Crape Myrtle Flower Bed Expansion

Last weekend, the DH was kind enough to dig the holes for my Crape Myrtle flower bed expansion. [Try saying that five times!] On either side, I placed two Encore azaleas with a bridal wreath spirea in between. Here's what it looks like:

 

 

Of course I backfilled with good potting soil (i.e. rich in nutrients), combined with the original topsoil. Because the DH dug the holes the depth of the pot, I had tons of red, clay dirt leftover.

 

We're waiting on the cover of night to empty the dirt-filled wagon in the vacant lot across the street. I kid you not.

 

Still to do:

• Dig up grass around the expansion.
• Add some type of border. (The plastic border held up fairly well for the first few years, however it has gotten brittle and breaks when it comes into contact with the mower or edger. We priced having a stone edging installed but that was waaaaayyy over our budget and an over-investment for our area. We're currently looking into metal edging.)
• Mulch

It's quite an undertaking as we're at the ball fields FIVE nights a week! But in the interest of cost, I'm determined to do this myself. I would like to have it completed before June when the grandparents start their summer treks. Wish me luck!

Amaryllis and Veggie Garden Pics

Sunday was pretty sunny, so I was able to snap a few shots for you.

Flanking my maple tree:

 

By the HVAC unit:

 

 



By the mailbox:

 

In the backyard near the vegetable garden:

 

 

Still waiting to bloom in the backyard:

 



 

And finally the vegetable garden:

 

Blueberry bushes are in the back left bed. Spinach is in one half of the front left bed. I am going to add some peas or beans in the other half, which will help shade the spinach when the weather gets really hot. If you look really closely, the white poles against the house are my bean trellises. The DH made them for me out of PVC and they work really well.

 

My new compost pile is in the back right bed, and tomatoes and peppers are in the front right bed.

 

The flat in the walkway is filled with sunflower and zinnia seedlings for the kids. Not sure where I am going to transplant them yet.

 

Over in the corner there is a blueberry bush, two young Crape Myrtles, two century plants and a garlic bulb all of which need transplanting or new homes.

 

So much to do and so little time (especially spending most nights at the ball fields), but I'm getting there.



Updates Finally!!!

My amaryllis are in bloom and I have been waiting a week to photograph them but the rain won't let me. In fact, I'm afraid the blooms will start to fade long before I have a sunny opportunity to capture them. Bummer.

In other news, I have decided to enlarge the crape myrtle flower bed in the front yard with the azalea bushes that I wrote about in this post. I even purchased two bridal wreath spireas to add to it. I just love their cascading look and think the texture and color will compliment my bed nicely. Mine are very young, but here's a picture of a mature one:

Also, the hummingbird feeders are out. I've purchased a new, wooden bird feeder, even bought a large bag of bird seed, but I still need to get it hung. Baby steps.

But perhaps the best news of all is that my veggie garden is in! In fact, it was installed a few weeks ago, I just haven't gotten around to writing about it. Yet. It has benefitted greatly from the rain and the kids and I are looking forward to watching it grow.

Sadly, no bird nests that we've noticed around the yard. Even the bluebirds that have nested in one of my backyard birdhouses for years have gone MIA. {Sigh} Maybe next year.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?

My Favorite Things

Blooming daffodils means its officially spring and this chick couldn't be happier!!!

 

I'm not crazy! This is all part of my master plan!!

For all the times people looked at me like I'm a crazy bag lady for toting home:

• seaweed from the beach
• coffee grinds from work
• anyone's dead potted plants
• rabbit poop
• chicken manure

THIS. IS. WHY.

 

No matter how much you spend on fancy potting mixes at your big box store, nothing beats home grown, mineral rich, dark and lovely compost. My veggies will thank me later.

Here Comes the Sun!

[In my best Chicken Little voice] The sun is out! The sun is out!!! Can you tell I'm excited? It's fixin' to be a great weekend!

Encore Azaleas

A few months ago I was gifted five small Encore Azalea bushes from a colleague who were not going to use them. Total score! They're since been sitting on my driveway as I'm debating where to plant them.

My first thought was to create a new flowerbed in the backyard, just outside my kitchen's bay window. However that would use up a lot of the flat, usable space which Stinky uses to play ball.

My next thought (and probably what will happen) was to expand the front island that houses the kids' Crape Myrtle trees. There is a stunted Encore Azalea there already that needs to be spaced a little further from the trees' roots so that it can prosper. That would make six, which would enable me to create a nice little azalea ring around the island with three in front and three in back.

It's much too cold now to work on any of this so it will be a few weeks before my plan is set in motion. Still, makes for an exciting, albeit hard-working spring.