Thursday, August 4, 2011

Finished/Unfinished

Finishing one thing always seems to lead to the next step. Is there really any such thing as finished? I am beginning to wonder.

The shape of a bed was defined long ago. I even managed to mulch the whole thing with wood chips before planting anything. That is generally how it works for clients, not so much how I manage for myself. Plants began to arrive and the glass bottle edging was completed.

This bed is in the avalanche zone of the roof so it needs to be kept simple. The idea is a very simple lawn like collection of native sedges, interesting grasses and sisyrinchium I gather from the immediate surroundings, one Acer griseum and perhaps a big boulder or sculpture of some sort. Then I decided to add the weed Plantago major. Other plants have accidentally landed in here. That is bound to happen. Some iris, mums and Rose Campion parked themselves here. Annual sunflowers and zinnias joined them.

Now it is time to go foraging and fill in and finish planting with the sedges, grasses and sisyrinchium that was the original intent.



I amazed myself again by managing to mulch the entire sewer line bed with wood chips before too many plants had been stuck in the ground. My quandary over what to plant here has helped no doubt. There is one Japanese Maple in that darker circle of mulch. That seemed a no-brainer for the zen shores of Turd Blossom Lake. A rhubarb that followed me home after I tried to deflect it repeatedly ended up in this bed too.



I found some double white lilies way past their prime on clearance and bought three pots. Those are planted right by the path to the service entrance. Some snowdrops got planted in the same location a couple years ago. Other than that I am strangely stumped. What do you plant on top of your main sewer line in a bed that is in dappled shade most of the day? I want some drama, a statement, a bold adventure in landscape design. What to do, what to do, what to do?



Maybe Crawford will come up with something.



How long has it been since I did any stone wall building or work on the basement patio? I would be very happy to get this finished.



The thing is though, finishing one thing always seems to lead to the next step and there are a number of steps left to the completion of the basement patio.

6 comments:

Siria said...

Hi Christopher, I tend to agree, nothing is ever truly finished. One tends to look and always seem to find something to add or change. I say you are really moving along though, and it looks great. What is planted below the wall in the photograph where Crawford is sitting on the wall? That patio might be one of the projects you want to move forward so you can enjoy it before the winter sets in.

Christopher C. NC said...

Those are Shasta Daisy below the wall Siria. They came from thinning them at Client #1's because they were encroaching on his Russian sage that he liked better.

Lola said...

I too was wondering what was below that wall. I don't think we ever get finished with projects in the garden. Situations do change therefore our gardens change. I dare say I think we would become bored if it looked the same all the time.
Your garden looks fabulous.

Christopher C. NC said...

Lola I do have the strong suspicion that as the garden starts developing more a whole lot of transplanting may happen to move things to more desirable locations.

Randy Emmitt said...

Christopher,

Your right never finished. Maybe plant hostas (deer food) or hellebores in the dappled light.

Gail said...

It's the domino effect every time. Missed you at Fling! gail