Life is an Adventure - How to keep it up with Covid-19?

@gingerw When people exclaim about our yard, we always remind them it took over 30 years to get here, and each year is a new adventure. The first 10 years were spent removing and giving away 14 tons of washed river rock and pulling out landscape fabric so I could have gardens. The next 25 have been spent designing, planting, redesigning, mulching, redesigning, edging, redesigning...

I do know I'm done expanding and ready to simplify. For example, I'm done with garden "thugs" - as soon as I figure out a plant wants to spread beyond where I want it, out it goes. If it's too much work, out it goes - so we buy our apples at the orchard now. Last week Russian sage was ruthlessly eliminated from the mailbox bed, where it wants to crowd out the lilies, daylilies and roses. Today as we relaxed and looked at the back fence line, I told my husband the large spectacular clump of one native, the Cup Plant, needs to go because it wants to be The Boss, and even the seedlings are a challenge to remove. Now I get to choose one or two showy shrubs to replace it and find someone with a strong back to dig it out.

Today another 90 coneflowers, milkweed plants and a few other natives were potted to go to my sister and her son for their gardens, which means the pond garden is nearly finished for this year...except more mulch - about 20 bags of it.

Tomorrow I tackle the 15' x 100' back garden - that one takes a solid week to get under control, and probably has another 500 seedlings to share. I don't think I'll even bother to try to get my fingernails or feet completely clean until that's done. Yesterday I even found dirt inside my bra when I went to shower - my kids used to say I really get into my work.

I would be going a lot slower except I have exactly 3 weeks until thumb surgery, then I'm out of the garden for at least 6 weeks, and not much good for the next 6. I'm going to hire the 12 year old next door or my nephew's boys down the road to keep the feeders and birdbaths cleaned and filled, pond skimmed and filters clean, since all their summer activities have been cancelled - we'll see which one wants to play in the water most.

So Ginger, give yourself a break. Set one or two goals each season, then sit back and enjoy what you've done. Let the land tell you what it wants! To me, the most important feature of any landscape is a peaceful place to sit, and comfortbale chairs to sit in.

What's your big goal for this spring?
Sue

@sueinmn You have no idea how supported your post made me feel! When I came up here last August, first thing was to have the five cedar trees along driveway removed. They closed the property off, and were intruding on safe navigation of curved driveway. I like seeing the surrounding hills and feeling the breeze. Hubby mourns their loss, but we will plant some boxwood hedges between the Japanese Burberry still on that driveway fence line. That will be visually pleasing, and offer some privacy.

Sometime next year we will replace the property fence, once we know what direction the vacant lots on two sides will take. If the owner does not sell them outright [he won't sell to us], they go to auction by end of the year. I will be moving the lovely rocks that semi-line that fence. They make keeping a clean line difficult, and some will be used to create my "directional" yard feature. Eventually the bigger ones will help on north slope. Someone went to a lot of work and expense to bring these rocks and boulders in. My husband laughs that the first words out of my mouth when we looked at house, "I hope they are leaving the rocks!"

The biggest challenge I have is finding out what will grow best around here. Wild blackberries, definitely. Ivy snaking up our pine trees. Ferns in the shaded areas. Daffodils, iris, and roses are established.

Thank you.
Ginger