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Spring Flowers Starting in the Back Yard

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 5:22 am

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The front yard is beginning to wind down....at least until the summer heather comes on with their accompanying perennials. The backyard is just beginning to start with a few blooms. My favorite is blueberries blossoms.


Blueberry :D ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Lots of berries on there way ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

A few columbine and flowering onions


Columbine ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Flowering onion ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

The snapdragons are coming on...


Snapdragons with sweet woodruff and wild hyacinth ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

I almost missed the trilliums, but some side sports were still showing their stuff.


Trillium and pacific bleeding hearts ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

One or two of the early yellow day lilies have started, but no big show yet.


Daylilies ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Now the following have made their show and I missed it. Darn!




( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )





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Loosing Shade

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:39 am

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As spring has progressed it has become evident that something is terribly wrong with our three filbert trees. Two of the three were planted when we first moved here 30 years ago. One year there were three squirrel nests located in the filberts' upper branches, with a half dozen more nests scattered in surrounding trees.

After inspecting some branches we removed from one of the filbert trees and doing a google search it pretty obvious the trees have the Eastern Filbert Blight. The disease is very advanced. They will need to be taken down. Spraying them would endanger our apple trees that are close and there is no way to control neighboring filberts on adjacent lots.

Some of my hydrangea, and rhodies will be happy with the added light and my garden area will get more sun. Some of my woodland plants under the filberts will suffer but survive. I will have to water more in that area during our long dry spell which means $$$. It amazes me how much an established garden can change in just a year. This has definitely impacted the squirrels and jays that feed on the neighborhood filbert trees. I'd wondered why I hadn't seen as many this spring. The trees produced few nuts last year.

I remember when the trees were young we had a raspberry patch in that area. Now ferns, sweet woodruff, pacific bleeding hearts, trilliums and hellebores fill large beds in this area. It will be interesting to see how plants respond to these changes.

I will be looking for a smaller tree or two to replace these three trees with their multiple trunks. Maybe a small pink blooming dogwood or Japanese maple. I will have to look into their susptibilities first. Definitely no more filbert varieties. The blight has greatly affected filbert growers from Oregon up the coast to BC, in Canada. I really liked those nut trees.

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Front Yard April Blooms

Category: Spring | Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 5:33 am

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Our front yard has been lawn free for many years. Plants have had time to either establish or wither and die. This is a great year for this combination cottage, woodland garden and patio/walkway. Here are a few photos of what is blooming now


Wild Hyacinth, Ferns, Hellebores ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Front Yard ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Too bad I have to go to work..weeding would be a lot of fun


Hyacinth ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Oregon grape ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )





Last edited: Thu Apr 25, 2013 5:45 am

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Structure in the Garden

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 2:36 pm

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This has been a spring of looking at structure in the garden. Hard scape is easy to recognize. Over the years we laid pavers on some grass paths that the dobies ran to dirt. Then I bordered the paths with found bricks and river rocks.


Mixed rocks and bricks lining paver path ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

I had to terrace areas close to the house to keep dirt away from the siding. Railroad ties were inexpensive so we used them and an occasion backseat of the car filled with landscape bricks.


Trail ties stacked with assorted bricks ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Mixed bricks, rocks and ties ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

This year I went all out and had a pallet of landscape bricks delivered for yet another terracing project.


( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Much of my garden structure has been plants. Sword and other evergreen ferns have provided year round interest. When I moved a dozen or more this spring it became evident how much I loved and relied on ferns in my garden. A couple of ferns were replaced with a small section of picket fencing.


Picket fence replacing ferns ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

My favorite new structures are in the veggie garden. An added sink, soon to have water hosed in and an old window cold frame surrounded with assorted bricks.


Garden sink ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Cold frame ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )





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Shade Garden Chapter 4

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 7:54 pm

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The shade garden got some nice branches to line the paths. The paths and beds are still evolving as plants begin to unfurl. As I finish limbing the last of the branches things will continue to change. The dogs are staying to the paths mostly, but I will need to add some branches inside some beds to keep them from taking short cuts.

Am really pleased with how the wild ginger has taken off. The combination of the cream flowers of the primrose and white flowering bleeding heart is a winner. I have moved so many different ferns and a variety of perennials. Am still waiting impatiently for hostas planted last year to show themselves and have planted newly purchased hostas in their places.

The campanula and columbines are leafing out and starting to set buds. Am seeing small changes daily.


Paths and beds in beginning spring stage ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Hosta, fern, calla lily, hellebore bed with optional seating ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Pink blooming calla lilly ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


White blooming bleeding hearts ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Viola ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Lots to do in the garden but it is nice seeing the structure of this portion of the yard starting to show itself.


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The Smoke Shack Has Arrived

Category: House and Home Plants | Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:47 pm

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Shaun and his helper arrived on Thursday at 6:30AM and began erecting the back yard shed. They had the pieces somewhat put together but it took the entire day for them to get the frame, roof and windows installed. They left around 7 PM. Although we have much to do (weather proofing, chalking, insulating, front step and finish work) we are pleased with the basic design and how it fits into our yard. It will be a dry place for the cigar smokers to go.


Shed from pond area ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


David enjoying his shed, and texting friends ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )


Shed from front, Ciara is wearing her pink sweater ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Yes, I have already put a few hardy plants out there. Figure some hardy cactus will look nice in the front windows.




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Cedar panels and Sinks

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:27 pm

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I really should never have found Pinterest and Google Images. I am planning not one but two sink areas in the garden/yard. One will be near my potting area and the other near the veggie garden. I have some nice scrap boards I saved from rebuilding the cabin stairs, but need to have some decent weather to take power tools outside. These will be used for a surround for the old fashioned square sink. I liked the shape of the square sink for the garden. Am still on the lookout for a faucet for it. With a hose run to it and hooked up it should be handy for washing veggies and trimming flowers to bring into the house.


Sink for garden area ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

The little round one will be perfect to slip into my potting bench made from an old barbecue base. There will be no problem finding it a faucet. I will put it so that I can rinse my hands off outside. I am thinking this will be just too handy.


Sink for potting bench ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Now I will have to do some serious reorganization first. I moved all the pots, stakes, mesh, etc. behind the sheds late last summer. Since i was slowly collecting stakes, netting, etc from the garden all winter it is a real jumble back there.


Messy potting area moved to behind the sheds ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

We got two of the cedar panels up to hide some of the utility part of the yard. The area looked like this last year.


( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

With two of the four planned panels in place both Sweetie and I are very pleased. Less work cleaning mildew stains also. Lol, if I can't see it maybe it doesn't exist.


Two panels up and two more to get installed ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

The plants that were transplanted are filling in nicely in the new beds, although it is hard to tell from this photo. The ferns i cut back and hostas will make a huge difference once they leaf out.


New woodland area barked and filling in ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

I am surprised at how big the new hellebores are in this area.


New hellebore ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )





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Plans and Projects

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:37 am

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Today marked the last of the grass in the main yard. Would never had thought we'd lose the grass. One bed at time made the grass disappear. This month marks the thirtieth year for us on this property. It has certainly changed a lot over the years.

Today was the continuation of several projects in the works. We got 4x4 posts for cedar fencing panels that will block some of the view of the utilities sheds. Tools, propane tanks for the barbecue, gas/electric yard tools and lawn mowers each have their own little shed. These resin sheds have been great for our climate, but aren't very attractive. The cedar panels are much more organic than looking at a variety of plastic/resin storage containers/buildings. My messy potting area and soil containers behind the sheds will also be hidden with the next set of panels. I work in stages.

I had hoped to get the first 2 yards of bark spread today, but the yard cart collapsed. A wheel broke and ripped away from the cart. We did buy the first half of the foundation bricks for David's Smoke Shack. Hopefully we will get the sword ferns moved tomorrow as well as the outdoor fireplace. The fireplace is currently in the place we will put the shack. And the fern is where the fireplace will bump up against once the fireplace is moved.

Bought a couple of plants while we were at the garden center. A male and female Skimmia japonica. It will fill in the back corner perfectly, 4'x4'. It is evergreen, flowers, and has fall berries and likes the shade. Also got a new to me hellebore with a silvery varigated leaf.

Lots to do and have a prioritize the list. Moving plants first, bark next, foundation laying next, errecting the panes after that. Then there is also potting up new plants, setting up my garden sinks, cleaning up the perennials and seeing if I can get rid of the buttercup that have invaded one bed. I am sure there are several other things that also will need to be accomplished in the next month, or maybe the following month. Gardening doesn't let you sit idle for long.

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Chapter 3 1/2 The Wall Is Finished

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:30 am

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Some sword ferns, and moss are planted on the now finished terrace garden. Am thinking sword ferns for the terraced areas and hostas at ground level. Not pretty..yet, but a good week-ends work.


My great wall ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Had a few extra bricks so with a mix of old and new bricks expanded another bed and moved some daylilies to fill it with.


used bricks and new to expand a bed ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Happiness is working in the garden!




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Shade Garden Chapter 3

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 3:19 am

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Started terracing the back property line of the new shade garden. Looks to be about a two foot drop in elevation. I have been digging sword ferns that have begun to out grow the flower garden. Will be moving them to the terraced area. Moved phlox into some of those spaces left bare by moving the ferns. The phlox have also begun to out grow their spaces.


terraced area at back of shade garden ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

Moving lots of dirt from one spot to another. Two sword ferns got placed with several others under the filberts. The hart's tongue and holly ferns got moved into the shade garden. Have been digging and tossing the deciduous ferns as I find them. I'd rather have the winter structure of the sword, hart's tongue, and holly ferns. The smell of the BC ginger was lovely. I was able to get three nice sized plants from the one. The glossy round leaves are very attractive right through the winter.

I have only purchased the primrose's (which I wish I had gotten twice as many) and the heuchera so far. Have plenty of plants to move around that should do well in this new garden area. Read about how Oregon grape is a food source for Anna's hummingbird that are here year round, so will move some into this area also. I hope to get a few more hostas, some large varieties.


Lots of moved plants to shaded area ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

One of the reasons I'm trying to level this back section is to have a space to put up a garden shed. It would be lovely to have a wooden structure to hang out in and store some of the gardening tools. Will continue dreaming and planning. The plastic sheds have serviced us well, but they aren't attractive and I would love something with recycled windows and doors. I just want a fairy garden.


( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )





Last edited: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:23 am

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