October Ends and the Iris

Halloween was a lovely day. Moses supervised yard work! 

This day was spent in the iris bed. I actually started digging it up a bit before Halloween, but put all the photos together because they make more sense that way. 

I went outside to work with technology and a book and gloves! 

There was a lot to do and it took several days and I needed help. 

Halloween, Steve was able to add his muscle to the mess. Iris really need sorted more than once every several years!! 

The most unusual thing about October was seeing Steve's African Violet bloom..again. It had done it twice already this year! 

Finally, in the early days of November, the bed was replanted and ready for the colder season. We will know, in probably May, how they handled the thinning and replanting!! 

Lights and Lasagna

 Jon  hasn't given me his excellent squirrel photos yet. So, I'm sharing Moses and lasagna and lights. Moses took advantage of a spot of sunshine on Sunday. I'd smashed down the dried catmint in the barrel and it smelled amazing, Moses thought so, too!

 I was asked this morning about the lasagna garden beds I've been making. It isn't this:

 It is this! (I might loan out my book, I've purchased it a couple of times to give away, it makes a great gift, and this type of gardening is a perfectly easy way to grow plants anywhere)

 And these lights are from a few years back, Steve's added more! A lot more.....

 Steve and Moses taking a bit of a break.

 
 The different bulbs for my two beds. All total there were supposed to be 89. However, one of the bags had a few rotted daffodils. Thankfully, I'd gotten some from another Athena garden. We'll see how many of these actually appear in the spring. I love being able to cut flowers for the house, I prefer not to cut the ones in front because those are for show. These beds are in back and also for show, but more for cutting!

 Steve cut an apple box in half, or close to half. It isn't necessary to frame in the lasagna beds, I just find it less messy. I noticed the first beds I made, the layers tended to spread unless contained. These beds also have on the very bottom a base of chicken wire. I noticed last year I only had a few tulips in a bed I'd made years ago and added many to. When I dug down to see what happened, I found numerous tunnels. Wire works well to keep critters out, as long as it has small holes. You could even use screening. Not plastic! My beds would have taken less time to create if I'd used the proper ingredients. In the book, the author suggests what to use for the different layers. The 'noodle' of the bed is peat moss and I only had one bag of peat moss. I should have had two. Peat moss here in EO doesn't break down well, most things don't. I make my layers fairly thin, except for the dirt.

 I halved the bulb count and scattered them in each bed. Where they landed, I tucked them in. Toes, first. Steve laughed. I figure the different varieties will make the flower fairies happier and the mixed colors and scents and shapes will be pretty!

 Steve had some extra wire and I will put that over the top after the last layer of chopped leaves.

 This will be the most interesting bed in the spring and summer. Soil from here is partially from Steve's punkin/sunflower patch. I could have a million weeds as well as sunflower and even rose campion, which is the plant in the middle. The pot broke and I absolutely hate throwing plants away. Thankfully, weeds in these beds are super easy to pull.

While hauling dirt, I spilled the wheelbarrow. I am tipsy, so tipping over the barrow of dirt wasn't a surprise. I was just thankful it was so close to where it needed to go! 

Steve had mowed more leaves for me. These work lovely in a lasagna bed. Whole leaves are ok, but chopped ones tend to break down in 5 years instead of 10. I still don't compost properly here, I'm too fond of the Tillamook method of leaving anything organic outside for 3 days and finding it decaying. Or rusted, as Jon says! 

 This was silly. I had two barrels full of leaves and the one filled less I used on the taller bed. So, when I dragged and dumped the other barrel, I discovered it was a bit too much!!! I fixed it and placed the wire over the top to help deter cats, maybe!

 This is one plant I like, to a point, and will toss. I like lamb's ear. It is pretty when little, but it gets totally out of control fast! I dug up quite a bit and made a large mess. The seeds will grow, thankfully most of them might be in the yard where they will stay mowed. Lamb's ear underfoot is soft!

 All done.

 Steve adding new lights.

May you enjoy this busy week that jump starts most of our holidays and have a splendid Thanksgiving day! 

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Another Nook

I love quiet private nooks. I've been attracted to them since I was a young child. I'd hide in out of the way places with books, finding special spots no one else knew about. Living on the Oregon Coast, my entire back yard was in an out of the way spot. I wanted to make a haven in Eastern Oregon, I think it is almost ready. The ladybugs have always liked it, I hope people will, too! 

 It has taken several trials to get the place where I kind of like it. The photo below was taken in April of 2014. It has grown a lot since then.

In 2011 Jon, for one of his Eagle badges, created a pond/stream ecosystem for the yard. Eventually, we blocked up the stream and turned it into a dry creek bed. The locusts and chokecherry were too much work for this lazy mom!!!!! Those leaves, berries, and blossoms were a pain to dig out from the rocks in the stream. The pond is more than enough and you can see how small it is. 

The pink bathtub I wanted to put strawberries or petunias in has evolved to a container over which the hops grow. And the cute stairway to nowhere is perfect for the cats. (the photo below was a few years ago)

This year, after I made the garden bling with the space theme, I decided to take out a part of the chokecherry tree/bush thing. I had to be careful. I wanted to protect what little of the spice bush plant there is. Last year, this plant still had several flowers on it. This year, there were none. (photo taken in 2010)

 I used several dead lilac branches while I was putting my ideas in order. They add definition, are easy to find, and help hold different kinds of things. I used one above a fairy garden, I'll probably add metal butterflies or flowers. My garden needs more things in it for young visitors to play with.

 I also used a branch to help hold up the plant in the blue bucket. Rose Campion gets really tall and leggy. When it is planted in groups, they hold each other up. This pot has a single large bunch and needed help showing off.

 The birds love places to sit. I've had a LARGE  lilac piece since 2008 which was just sitting in the garden. Steve hung the feeder Jon got me this spring over the branch, marrying the two nicely.  I especially appreciate the seeds falling into a dead area of the yard. Not much grows in this spot, so it is ok to have it littered with seed.

 All in all, I'm pleased with how things are turning out in my backyard. I like the peace found in the colors and the privacy.  The quiet burble of the water in the pond paired with birdsong make a perfect spot to read or take a nap on the grass if I want!