Props to the garden

No, I didn’t win any awards or anything like that.  Instead, the props I am referring to are to shore up my tall plants after a rainstorm.  It has been raining pretty hard for the past two weeks and though it has done wonders for the growth of my garden, the flowers are looking a bit droopy. 

To prop them up, I spend time in the garden with a small bag of twist-ties, my clippers, and some bamboo sticks.  I like using the bamboo because it is sturdy and because it blends in with many of the stalky plants.  From the street, you can’t even tell that everything is tied up. 

The twist ties are convenient and easy to move and remove.  With the flowers getting bigger, this becomes a daily activity: propping up the plants so they don't look like a steam roller just went over my yard.  I wish there were ties that were made of a material that just decomposed in the garden.  I don't like using string and cloth because you can't adjust them over time and they are a bit more obtrusive. 

If anyone has other ideas for tying up the perennials, I’d love to hear them.

Native Seeds

Several weeks ago, I signed up for Native Seed Gardeners.  Its a local organization that promotes native plants and landscapes.  In a nutshell, they give you seedlings, you grow the plants at home and then you collect seeds and send them back so they can continue the cycle.  Last week, when they gave out the plants, I wasn't around so my friend Julie picked them up for me.  They were delivered this weekend and I took some time in between coats of drying sealer to plant them.

I got three plant varieties: aromatic aster, upright aster, and white false indigo.  The asters look pretty good but the false indigo is downright tiny.  I hope they all make it.

Julie is a Martha Stewart type and has a blog of her own.  She's very handy, great cook, etc.  She also brought along a need seedling tray that she made from recycled materials.  I'll have to find some more plants to start in these. 

For the plants, I dug out two new areas in the front.  I figured I could use another couple square yards of lawn anyway.  I can figure out how good my location was once the plants start to thrive. 

A third plant was put in the herb garden.

With all of the rain we've been having, the yard is both lush and "trampled".  The birds and butterflies seem to be happy though.  I'll update on this subject once it's time to harvest seeds.  

A few more cliche flower photos before the rains come and smash everything to bits

Another reason why nothing has gotten done at the Tiny Bungalow lately

For the past couple months, my friend Steve and I have been heaping a family with their back yard design and renovation. We’ve done several design projects together and this is our first attempt at actually helping someone realize their design by assisting them in installing and building. There was a lot to work with as the yard was a “tabula rasa” and we were able to start from scratch. We were inspired by the family’s appreciation of modern and Asian-influenced design and came up with a vision for the yard. Steve is a pro at Sketchup and put together a model so they could see what the finished product would look like or at least what we hoped it would look like.The overall idea was to install a landscaped border with native plants, two seating areas with pergolas and screens, new planter-boxes to conceal some not-so-attractive handrails, and pathways were envisioned to create a sort of backyard oasis. It was an ambitious project and it took all of our skills to pull it off.There was a lot of digging and planting and paver-placing, and woodworking involved. Installation took just over a month as the whole family pitched in with all aspects of the project. Steve and I learned a thing or two in the process as well. Hurricane lamps, planters, and furniture provided the final accents in the garden. All in all it was strenuous but fun project to take on and everyone seems pleased with the outcome.
I think I've come away with a little inspiration and energy to start taking on some bigger projects on my own at the Tiny Bungalow. Hopefully the weather is good for the Fourth of July Weekend and I can kick-start those projects.

The lawn is almost gone

I think it might take another year but my goal of eradicating all grass from the front of the property is slowly being realized. It only took a few hours to dig out several more bucket fulls of sod and put it in the compost bin.

I took some phlox and a large licorice herb plant (this thing is a bee and butterfly magnet) from the back and put them out front. I also put in some pansies to see how they do this fall. I'd still love to put in a nice sumac (or several) or a magnolia to fill the yard a bit more but decided to wait another year for that as well. Maybe I'll just get more pots and create more terra cotta columns.

Painting

I had a couple projects planned for the weekend. I wanted to paint one side of the garage each day, I have a big non-house related project (which I'm sure you'll read more about in the coming days), and I had hoped to start my fall landscaping. I've resisted the urge to move plants around most of the summer so it's time for me to go crazy.I finished one side of the garage and like the color. I wish I had gone darker with the gold color but I can live with it because it is a huge improvement. We are having ANOTHER spectacular weekend here so I decided to start attacking the landscape. I want to expand the beds in the front and move some stuff from near the garage in the back, out front (I have a major garage project that I want to be ready for come spring).Just as I started digging the new beds in the front, my daughter approached me, saying that she wanted to come outside. She wasn't interested in gardening so I tried to engage her in something else. "Want to paint?" She was excited. What kid can resist cups of paint and a big paint brush? We decided to re-paint the art windows on the back fence with animals. She wanted a squirrel, a purple dog, a green cat and a sunshine. She went at the sunshine and the dog and filled in the blue skies and I helped her do the rest. Her dog ended up looking more like an octopus but it looks neat and she's starting to understand the back-painting technique, which is great.