Fall cleanup

I'm not one to do a thorough fall cleanup, but this year I did less than usual while waiting for plants to go dormant. By the time they did, the holidays were upon us, so that job fell by the wayside. Today was not a particularly nice day to be outside, but I needed some fresh air. The 'Betty Corning' clematis is now cut back to about a foot off the ground.

My gardening ennui is lifting. Today I actually placed an order with Pinetree Garden Seeds for the vegetable garden. As for the rest of the yard, I am thinking and rethinking this idea and that. I expect to flipflop more than a politician by the time I finally make up my mind.

For example, last summer I was gung ho on moving the above mentioned clematis from the corners of the den to the base of two redbud trees. Now I'm thinking I'd rather leave them in situ and build a sturdy trellis for each. Then I can plant annual vining flowers like morning glories (or something) to climb the redbuds.

Another idea rolling around in my brain is to add a small, screened-in gazebo to the backyard, so I can sit outside in the evening without being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The exact location is in flux, but currently I favor tucking it into the orchard area.

A definite "must" is to get some help with designing all this. Another "must" is to hire out the heavy lifting. Despite the help my SO provides, to get things into shape in a relatively short amount of time will take more brawn than we two sixty-somethings can muster.