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April 1, 2005
Let It Grow, Let It Grow, Let It Grow
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We are a few weeks behind the coast here in spring weather, with light flurries still surprising us some mornings, scattered hailstorms ahead of chill winds, and no sign of blossoms on the fruit trees just yet. But things are definitely growing. I've been out in the garden repairing a year's worth of neglect almost every day for the past couple of weeks, joyfully discovering things as I go. It's nothing like the coast, but when we compare our area to the landscape of Kamloops, a desert (at right, thanks to Allyson for the photo), I am grateful for how much more fertile it is here, and try to be patient. I felt a little guilty this morning as the snow was falling, having just hacked several year's growth of grapevine and other mysterious twining things to near oblivion yesterday, removing a thick insulating blanket of leaves in the process. But the snow didn't stick and warm rain soon followed. We need it.
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That's where you green thumbs out there come in… I've got pictures of some vaguely familiar shoots, some that seem intentional plantings complete with stakes, and some we could swear were weeds but perhaps a second opinion would be a good idea. If you recognize any of the above from these tiny low-res photos please let me know! Below are the courtyard by the front door, cleared of both weeds and scrap reno materials, and the east side of the front yard with the apricot tree in the foreground. I'd like to show off more of our hard work in getting trees pruned back, excess growth cleared away, and some order restored. Only, I doubt you're able to tell the difference. It still looks a mess! Richard has grand plans for levelling out the back yard below the deck and replacing all the tumbledown walls with larger stones, and I'm envisioning rock gardens and terraces and comfortable seats; but realistically, if we can get as far as cleaning up the tangles and the weeds by the end of the summer, we'll be doing well. An acre didn't seem very large when we moved in, but three hours to tame one flowerbed has changed my point of view! |
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I must say, I'm looking forward to sitting on a deckchair on the lawn on a hot summer afternoon, soaking up sun and the scent of lilacs, regardless of whether my "lawn" is still covered in dandelion and fibreglass, or neatly terraced new turf. Someday it's going to be a gorgeous yard, and for now, it surprises me how much I enjoy getting out there with shears and a rake and the vague memories of favourite gardens in the back of my mind. |
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The trees and shrubs have the kind of hazy green seen best out of the corner of one's eye, but as I've made headway against the three foot tall dried grass of last summer, I've found all kinds of small green things carpeting the old vegetable plots, flower borders, and beneath some of the trees. In this shot of the west side of the back yard, there's the lower vegetable plot in the foreground, completely covered in strawberry-like weeds, and a line of young trees two of which we think might be cherry, with a couple of tiny lilacs and some ground cover that looks promising. Unfortunately, having only seen the yard briefly in September, and too distracted to pay much attention when we moved in a month later, we really don't know what we've got. So our decision this spring is to allow anything unique, possibly flowering, or potentially edible to grow where it has sprung. We'll label what we want to preserve or move when we figure out what we've got and where to put it.Posted by anita at April 1, 2005 1:42 AM
Comments
I can see the difference. Isn't it amazing how much work one is willing to do in one's very own garden! You know, first time gardeners are know to burn themselves out by trying to do it all right away. Dream and study the garden, but experts suggest doing small manageable jobs over time.
As for the plants in the photos, the right one looks like iris, the one next to it looks familiar, might be lupin. The left ones I can't really make out.
Posted by: Marja-Leena | 08:46 01 April 2005
You're right - breaking it down into little projects is definitely the way to go. If I look a the entire yard at once I feel completely overwhelmed.
Iris was my first guess for the sturdy light green leaves coming out of the tubers, it's everywhere in this yard... but I thought iris requires a lot of water? We've had quite a lot of rain the past few weeks, but should I be watering it regularly to keep it from drying out? It seems to be spreading on its own in shady spots beneath the apricot, the small cherries, and the red currant bushes. I'm excited to see if you're right!
The second image is of a massive bed of very fuzzy serrated leaves which Bud thought might be poppy - the big showy variety as opposed to the small Californian wild poppy. We almost ripped it out as a weed because of how widely it's taken over. The yellow blossom in the picture is the first sign that the bush against the wall, which Richard hacked out of his way when changing the window, is forsythia.
In the same area as the plant you think might be lupin, I smelled lavendar when I first started pruning back the weeds. Does anyone know what lavendar looks like?
There are othe stronger smells right next to it now: green and purple mint leaves, and very healthy patches of chives to go with the clumps of onions. Allyson also identified plantain and another edible or medicinal plant to preserve when we rototill the upper vegetable patch.
It's very exciting! The first thing I'm going to plant are the leftover seeds from our Easter squash and yam - Bud says this neighbourhood is vegetable-growing heaven, and that there's no tomato like the Kamloops tomato. I'm not that ambitious just yet... as you say, one small step at a time!
Posted by: Anita | 09:02 01 April 2005
Things are looking good in your garden. It is so nice to have a neighbourhood of people with vegetable gardens. You will have so much stuff this summer, you will have to can and preserve things. That is one thing I love about my parent's place, everyone shares their harvest.
The 3rd plant picture is lupin, and I think I know the Latin name for the 2nd plant but I am not sure what the common name is.
I will try calling you this week. I still owe Richard a return call from 2 weeks ago. We must plan our visit tentatively scheduled for May.
Take care and enjoy that backyard!
Posted by: Sharon | 09:50 04 April 2005