Desperate times

I have reached the end of my rope regarding the front yard and have called a landscape designer to help me out. He will be here Thursday. I won't be doing the tear out or installation, and I may even turn over the maintenance to them. This decision has brought me a great sense of relief.

Meanwhile, I am identifying what I like and don't like.

• I like the cotoneaster but it needs pruning
• The mugo and elderberry need to go
• I want to keep the gold mop even though it is blocking a walkway. What grows under it - barberry, firebush, POISON IVY - can all go
• I'm meh about the boxwood
• The pampas grass can stay or go
• I love the smoke bush, but wish it were not so close to the house
• Can the rhododendron be rescued?
• No more yucca or false indigo. Both are out of control.
• Open to suggestions for the bed along the front walk
• Eliminate the northern sea oats PLEASE

What was the final straw? I am having the windows replaced in my house. Needless to say, there are plants of one sort or another growing under almost all the windows. The mugo growing in front of the picture window on the east side is the most problematic. My SO and I tried to hack out a path for the installers, but it is still barely passable AND now there is a big hole in the landscaping.

If that were not enough, our pathbreaking behind the mugo revealed some house damage. The picture window resides in a "bumpout" that resembles the bumpouts one sees on some RVs. The house looks less flat-faced with it, but it has been problematic, moreso now.


Repairing this damage will become part of the window replacement project. At one point, I was going to skip replacing the picture window, but now I am glad I included it.

I was hoping once it stopped raining so much, the flopping plants would right themselves a bit, but no. The natives along the fence are so floppy that it is difficult to get the mower through that area. I'm wondering if one problem is I (optimistically) planted them all too close together.


This morning, before the heat drove me inside, I propped most of this mess up with some hardware cloth supported with rebar so I can at least mow along there. This is a perfect example of how things go in my yard. I plant something, it looks like it is going to work, but then my vision eludes me.

August is being August - hot and humid this week, with scattered rain. Before the heat moved in, I managed to clean out most of one raised bed, where I hope to transplant the coneflower and penstemon. The bird feeding ban has been lifted in most of the state, but not this county.

Bird feeding hiatus

There have been mysterious deaths among the wild bird population here in Indiana. The Indiana DNR is asking backyard bird feeders to suspend operations for a while and clean feeders with a bleach solution. I will comply, even though this time of year the birds seem more interested in other food sources.

Although the directions were less than straight forward, I managed to assemble the bamboo mini LED grow light garden from Gardners Supply with only one or two mistakes. It fits well on top of the upright freezer. Now I just need to start some herbs (again).

Here is proof that the 'Golden Spirit' smoke bush does smoke. As I've said before, not as dramatic as the purple leaf version, still a sight to behold. I transplanted some 'Autumn Joy' sedum under it, but it needs something else, maybe some dark-leafed Heuchera for contrast?

Sometimes my landscaping works out as planned. The Bishop's Weed under the 'Limelight' hydrangea has recovered from dog trampling and has filled in that corner nicely. And the natives I moved last summer are thriving; see below. There is coneflower, rudbekia, ironweed, and several types of aster in this bed along the fence. I can't wait for them to bloom. The area needs some spring and early summer bloomers, though, that will grow in clay.

This Clematis Paniculata, a.k.a. sweet autumn clematis, looks like it is cooperating with my plans as well. It is in a container next to a trellis that is tied to a pergola post and starting to climb already. If it reaches its projected length of 10' to 20', it should provide some nice shade for the deck.

As long as the dogs don't try to breach the fence, this crop of sunflowers ("Russian Giant", I think) should do fine. The Mexican sunflowers in the next bed are not as robust, but I think they will come through just fine.

The grass in the sunny area is finally growing, helped no doubt by the off-and-on showers Mother Nature has been providing lately (I tend to be forgetful about watering). The rainy weather has made yardening difficult, though.

A couple of weeks ago, I started taking Claritin to treat sinus headaches. I had never taken it before, and a bonus side effect was the arthritic pain in my shoulders improved. Apparently, there is some evidence that antihistamines help relieve inflammation. I was ecstatic... until a different side effect kicked in: this supposedly non-drowsy OTC medication left me somnolent to the point I was drowsing my days away. It took me a while to connect my sleepiness to the Claritin, but once I stopped taking it, I perked right up. Interestingly, my shoulders continue to feel better. Maybe I can take it once a week and continue to get some relief?