is cinnamon colored.

Then there's our "bandits". These are a set of twins and were very young when I took these photos. I would never attempt this with an adult.They love to play in the water and are rather partial to crackers and cookies but they'll eat anything including your garbage, which they do every trash day. It's why we have to lock up our cans and put them out in the morning.

These little guys are quite prolific and hog the bird feeders chasing off even the aggressive Stellar Jays. It seems that even if I put food out for them they eat all their stuff and then attack the birdfeeders too!

What garden?

Another Spring is on the horizon and the yard has seen very little progress since 2002. We've been concentrating our efforts on the house for the past few years and as anyone can tell you it's very expensive. But I have made myself a promise that this year I will do something, even if it's something small. As you can see the backyard is nothing to talk about right now. We purchased the porch swing and the picnic set at the same time, but they both suffered casualties this year. I was unprepared for the freak snow storms that hit us and I didn't have time to take the cushions, umbrealla, and awning in. As a result the snow collapsed the umbella and the wind caused a large branch from the pine tree to fall onto the swing awning, and it riped a huge hole in it. I hope to replace them some day. You can also see that river rock eyesore that was the heating source for the Jacuzzi tub that used to be on the deck. The way it worked was you built a fire inside it on top of the pipes, and that would heat the water.

I planted four Blue Nikko Hydrangea bushes in the planter area where the swing is, one near the rock firebox, and one over by the stairs near the hose holder. The one by the hose isn't doing so well, and neither is the one that gets sun all day; it's on the other side of the pine tree, but the two that are in the shade by that rock thing are thriving.

Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' also called fairy bells, are planted near the swing and around the pine tree. They seem to have survived several seasons. I planted them back in 2004. It doesn't spread though like the Dead Nettle does. It's a very pretty, and delicate plant that gets tiny pink bells on the tips of its stems.

Spotted Dead Nettle "White Nancy". I started the Dead Nettle in the area across from the swing. That used to be where the concrete mess from the spa was, and to make the best of it I made a planting area all around the thing, but when we had the concrete broken out, and hauled off they buried the plants under the dirt they were shoveling, and I don't know if they will come back. I transplanted some of it over by the swing area, and it seemes to be thriving there.

Since the last time I took photos in 2002 we had a chain link fence installed, and made a dog run for the puppies that way I can still landscape the backyard, and they can have a place to romp, and take care of business. These photos were taken around noon as you can see we don't get much sun on this side of the yard, so I have to be careful what I plant.

This is where we store the firewood. We started stacking a cord of wood this morning. We usually burn through a cord every six weeks sometimes more depending on how cold it is outside. There is enough room there to stack almost three cords of wood.That is another silver maple in the forefront of the picture. I will might cut that down this year there's enough shade back there. I need some sun.
This is the other side yard, and right now our patio furniture is temporarily set up there. I'd like to move it to another part of the yard because it's not very private there, and the neighbors can see and hear everything we do. As you can see there are a ton of pine needles from the last windstorm. It will probably take about 10 bags to rake up the backyard. The path to the right of the set is an elevated path that leads to the side gate and up to the stone steps. Like most things on this property it was started by a previous owner, and never completed. I had tried planting something between the pic-nic set and the path, but it didn't take.This is the view directly across from the patio set, and it gets some afternoon sun. I have planted some dwarf hydrangea bushes there, but only the one in the shade seems to be thriving. I have plans to make that rock wall more permanent or to use the same kind of bricks that I used to make the steps. That area used to be under the stairs to the deck, and was filled with all kinds of debris. Whoever built the deck just threw all the rocks there willy nilly. I've haven't gotten around to do anything with it yet.This is the other shed we had built, and as you can see we have some junk piled up near it. The stuff on the left side is all of my garden gnomes, and stuff that I put out every year in the spring. Under the cypress tree on the left wild blackberry bushes keep popping up. I'd like to train them against the fence, but they are too far away from it. Anybody have any info on how to move one?This is the stone walkway, and retaining wall that leads up to the front of the house. I'd like to continue this into the backyard. It's a mess right now because it's futile to clean up the yard until after the rainy/snow season ends. As soon as the daffodils come up then I know it's safe to clean up the yard. Removing all the pine needles now isn't a smart idea either because they work like mulch, and keep the plants protected. Sometimes I let the planters go for a year because the needles make really rich soil as they decompose.

On the left is the planter filled with vinca major, and to the right is the area where the two Adirondak chairs were in previous pictures. I have planted a hedge of Indian Hawthorne there. It seems to be doing well, and even had some flowers on it last year. They get plenty of water because of the run off from the roof, and they are in the sun most of the morning and afternoon. I planted a row up by the picket fence, but I don't think they'll survive the snow plow this year. I've planted some vinca up by the street as well, and thought I could put some bulbs in there. I like tulips and peonies. I think a row of peonies should do well along the picket fence. If the vinca fills in, and takes off the flowers should accent one another. I'm trying to work with what survives up here, and evidently peonies are hardy in cold weather.
The Black Locust bush, silver maple, and the hydrangea have grown. In fact I need to trim all the suckers off of the maple. It's jsut so tempting to let them fill in, and hide the neighbors' house. In the fall our yard looks very much like this. We don't get the reds here that they have on the east coast because the trees that turn that color are not native to California or we don't get the proper light, and temperature to make our trees turn that color. Ever wonder why leaves change color? Someday I'm going to make it to New England to watch the leaves turn color. The tree's have almost blocked out the view of the neighbors house, which is this hideous color. Yuck! In the summer they also provide privacy, and a nice view from my kitchen window

This is the view of the dog run from the front yard. In the summer there is a vine with green, heart-shaped leaves that uses the fence like a trellis, and covers the entire thing. I don't know what it is, but it must be some kind of weed because it pops up all over the yard.

This is the view of the back of our house. I had a wreath over the door, but I had to take it down to have the house painted, and I never put it back up. I'm trying to find a low shrub that will cover the concrete foundation. I was hoping that the hydrangeas would take off, but so far I haven't had any luck with the one I planted just left of the door. If I could get one to grow then I would plant one on either side. If they don't work maybe the Indian Hawthorne will. That area doesn't get much sun.
This is the view from the back steps of our house. In the summer this field fills up with beautiful lush ferns, and the trees fill in as well. The birds love it out there, and I get all kinds of wild birds coming in for treats from my bird feeders, and a drink from my waterfall. I don't think anyone will buy the lots because they are impossible to build on, and when it rains a river runs through the gulch.

In the summer the oak trees and shrubs fill in and completely block this unattractive view of the neighbors house.
This isn't one of the most attractive views of our yard. As you can see there's that horrible rock "fireplace". If it were more accessible we might be able to use it as a fireplace to sit around when the nights get chilly, but the door faces the shed, and so it's totally useless, and there is no way we could break that thing up so it's here to stay.
This is just another view of the dog run. When we cut down the black locust tree that was in there it sent out suckers all along our fence line, and as long as I keep them trimmed down to four feet, and under it makes a beautiful green hedge in the summer, and a wall of golden leaves in the fall. The only downside is that since it is a deciduous tree the horrible view of the neighbors unkempt yard and house comes back in the wintertime.