Sunday, August 4, 2013

Planting The Brown Spot

I chemically killed off a large swath of Clematis virginiana mixed with a healthy dose of blackberry a while back. I needed some assistance. After spending many long days eliminating clematis by hand, prying its steel roots from the ground, this thick patch was more than I wanted to weed manually. I sprayed it and killed it.





















I had another motivation too. Four flats of plants grown from seed were waiting to be planted on this part of the slope. Last week I got some bonus Cornus sericea, Redtwig Dogwood, starts to add to my boundary planting at the bottom of the sprayed area.





















Today I did more planting. I have added at least a dozen more Baptisia, a dozen Milkweed, a new Goldenrod, two Rudbeckia maxima plants and plenty seeds and a new grass, Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans. Prairie Dropseed and a perennial lupine I had also grown from seed where planted in other locations.

Now I will have to weed by hand.





















Then things got odd.





















I acquired this heavy metal trellis from Client #1 after the big snow storm of December 2008 ripped it from its anchors in a stone wall and bent it out of shape. It has been lying on its side along the drive for all that time. Today I found a way to use it in the garden. First I did try to use it as an arbor over the path leaving the Great Lawn and heading into the forest, but that wasn't going to work without some major support. It was boring anyway.

Until the log rots it can live this way. Big junk, er art, stands out in the Lush so much better. Now what color should I paint it. I'm leaning towards the Molera Vaquero Red of the cement columns and the telephone pole. We can call it a portal into another world. Maybe it needs a mirror too. I have time to contemplate.





















Button has been enjoying the new rustic benches on the Great Lawn. I never mentioned he got hit or side swiped by a car last month and lived to tell about it. I heard it happen. Three out of four legs were scratched up and the fur on his chin was rubbed off. One hopes it made an impression on him and he'll keep his hiney off the scenic byway from now on.



























A garden becomes bit by bit, plant by plant and with constant editing. There is no plan anymore. I have the flow through the space I wanted. Now I will play with plants and plant combinations. Things will accumulate.





















The garden will never be the same.

8 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Big art is good. Button looks quite natural there on the bench.

Sallysmom said...

When I first saw the trellis, I thought that it looked like a doorway to somewhere. The red would be great. As for cats, we know they think the world needs to change for them and they don't have to change for the world. Button may try walking down the road again. Hopefully not but don't hold your breath.

Lola said...

For some odd reason my response on laptop won't go through. Poor kitty I do hope it will prefer your beautiful surroundings rather than the scenic by way. I think the red on the trellis would look great & tie it to the home.

Garden Broad said...

I vote red on the trellis, too. I used two t-bar posts to hold up sections of picket in my shade garden and needed something to hide the excess post above the fence. I used an old picture frame-won't last forever but it looks funky cool, IMO. "Sprayed with blackberry" to kill weeds?! Do tell!

Christopher C. NC said...

Garden Broad, the blackberry was mixed in with the clematis I killed. It wasn't mixed in the spray used for the killing.

Garden Broad said...

Ahhh, I see. Got excited for a minute when I thought you'd devised some new botanical weed killer :)

Christopher C. NC said...

Maybe some scientist needs to test out Black Walnut extract as a weed killer.

Garden Broad said...

For sure! I hear that sunflower seed hulls are toxic to many plants as well...