Remember……..

……..this…….?

                         

                After today,it looks like ……….

……….this……

  ………….and this……………

The gravel,leading to lake,is larger rock on a layer of small,pea sized gravel.

Even though the weather has turned cooler,it has been slow going.

As the pathway is widened,the gardens, on each side, have been weeded and thinned out.

I like the cleaner look.

Plants (Agapanthus,Farfugium,variegated Flax Lily,etc.) have been divided,transplanted,or just tossed out.

Some were just not working,anymore.

Some were planted when TheTree was there,and they just could not handle the almost full sun that now exists in the garden.

The rock border has been reworked.Now,it sits on a layer of gravel.

Hopefully,that should stop the erosion from the upper garden.

Pots of annuals for pops of color.

And a new seating area has been added.

But……

there is still much to be done……

There’s always one more thing…………..

Garden Reno………

One of the after effects of the kitchen renovation,was the garden and its pathways,

to say the least,

were left a mess.

Everything had settled.

Dirt covered everything.

Now that the weather is much cooler in the mornings,it was time to get out there and re-do everything.

The pathways, which I had put in after TheTree went down, were never quite right.

It was difficult to maneuver the garden wagon through the pathways.

The garden hose kept getting caught on everything.

Plants included.

Plus,there was still some grass that needed mowing.

I hate mowing!

Soooo,

working slowly……

baby steps

I have started….

Still to be done…..

Drainage, in the garden, is important here.So everything has to slope towards the lake.

And there is quite a difference,in height,between the house/pool area and the lake.

So,I need to have “levels.”

But the water run off from the gardens needs to filter through gravel.Or rocks.Or plants.

The above photo shows a rock/gravel drain-pathway to the lake.No chemical fertilizers are used at TheGreatWall,but I do tend to have an erosion problem.Because there is quite a slope in the yard,the gravel pathways slow down the erosion problem.

…..and when this is all complete there should be NO grass left in the back yard….

Nothing to mow!

I hate to mow!

Thanking the gardening Gods for cooler weather!

What is this…..?

Edited to add:This blog will be moving.Stay tuned.

It’s been at least a year since I have meandered thru the far back corner of the yard.All of the house construction has taken up my attention.

Today,I thought I should,at least,give it a glance.Even if just to see how bad it had gotten back there.

It was bad!

But I found this growing…..

Close to 6 feet tall…

What is it?

The leaves and the “flowers”….

The branches and trunk are red…..

It is growing along the bank of the lake.The ground stays damp most of the time.

Any ideas as to what it is?

Should I let it grow?

Or should I rip it out?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Signs of Autumn………….

1). Football is back!

      The Bucs…..no comment….

      The USF Bulls finally won one….

      The Gators…..oh yeah!

                   Though I am a USF Bull,my money went to Gainesville,with Erich,the Younger

 

2). Every morning,I can feel the start of Autumn.

             It seems cooler.

                          ……Or else I’m living in a dream world…..and I’m pretty good at that…..

3). The veggie garden is in full Fall mode…..

 

The first Roma tomatoes……

The Kale is growing…..

4). Though I’m not much in to seasonal decorating

except for Christmas-

oh,Hell.Yes I’m into seasonal decorating

                  the front entryway has been decorated….

 

When Autumn seems to be in the air,I do it.

Maybe because it reminds me of when I lived in New England.

….And I was always good at pretend….

Photo bomb by the flamingo….

Crotons just scream Fall,don’t they?

 

5). An arrangement from the garden,with Fall blooms…..

Pine Cone Ginger,Vitex,Plumbago,Hyssop,Sweet Almond in an antique blue Mason jar

 

6). The urge to make Butternut Squash Soup……

 so easy to make,and so dee-lish!

7). The cats are loving the return to cooler weather…..

……..Maybe,I spoke too soon……