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.
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."
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."
