Thursday, June 13, 2013

Small Improvements

I'm a bit of a late starter when it comes to gardening.  I have all these ideas, but it takes me a while to actually get started on them.  Sometimes I just need help with the heavier work, and that extra help is not always available.
 
I recently saw a cute idea over here of making a garden feature from a broken shovel.  I instantly thought of a useless garden rake I have.  All the tines have been badly bent in and you just can't use it for raking anymore, so I was going to pitch it out.  But when I saw the broken shovel idea, I knew what I would do with the rake.  I have a clematis (again, Mom's) that is still fairly tiny this year, but it has grown past the small bamboo stake I had in the ground for it last year, and the ends were all hanging in mid air.  I dug a small hole beside the plant, and pushed the rake handle in as far as I could get it and propped the rake up against the fence.  Instant clematis trellis!


I know that next year the clematis will have outgrown this rake, and I'll be forced to put up a proper trellis for it.  But for this year, the tiny vine can wind its way around the rake ... I think it'll look cute.
 
Another area that I've wanted to change for years is this spot under my white pine.

 
I really love collecting rocks, and a few years ago we had to have the weeping tiles repaired along the back foundation of our house.  In digging up half of our yard, a lot of pretty rocks were unearthed, and each night after the construction crew left, I wandered around the piles of dirt and lugged what rocks I could into my gardens.  The crew thought I was a bit nutty.  Especially when I saw a massive rock (about the size of an ottoman) lodged in the side of the hole they dug and asked if they would dig it out for me (they refused).  
 
I placed some of the rocks around the base of the pine and the rocks and pine needles remind me of the great Canadian Shield just a bit north of us where we camp.  But what I really wanted to do was plant hostas around the base of the tree as I had seen a neighbour do under their pine tree many years ago in a different town.  So on the weekend I scraped away the pine needles, lay some triple mix dirt around the trunk, added some black edging to keep the dirt in place and split some hostas I already have and planted them around the tree.
 
 
I hope the hostas will survive here, because it does get some fairly intense heat in the summer for about 3 or 4 hours.  I'll keep it well watered and fingers crossed.  It doesn't look like much now, but next year (all being well) the hostas should fill in nicely and maybe hide the edging a bit as well.
 
The back corner that I fixed up a few weeks ago with some ferns, hostas, rocks and bark nuggets is coming along nicely.  This is what it looked like just after I planted everything ...
 
 
And this is how it looks now ...
 
 
I've found a few more ferns sprouting up in odd areas around the yard, and I'm going to transplant them to this new spot as well.  The variegated hosts do really well in my yard ... so much so that I have to split them and end up throwing out the extras because I'm running out of room for them all.
 
My next garden chore will be my son's pond.  He's not taking much interest in it this year, which is a bit disappointing.  He drained all the winter water out of it a few weeks ago, but then left it unfinished and it's full again now with rain water.  We've had quite a lot of rain this spring.  So I've told him that if he doesn't sort it out this weekend, I'm taking it over.  This is what it looks like right now ....
 
 
This whole area is my sons' sort of secret garden, and I try not to interfere too much with it.  The pond itself needs cleaning, pump put in, rocks straightened and fish returned (we have shubunkins).  The garden surrounding the pond also needs attention.  It's difficult to get to the garden on the left side of the photo (below), so I want to cut back the bush there and plant some perennials that'll do well in a very hot dry spot ... maybe some slow growing ground cover would be good.
 
 
 Last year I planted love-lies-bleeding around the pond and they did really well and looked great all hanging over the water.  I've started some seeds (very late!), and this is what they look like right now ...
 
 
I'll have a bit of a wait to get them transplanted (they're teeny tiny red sprouts that you can hardly see!)
 
So those are my gardening chores ... some finished and some waiting.  I took the camera around the yard yesterday in the sunshine and snapped a few of my flowers (back to rain today) ...
 
 
Thanks for stopping in!
 
Wendy
 
 
Linking up with Fishtail Cottage's Garden Party!
 
 
and Rooted in Thyme Sweet & Simple Fridays!
 
Rooted In Thyme

32 comments:

  1. I love having a good old nosey around other people's gardens and yours looks great, so many 'secret' bits! I really like the idea of using old garden tools too and I love old terracotta pots! Looking good there Wendy! Try giving the hosta a good mulch to retain any moisture :) x

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed your peek into my garden ;)

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  2. Wendy it's all looking so pretty I love the rake idea ... Sarah x

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  3. Everything is looking great, Wendy. I really like the rake idea, that's going to look really nice as the clematis grows and climbs.

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    1. After only a couple of days its tendrils are twining quickly to the top!

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  4. That's a great idea for the old rake! I put up a trellis against the side fence for the clematis to climb, but instead it chose to wind itself around the bamboo which has grown through from our neighbour's garden instead!
    Happy gardening - keep it up, it's looking beautiful.
    xx

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    1. We have another large clematis that continuously pulls the trellis off the garden shed wall ... it's so heavy!

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  5. You have a beautiful garden..nice for sitting out and watching the clouds go by!
    Jane x

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    1. I sit down for a couple of minutes and then see something that needs attending to ... the dog hates it because he HAS to follow me everywhere and he just wants to relax ;)

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  6. Hi Wendy it all looks so inviting-and I love the rake idea for a trellis-I would just add another broken tool to either side of it-will give it plenty of room to grown up-perhaps find a couple more broken rakes at sales-

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    1. Good idea Kathy! I'll keep my eye out for some more ;)

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  7. What a cute idea with the rake! Looks like it'll work perfectly as a "starter trellis." :) I love rocks in the garden too. We've brought several home from vacations and love having them in the yard. Your hostas are pretty too. One of the hardest things about gardening (to me) is waiting for things to fill in. I always seem to over plant, then everything gets squished. LOL!

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    1. I'm somewhat impatient too ... and when some plants don't really establish themselves until the following year, it's really hard to wait.

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  8. Wow! Your garden looks fabulous Wendy!

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  9. What a beautiful garden you have. Love the rake idea! Would love for you to share at Simple & Sweet Fridays.


    Take Care,
    Jody

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    1. Thanks for visiting Jody, and I've now linked up to your party :)

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  10. I'm over from Fishtail Cottage and so sweet is this post! I love gardening too. I love what you are doing and I hope that hosta does well too. Love those rocks! and glad you dug them up. Rain water is good for a pond, maybe if you entice your son with a koi fish or something he may work on his "secret garden" which would have to be done up all properly for the fish to be happy, right? :D wink...but I adore what you are doing there.

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    1. Thanks for popping in! Koi won't survive in this small pond over the winter. But my son has promised to be out there this weekend to get things sorted.

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  11. The clematis climbing up the rake is so cool! It is great you were able to reuse the rake!

    Did you know that hostas are also called friendship plants? I would call a garden club and see if they know anyone who can use the extra hostas that you don't need. Someone could use them and really appreciate it too!!

    I hope you are well!

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    1. Yes, good thing I didn't throw that rake out a couple of weeks ago! I didn't know that about hostas, but I can understand why they're called that as you make friends by passing along your extras. Thanks for the tip Stacy. Have a great weekend ;)

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  12. I am loving those blooms! And the rake!!! Oh my I thing that is just perfect!!! Even if the clematis out grows it I think you should leave it...it adds so much whimsy to your space!!! And the rocks are awesome! I can not believe how large everything has gotten in your corner shade garden! What an outstanding before and after! Have a lovely weekend lady!!!

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    1. Thanks for all your lovely comments here Nicole ;) I keep taking photos of the "before" so that I can show the improvements later. I have some rather dreadful shots of wilting day lilies and tiny sprouts of morning glories that I hope will all perk up soon!

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  13. it is so cool that people or thieves don't actually steal ur couch that u have in ur garden........

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    1. If someone is that desperate for a wooden bench and steal it out of my fenced backyard, I guess their need is greater than mine ;)

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  14. It's amazing how quickly that one garden area is filling in for you. The hostas under the tree should end up looking really pretty!

    I'm visiting via Fishtail Cottage.

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    1. Thanks for dropping in. My resident rabbit put on his little bib and went to town on the hostas under the tree! He left a few little shoots, so hopefully they'll survive this set back. so frustrating :[

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  15. Wendy,
    Love the idea with the rake!! And the rest of your garden looks lovely!! I would die to have a pond but no space and no time prevents that!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!!

    I am following you now...


    Hugs,
    Deb
    Hugs,

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    1. Thanks for dropping in Debbie, and for following :) The rake is working well and the clematis are already up to the tines ... not sure where they'll travel next, perhaps along the top of the fence. Have a great day!

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  16. Wendy your garden is gorgeous! I want you to come over and help me with my... wasteland! I'm sitting here with my cuppa catching up on your blog, my gosh you've been busy! Hope you are having a lovely summer, I can almost smell the beautiful blooms from here. Hazel x

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    1. Gosh, thanks Hazel :) It's taken many years to finally have more patience and time with my gardens ... I really was dreadful at this when I first started planting things, but I eventually caught on. It's a lot more rewarding when flowers return each year bigger and better than the previous year. My summer is going great so far ... I hope you're having fun too! x

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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