Finished Shrub Border

Yay, it's finally done!  This is a strip of land adjacent to my large backyard garden that I call the alleyway. Picture this, if you will: my garden is on top of a stone wall, and the alleyway is below it, but is on the stone wall that separates my property from my neighbor's. It's about the same size as the garden and I couldn't figure out what to do with it. I didn't really want more perennials down there since it's not the easiest place to access. I needed something low maintenance. I'd say it gets mostly sun all year.  My friend Holly gave me two large hollies several years ago and they went in the alleyway due to space and sun requirements.

When I first moved in, the alleyway was full of invasive Japanese knotweed. I spent a summer digging it out as much as I could. I then laid tarps over the area and sprayed anything that popped up with Roundup. I still get occasional stragglers. That stuff is hard to kill, but I'm no longer terrified of it as I once was. If I see it in my neighbors' yards or another part of my yard, I quickly poison it. You have to be vigilant.

So over the years the alleyway was neglected and became completely overrun with weeds. It's a tough spot to photograph, so you'll have to trust me that it was full of pokeweed and other huge and numerous weeds.

A complete jungle.

This June I started clearing it out and decided to transplant various shrubs from my mother's abandoned cottage garden. Wow, she has a lot of shrubs. But first I planted a deutzia that had self-sown in my front border. I'm not sure it made it because I don't seen any leaves, and it looks like two branches are dead. I placed it in between the hollies, toward the front, facing my neighbor's yard.

Deutzia, on the left, looking dead.

My Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea in the front garden flopped in a most unattractive manner after some horrific rainstorms so I moved it to the alley. (That garden is in the process of undergoing a major renovation due to overcrowding issues).

Invincibelle (brown blob near middle) looking quite vincible.

Then I had that hydrangea and an Endless Summer hydrangea sucker and create new plants, so they got transplanted. I also transplanted a huge hydrangea from my mother's garden. These are all grouped together.

Hydrangeas with spirea in front.

Then I transplanted an Anthony Waterer spirea, azalea, rhododendron and peegee hydrangea tree. The rhody was very heavy (over six feet tall) and didn't even fit in my car. My brother had to help me with some of these plants since they're all mature. While transplanting the rhody, I discovered a holly that had self-sown, but it looks nothing like its parents. Another freebie!

Free holly.

Hydrangea tree between hollies (they got a haircut).

Side view of the rhody, looking a little bedraggled.

  I can't wait to see all these plants in the spring.  There's a common pinky-mauvy rhody, hot pink azalea, and one hydrangea of unknown color.  Also, when the Invincibelle suckered, it seemed that the new plant had white blooms, which is my preferred color.  I don't know how this is biologically possible, but I never was very good at science.

I decided to use hay as mulch since it's so much lighter and easier to lug down there.  In the future I'll probably use wood chips like in my other gardens.  Lucy really enjoys the hay.

As I'm typing this I realize that I designed the garden as if looking at it from my neighbor's yard, instead of from my perennial garden or looking at it head-on, with the narrow part as the front.  Did I mess that up?

Roadtrip - Kennebunk and Rockport

Last month we took an overnight trip to Maine.  I had been wanting to schedule this trip since I read about visits by the bloggers at An Urban Cottage and For the Love of a House.  We stayed at the Elizabeth Rose House bed and breakfast, which was lovely and very conveniently located right off of the highway.  On our way up we stopped at Rockport, Massachusetts.  My parents used to travel all over New England and often would take my three brothers, sister and me along, but I don't remember having seen this gorgeous town before.

Famous views of the pier.

We also passed through Gloucester and that's on the list to visit again, as it's another beautiful seaside town.  We then continued on, through an absolute deluge, up Route 1.  The next day we went to the Bush compound, with gorgeous scenery along the way.

The Texas flag was flying, as well as the flags of Maine and the United States, and that means George H. W. is in the house.

My favorite spot, however, was Old House Parts.  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  Tons of old doors, windows, shutters, fixtures, etc. were there to be had.  I bought a doorknob to match the missing one on one of my two front doors.  The young man was so knowledgeable and knew the age of everything.  For example, he pointed out that my front doors are in the Craftsman style, not Victorian, and that the original interior doorknobs were probably porcelain, not glass.  I could have spent hours there and wish I lived closer so I could incorporate more antique elements into my house, like light fixtures.


We then traveled to Kittery and Freeport (home of L.L. Bean), with the surrounding mecca of outlet shops.  I'm not a shopper so I'll spare you any pictures. All in all, a great time was had by all! I want to go up more often because it's really not that far away.

What are you afraid of?

Is this little guy doing yoga?

I am afraid of snakes. I think it's because they're deaf and so don't move away until you're very close. I like having snakes in the garden because they eat bugs. I just wish they'd say "hey" so I'd know that they're there.

I'm also afraid of falling, not heights. I like being up high, like my cat Carly, but don't like moving around on a 40-foot ladder pulling off asbestos shingles and nails, scraping, sanding and painting. I have a healthy respect for electricity and gravity. So this intersection of the rooflines of my house has been a challenge to work on because I have to stretch out on the roof, turn around and rest my feet on the top rung of the ladder while someone is holding the bottom of the ladder. It'll get done but it may be the worst part of the whole house-painting experience.

I've had some very scary experiences. I've gotten lost in the woods hiking alone twice, once in the North Woods of Maine, which is very remote.  I found my way out after a little while, but it did cause feelings of panic.

In 2004 I had a common, run-of-the-mill surgery that went very, very wrong.  It resulted in three surgeries in ten days, and two near-death experiences.  I missed 2 1/2 months of work.  Oh, and had multiple blood transfusions, one of which leaked into my arm, causing it to turn purply-black from wrist to elbow.  I couldn't use it too well.  I remember my nephew really wanting me to swim out to a little "island" in a pond at his house, but I could only use one hand and required the help of a boogie board.

I had a little post-traumatic stress disorder afterwards where I would re-live being in the emergency room again.  I kept trying to prove that I could go back to my former existence.  I would go hiking but constantly check to see if I had started hemorrhaging again.  Plus I was afraid to go too far into the woods for fear of being too far away from medical help.

I decided to try to climb Mount Katahdin in Maine six months later, much to the chagrin of my physical therapist, who was afraid I'd fall and reverse the progress made on my arm.  I had to prove to myself that I was okay, you know?

The previous year I had fulfilled a life-long dream of renting a cabin in the wilds of Maine.  About a month before then I had gone on my first hike, and gotten very lost (on Soapstone Mountain).  On my first day there, when my sister and her family didn't show up to meet up with me, I went into Greenville and bought a book from a local on hiking in the North Woods.  I completed a bunch of intense, wonderful hikes that week and was hooked.  In that area the way to trailheads are on unmarked, unpaved logging roads.  One can get very, very lost on those roads.

 Anyway, the next year (when I was recovering from my illness) my mother insisted I call every day, unlike the previous year when she hadn't heard from me the entire week.  One day I got very, very lost on those logging roads looking for a trailhead (which I still haven't located!).  I was late calling her, so she called the owner of the cabin where I was staying.  Poor thing.  She misheard me and thought I had gotten lost in the woods for hours, but I was only lost on those darn logging roads.  I finally followed signs to a wilderness camp where they train sled dogs and the lovely lady gave me directions out of there.  That was more frustrating than scary, though, and it's always fun to spot a moose!

Anyway, on my bucket list is to complete that hike.  I only got to Chimney Pond (pictured below).  I didn't want to push it and my stamina wasn't back to normal quite yet.

5lakesodge.com

     What are you afraid of?

9/11 - Always Remember

The Falling Man, AP Photo/Richard Drew/FILE

Yes, this picture is horrifying, haunting, terrifying, shocking. But we have to remember what happened on that day, to honor this man and the 2818 other casualties of these acts of war. We can't pretend it didn't happen or ignore the significance of this day. The truth shall set us free. We all have our own awful memories of that day but nothing like the families of these victims. I'll end this with my favorite quote, John 16:33:

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world."

That is the explanation and the solution.

ETA:  This is an excellent article about the impact of this photograph.

Blogs I Love

Since blogger no longer allows blogrolls I thought I'd talk about some of my very favorite blogs.

• In the Little Yellow House.  This blog inspired me to not only start posting regularly, but finish projects and start new ones.  I found it through googling green dining room paint colors.  This ambitious, talented young couple have completely fixed up their cute 1920's colonial in northern New Jersey.  Alissa, a graphic designer, has quite an eye for color and design and I've picked up many tips on renovating from her and husband Mike.  They've got a new addition, baby Oliver, and subsequently there are many tips for new parents.

• A Garden for the House.  This is a new favorite.  I found it while googling deutzia (a shrub that appeared in my front border last year).  Kevin has many gardening and houseplant tips, cleaning and decorating advice, and recipes.  He is a "food, garden and lifestyle guru" and lives in an 1826 house in the Hudson Valley. It looks like a Victorianized Greek Revival.  Best of all, he is wicked funny.  This is a very entertaining, informative blog.

• My Messy Thrilling Life.  I think I found this blog from someone's blogroll.  This young lady has been through the ringer--unemployment, foreclosure, an abusive husband, a failed business.  Through it all there is a deep, abiding faith in Christ which so inspires me.  My favorite "era" was when Brin was renovating an 1880's house in eastern Texas.  There are some great photos.  I like her style and colors.  Her writing is in a charming, deeply personal style, like she's writing to a good friend, and is full of that southern wit and wisdom.  I think for an attorney she is quite the romantic--loves old things, autumn, snow, pets, cooking, baking and gardening.  Brin will be getting married soon so this blog make take a dramatic turn!

• For the Love of a House.  I think I found this blog on someone's blogroll.  It reminded me of Bunny Williams's classic book, A Love Affair with a House.  Joan and Dan relocated from Dallas to New Hampshire and have completely renovated a c. 1850 farmhouse.  Joan is a former antiques dealer and has TONS of antiques and old "stuff."  Dan is the MacGyver who creates lamps and ornaments and such per her design ideas.  This woman's home looks like it's out of a magazine (always, according to her).  I don't have the temperament or design style to emulate this, but a girl can dream, can't she?  Joan is sentimental and effusive in that Texan way.  I also like seeing New England through her eyes and especially love her landscaping.

• An Urban Cottage.  Steve lives in a workingman's cottage (like me!) in Cambridge.  It is an 1842 Greek Revival.  He has a great eye and loves modern art.  I've learned a lot from him.  I like his tours of neighborhoods and tips for places to visit in Maine.  He gives detailed reports on his renovations, which are very helpful.  Right now he's having his porches and kitchen renovated.  Can't wait to see how it all turns out, since he has great style!  He's also funny and a good writer.

These are my go-to blogs for inspiration.  As I've said before I like blogs that are "real," in that it's normal people fixing up their homes.  I don't care for blogs that simply show pictures in magazines.  I like it when folks share their knowledge and experience so I can benefit from it.  That's what's so wonderful about the internet--you increase your circle of "friends" who share common interests and benefit, mutually, from that "relationship."

I don't know these people; I just assume they're sharing from their heart a love of all things home-related.

Newport, Rhode Island

I visited this beautiful city with two friends last week.  Newport was the summer residence of the rich and famous in the Gilded Age, late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Opulent doesn't even begin to describe these places.  They are jaw-dropping, over-the-top.

It was an overcast, shower-y day, but so beautiful.  We went through the Breakers and the Elms, two beautiful "cottages" of the rich and famous back in the late 19th century.

The Elms.

We decided that we'd like a servant to open and close windows and blinds like the owners of these homes.  I decided that, being an introvert, it would be horrifying to have the social calendar that the ladies of the day had.  So many parties, so little time.

We toured the Elms because of its landscaped grounds.  The rare weeping beech trees were astounding.

We ate at the Castle Inn and Resort, overlooking the harbor.

It was my friend's birthday and she ordered lemon cake.

  This is the view from the Breakers' Lower Loggia.  They don't allow inside photography.

We walked a bit on the Cliff Walk.  It's on the eastern shore and passes by the mansions.  Some of it was closed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy.

It's been many years since I've been to Newport and I want to go back and see the rest of the mansions and complete the Cliff Walk.  Fall might be a beautiful time to go back, next time on a sunny day.  it's only two hours away so we really should go more often.

Finished Front Yard

I finished removing sod, edging, mulching and cleaning up the front yard in the brutal heat last night.  It seemed as if this project would never end, what with the constant rain showers and heat and humidity.  I took the photographs before I weedwacked because I knew the grass would land in the beds.  How do people prevent that sort of thing?  I just never seem to be able to keep things picture perfect like you see on garden tours.  I've met my goal of having less lawn to mow.  I think it looks okay.  The walkways are perfectly straight but I curved the beds so it might look a little funny, but it's good enough.  The Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea is doing really well this year, so many blooms.  Last year it was really tiny.

 

 

The light gets all misty at this time of day.

 

The backyard got all out of control in my neglect.  I spent some time deadheading, weeding and plotting where the rhododendron, azalea, deutzia, spirea, and hydrangea will go.  On to my next new garden area!  You can catch me out back in the "alleyway" working around the hollies to create a mixed shrub border.

Front Yard Re-Do

I finally managed to get out early this morning to beat the heat.  I wanted to finish edging and mulching one of the new garden beds in front.

Before.

 

I messed up the curves a little.  This garden has a Lovely Fairy rose, Easy Does It rose, Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea and a rose my brother yanked out of his yard for me.  It's already got new growth, and I'm thinking I might see blooms this year.  I want to try to keep things considerably less crowded than I normally do, especially since it's front and center.

Do you pick flowers from your gardens?  I don't like to; I like to see them in the yard.  My grandfather was like that, too, I'm told.  These two blooms accidentally came off from this morning's pruning session.  Is there anything more beautiful than baby blue and baby pink?  (I can't stop taking pictures of the huge blue hydrangea in the front yard; forgive me.)

 

 I've got a lot of gardening ahead of me this summer.  I also decided to plant the "alleyway" this year.  My back garden sits on top of a stone wall, and there's a strip of land below it, like an alley, which sits on top of my neighbor's stone wall, neighboring our properties.  I plan on raiding more of my mother's abandoned garden and planting a rhododendron, azalea, spirea and hydrangea.  I'll also transplant the deutzia that self-seeded in the front border garden last year.  It looks like I'll be transplanting the pink hydrangea from the front as well.  It got huge and blocks the pathway.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  I realize I've spent many months now complaining about the weather.  I need to be more flexible and creative with my time.

Independence Day 2013

Hope you're having a great Independence Weekend, and are giving thanks for the vast freedom and security we have, especially in comparison to places like the Middle East.  (I choose to ignore the NSA temporarily.)

I attempted more pictures using the fireworks setting, but I'm not sure I'm any better at it than last year, but at least they're interesting shapes.

  I decided this year that we would celebrate holidays with a cookout on my sister's fabulous deck, which her husband built.  It's been brutally hot and humid the past few days but we managed to pull it off on Thursday.  Since I love to bake I'm always assigned the desserts.  Please make this raspberry rhubarb pie.  You'll thank me later.  It's from Martha's Pies and Tarts cookbook, which I love.  The crust is glazed with an egg/heavy cream mixture.  The linked recipe is a tad different than in the book.

Stay cool!

Litchfield County/Garden Redesign

I've decided my front cottage garden is a little too cottagey--wild and impassable.  So I'll be relocating some things, like I did last fall.  Also I ran out of room in the gardens last year for a rose my friend had given me so I started digging up part of the front lawn.  I've been working on it steadily but it's slow-going due to the extreme heat, humidity and daily rain showers.

I was too exhausted from Friday's gardening to continue Saturday so I took my mother and sister up on their invitation to go to Litchfield County.  We went as far as Sharon and the Cornwall area.  It is so beautiful, like Vermont but with more money.  We went to a garden center where my niece fed the chickens and we got a load of free annuals that should have been given last rites.  We're hoping they can be resuscitated.

Here is a beautiful container of succulents.  My mother's really wanted one like this ever since I pointed her towards a blog that Martha did on all her succulent containers.

 

On the way home I saw a really unusual cloud formation.  It's been another weird weather year.  There was a tornado not far from here yesterday.

 Here is the mayhem that is my front lawn.  That's eight bags of mulch lying about.  Now I'm thinking maybe I should have created a fan shape where the two walkways intersect.  They're not equal sizes, though.  Any ideas?

 I'm already concerned about dragging the hose over the mulched bed on the left.  The spigot is behind that large bush to the right of the porch entrance.  The idea was to minimize the amount of lawn to be mowed.  I have to store the mower in the shed which is underneath the deck in the back.  I have to drag it up stairs on the right of the house, where the driveway is located.

The sad-looking, droopy plant on the right in the last picture is a ginormous hydrangea I transplanted from my mother's garden.  It was so heavy I needed my brother's help in loading it into my Escape and my niece's help unloading.  I'm so thrilled to have her back from college, by the way.  She did super, super well there (UCONN), which is a difficult school.  We're all so proud of her and how she's matured.  She may be following in her aunt's footsteps now that she's changed from a French major.  Darn.  I had planned on visiting her in France next spring.

I guess that's enough for this random post!