Here's what I did this morning. This is where the red clematis will go, along with whatever else I can come up with. This took me about 2 hours to clear.
Now I'm trying to figure out what (if anything) I need to do to amend the soil before I start planting. I don't have a compost bin so anything I put down will need to be something I can buy commercially. The day
lilies that I removed from this space never bloomed in the 3 years I've lived here. Does that mean the soil sucks? I'm thinking of throwing down a bag of organic compost and a bag of peat moss but I have no clue if that's the right thing to do. Suggestions?
It seems like the harder I work, the worse my backyard actually looks. See how messy it is? I think this is a case of not "cleaning as I go." You know how dishes pile up so badly while you are trying to prepare a great meal? And if you don't wash as you go, your kitchen is a disaster when the meal is finished? This is what happened here. I just keep throwing the weeds and sod over in the yard thinking I'll clean it up later. Now it looks horrible and it'll take me God knows how long to get rid of this crap. Plus, I'm getting pretty sick of taking pictures of dumpy looking stuff. Oh, how I long to be able to post pictures of my garden full of beautiful flowers like the other garden
bloggers....
Now I'm trying to figure out what (if anything) I need to do to amend the soil before I start planting. I don't have a compost bin so anything I put down will need to be something I can buy commercially. The day lilies that I removed from this space never bloomed in the 3 years I've lived here. Does that mean the soil sucks? I'm thinking of throwing down a bag of organic compost and a bag of peat moss but I have no clue if that's the right thing to do. Suggestions?
It seems like the harder I work, the worse my backyard actually looks. See how messy it is? I think this is a case of not "cleaning as I go." You know how dishes pile up so badly while you are trying to prepare a great meal? And if you don't wash as you go, your kitchen is a disaster when the meal is finished? This is what happened here. I just keep throwing the weeds and sod over in the yard thinking I'll clean it up later. Now it looks horrible and it'll take me God knows how long to get rid of this crap. Plus, I'm getting pretty sick of taking pictures of dumpy looking stuff. Oh, how I long to be able to post pictures of my garden full of beautiful flowers like the other garden bloggers....
Hey Gina,
ReplyDeleteHang in there girl you're doing a good job. Try laying a big tarp on the lawn and toss the garbage there. It's easier to clean.
Compost added to the soil is very good, but peat moss has no nutrients so I'd go with composted manure as an amendment. Is it real shady in that area , or is the soil very heavy ? Those are the only reasons I know for daylilies not to thrive . They're not usually fussy about soil at all.
What a great space though...with so much potential! Keep taking photos...I wish I had more "before" photos. Pile the sod where you plan to plant next year...it should break down by then. Compost/soil conditioner will never hurt...spread a couple of inches then dig it in. A couple of inexpensive, short-lived fast growers can satisfy some of the flower envy until you get permanent things going. Blue marguarites, daisies?
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - oh how I wish I had thought of the tarp BEFORE i started. I'm actually almost finished digging up sod now.
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie - thanks for visiting. Yes, I think my little yard does have lots of potential but I'm just so not patient. Thanks for the flower suggestions. I'll give that a try. Lord knows I have LOTS of space to fill now. I'm going to try to put more AFTER pictures up this weekend.
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