Building Our New Home

Spring plans..

Went out this morning to do my annual spring plant check. Everything I planted in 2008 still looks in pretty good shape, most things are showing sprouts and looking like they are growing. And everything from last spring has leaf buds (at least the deciduous ones), so looks like everyone survived the winter! I am thinking putting one of the mini weigilias next to the driveway was a mistake though- it got some branches broken off, probably from all the snow piles that were sitting on top of it.

So for the spring I am trying to be prudent and not bite off more than I can chew (like I did last year, which ended up giving me carpal tunnel problems for a couple weeks and sinovitis in my ankle which I am STILL having problems with). So here are my tentative plans for the spring.

Back yard- I had shaped and partially grass-stripped a curved bed between the patio and the morning room windows last fall. I am planning on newspapering the rest of the grass there, building it up with dirt and mulch and planting a Seiryu Japanese maple in the middle. This will give a little shade for the morning room in the middle of the summer when the morning sun gets HOT. I love this tree because it is a dissectum- one of the Japanese maples with finely dissected leaves- but it is also upright (most of the dissectum are weepers). We have one nursery in the area that carried a couple decent-sized specimens last year, so I am planning to head up there in April. I may also get some coralbells and iris to plant around the tree, but that can wait till later in the year, and won't need all the labor of dirt/mulch hauling.

I also want to plant a small clump of tall grasses in the corner of our patio by the sump pump. the patio curves back toward the house there, and between patio and fence forms a tight V that the lawn mower just can't get into. So turning that into a bed will save me effort mowing, plus provide a bit more screening for the patio to help keep us from driving the neighbor dogs nuts when we are out there.. :)


Front- I will probably save this for later- don't want to over plan. But if I have the energy and time, I may plant a corner of grasses, day lilies, and iris around the cable and utility boxes by the sidewalk. I am still a little nervous about planting bulb plants though since we have an absolute plague of voles in the neighborhood. They are cute and all, but I don't like them enough to buy them special food! :)

I would also like to get the stacking rocks for the buckthorn and the viridis weeping maple in the front, but that doesn't need to be spring since I can plant those without having to worry about watering!

posted by Bee @ 9:11 AM