Shawchert's Garden Journey

Hello Everyone!

It really has been a while since I have been here and lots of things have changed. First I bought a house (with the help of Habitat for Humanity) in 2021 and it had a blank slate when I bought it, which means everything in my yard was planted by me! I do wish I knew more about gardening and that I had a choice in what I used as my lawn. Because creeping thyme and clover seems a whole lot better than grass.

I don't have any pictures available right now, I'm at work and all my pictures are on my computer, so those will have to wait but I have managed to make a small vegetable garden in my back yard, and I have quite a bit of flowers lining the outside of my house, though I may transplant a lot of those further away from the house. I have also started an herb garden in the front of my house! I'm so excited to share my journey with you all!

A picture of my house Not long before it was finished

 

Shaw— This promises to be an interesting posting. A metamorphosis, as it were.

 

I had almost the same when I bought my present house 5 years ago. It had weeds mixed with grass, 13 trees in the back yard, (half of them needing removal) and that was it besides some mondo grass in front right next to the foundation.

Put your big things in first is my recommendation so that you have structure to work from. I'm excited to see how your garden progresses !!

Here's what mine looked like

 

Annie, thats a very nice blank slate though! I bet it's been fun updating!

I have actually been adding for a couple years now The first i when I got my first landscaping items from Habitat, I didn't get to pick out what I got but i still love them all



When I find the pictures of the close up of them I will certainly post!

 

It has been fun but lots of work removing the grass a shovelfull at a time and dealing with the sandy soil.
But, gardens are really never finished, are they ?.

 

I actually have been tarping my lawn little by little as I set up my garden. I learned after i did a very little bitt going around my house! I'm so thankful for tarps!!

Storytime:

In August of 2021 we had landscaping day and These are what were provided.


If I remember correctly (and I am not 100% on everything. In this mix are
2 Ornimental bushes,
2 evergreen (i think they start with A but i cannot remember)
1 hydrengea
3 pincushionn
3 coneflower
1 butterfly bush
1 Japanese spiroa
1 bush that i cannot for the life of me remember as it is unremarkable to me (it still lives!!
I may have missed one or two things? I'm not sure, but I did have to replace 1 lavender and the butterfly bush the year after they were planted as I was not careful with pruning them. D:





Looking back at these I can tell how big everything has gotten and i'm just wowed by it! I'm so proud of this as I did get to pick out where everything was and at the time I knew nothing of landscaping, heck i probably shouldn't have planted the bushes so close to my porch but they are not supposed to get very big at all and they havent't at all either. Neither are higher than my banister on my porch and it's been only a few years but i keep an eye on them!

 

Those are some nice choices there, Shaw. Better keep an eye on that Buddleja though. He looks to be a bit close to the sidewalk.
You have some wonderful plants there that ought to look really good in your yard. I am really enjoying your revealing of the journey. Things look so nice there.

 

I wish I could say I chose all of these, but I did not. But after these everything else I did choose! I'm so thrilled to share more, hopefully tonight when I get home!

I did move my butterfly bush further out as it was one of the ones I had to replace. I don't let it get too big, I cut it down to stubs before it dies off in the winter.

 

Shaw— That was wise. They can be bullies.
I have several and depending upon their place and function I prune them in different ways. I have had different ones over the years, and now I have adult bushes that were seedlings from the original plants. I quite like them, but they must come to realise who is holding the sécateurs. Know what I mean?

 

Yes, I know what you mean, they are only fighting with a pincushion and Columbine, which tend to hold their own very well, but I still keep it small because of its location. I do think when I expand my garden, I will transplant the butterfly bush to a new location (but that is a future me problem), so it has a space to grow a little more. I do want a little path right next to where it sits now, and it can get in the way.

But I totally know what you mean! the only thing that did not listen to me were morning glories (I learned my lesson, but that's a part of future posts, boy are they beautiful but....) lol

 

Shaw— well, about transplant Buddlejas: I have noticed here where I live, that the older the bush, the less the chance of success. When I transplant mine they are just babies and always do well.

Everyone’s garden is different, different climate and different soil. Maybe you could try transplanting it and see how it goes. If you do decide to transplant at some future time choose carefully the time of year and water often if it is not raining.

Morning glories can be delightful in the garden. Sometimes they seed-out though

 

I am not terribly attached to this bush, I'd probably do the transplant in March as it is quite wet, and new growth doesn't start until around this time of the year. If it doesn't survive, I'll invest in a baby one and count my losses.

oh yes! Morning glories are glorious! Though the year before last year i pulled up over 200 new growths trying to kill off anything in sight (and managed to kill a lavender plant last year because I didn't notice it )

 

Pity about that Lavender plant.

 

Storytime!!!

So let's fast forward to the beginning of 2022. As we all know I only watered and managed the grass seeds for the rest of the year.

Spring usually starts mid-April in my area. That's when things start to bud and look green

First things I added were hyacinth!! (These are the ones I accidently flattened earlier this year... They are fine they popped mostly back up!).


My favorite bush the Spirea was starting to bud and looked flaming red, I love it!

The bush tree that I believe is an Aborviae did grow a little but next to my cat Meateor it's still shrubby and small I was told that this one shouldn't get bigger than 3 feet, so here's hoping (Ithink it's almost 3 feet now)

I got my pride and joy late april of 2022. My weeping cherry blossom. I was so worried that I would mess up the planting, but i planted it all by my self and it is growing so beatifully now!



2022 was the first year of the plant sale at the library and I took full advantage of it!
I cannot remember all the plants I got, and it seems I did not get singular photos (unless they are not stored in the wagon, but I got quite a few things!! One of my favorites is the lungwort, I also got raspberries, lemon balm, I'm pretty sure I got some primrose and tomatoes as well, I know I'm missing a couple plants, probably other vegetables


My biggest project of the year was making 2 flower garden beds, however it was also a lesson in that I HATE shoveling, and I couldn't keep digging up grass as I would have no spots for it but that's a lesson to tell in another post

 

What a great posting this is. Nice choice of plants too.it is easy to see that you just got on with your project. Chapeau.