Summer gardens

A bed of reseeding annuals including Prairie Sun Coneflower, Larkspurs and Violas

Not in bloom but thriving with lots of buds. Tithonia, bachelor's buttons, cosmos, and coneflower varieties.

The herb garden in full glory.

Tithonia, petunia Purple Tower, calendula and vining flowers all combining to one unit of flower power.

Larkspur, alysum, and various perennials all together.

Eliminate Maintenance Nightmares

We all have those spots in the yard which we spend more time maintaining than enjoying.  We had an area that was to be a patio area next to our little pond.  It was going to hold a table and chairs where we could sit under the umbrella and visit with company over a meal.  This spring's job changes and a move prompted the re-evaluation of this plan.

I have spent the last two years controlling weeds and shoring up the wall from erosion until we could get our patio into place.  The pond took a little more work with additional sunlight exposure to control the algae.  My husband's knee surgery and additional work hours postponed the progress of patio development.  More maintenance just to keep the weeds in check.

Last month I decided that the pond was more work than beauty.  I pulled up the rock and liner and filled it in with dirt.  I was able to add another six feet of herbs into my garden and several hours of free time.  I used my water pump to add the same element of water movement into a bucket with an old fashioned pump as the water element for my yard.  Almost zero maintenance has been achieved without the loss of the water feature.

This last week solidified the decision to finish off the rest of the area.  My daughter and son-in-law will be living in the house while we relocate to my on-site management position.  They have no interest in developing the patio area in this part of the lawn.  I pulled the weeds one more time, dug some dirt out of the last-to-be-developed garden planter area, and graded and seeded the spot back to turf.  I even did it as a rush job to take advantage of a three day rain forecast so I didn't have to water it.  It will become part of lawn mowing which will add about 45 seconds onto that job vs multiple weeding and hours of brick laying.  They will still be able to use it for lawn seating.

I have been applying the same principle to the work landscape.  Many areas were planted 20 years ago when the new greenhouses went up.  The evergreen shrubs suffered severe winter damage.  One side of the residence had shrubs that extended 15 feet away from the foundation.  With multiple well and driveway maintenance issues, we had to clear away areas to get the workers in.  I just didn't stop there.  
Everything that was creating areas of additional maintenance time were cleared out.  If the lawnmower didn't fit into the area, shrubs came out.  In the end, we added several pieces of historical elements to the landscape and added space for plant stock.  We found long lost electrical outlets and water connections which added value to the removal of the old plant material.  Maintenance workers were happy to have clearance to the structure without having to fight through layers of vegetation to access electrical and water connections to all the buildings.  Areas along the residence will be regraded after the work is done in hopes of eliminating water leakage into the basement.  There are so many benefits to re-evaluating the landscape materials that their loss has been nil.  I would do it all over again.
Take a look at the things in your own landscape that are time suckers and think about what they add to your landscape.  If the work is not worth the time, find some way to alter what is going on.  Open up pathways to your mowers to eliminate trim time.  Add pathways through the garden beds with wood chips to provide access to areas and eliminate weeding nightmares.  Sometimes taking a step back with a critical eye can open up possibilities to enjoying what you have even more.

The storms keep coming

City street tree taken over with the wind.  Just one of many.  One fell on a car as it was traveling just a block from here.

The neighbor's Catalpa narrowly missed her car and went in the opposite direction of three houses.  Everyone was grateful for that.

Years ago her sons were trimming off a broken limb with inadequate tools.  The chain saw was out of commission for this rescue operation but we made do.  The hockey stick replaced the baseball bat used last time.

Milwaukee has been under a dark rain cloud for nearly a week.  I haven't been in my garden for a whole week and found four inches of rain accumulated in my rain gauge.  I found peas ripe and lettuce ready for the picking.  
We had straight line winds that ripped through the neighborhood.  It was all over in less than a minute for the worst of the damage.  I had just finished unloading groceries and happened to be in the basement when it all let loose.  I came upstairs to find my husband looking out at the ruins of my neighbor's tree.  It has been a favorite of her family and many others who walk by.  It is a tree with character.  It will be missed.

A very sad moment between friends.