Check that one off the list

I've been wanting to corral the two 'Betty Corning' Clematis growing at the corners of the den (a.k.a. the New Room, a.k.a. the West Wing) for a while (interrupted briefly by the idea of moving them). My original idea was to hang a trellis from each corner, but there were obstacles like downspouts and flood lights. Also, the trellis did not need to be that high. Also, I'm against putting unnecessary holes in my house. My SO and I were contemplating building something from the ground up, but while wandering around the garden section of Home Depot, found trellis panels that fit the bill. Hinging two together for each corner seemed like the simplest thing to do, as then they can be stored in winter.

(Please ignore the weeds and bag o' mulch.)

They are supported by rebar, but otherwise freestanding. We'll see how well the clematis grows through the lattice.

I'm not having much luck getting annual vines started from seed. NONE of the first batch of cardinal climber seeds I purchased from the local Master Gardeners at the Home and Garden show germinated; I'm trying again with the remaining seeds. About half the black eyed Susan vine seeds germinated, so I planted more. Ditto the cypress vine. Some of these are destined to cover the pergola and the red bud trees with summer blossoms, two ideas I'm excited about. To soothe my disappointment, I succumbed to purchasing some fuchsia plants from Kroger.

Unfortunately, these two specimens had no plant tags, so I cannot provide a variety name with any true accuracy.

My son is still here, still mowing and weeding. I'm out in the yard, too, but I'm beginning to see what it must feel like to have an on-site gardener. He also cooks breakfast and washes his share of dishes. I'm going to get spoiled.

Dog Daze

One of the best things about August is it makes me pine for winter. Snow! Ice! Sweaters! Meanwhile, we sweat it out until September brings a bit of respite to the heat and humidity.

One onerous chore my SO and I have been having to do, despite the weather, is deal with the privet at the back of my lot. Ordinarily, I try to trim my side of the neighbor's hedge every two years or so, to keep it from draping over the telephone and cable wires during ice storms and to leave me some room for mowing behind the fence. I think it has been at least three years, though, and I let my SO have his way with the thing. He pruned it much more severely than I ever have, resulting in a HUGE pile to get rid of. A bit daunted by the mass, I called a tree service to see what they would charge to make that problem disappear. I was willing to pay as much as $50, but they wanted $250. Gah! Fortunately, the Best Neighbor Ever (not the hedge owner) lets me borrow his pickup truck. SO and I hauled two loads to the bio-solids site Friday, and plan to take one more Monday; total cost (besides filling up the gas tank) will be $3. Our time, effort, and sweat are worth something.

More sweat is going into eliminating the jungle-like appearance of my backyard. The front of the house sports a fair amount of castle block (which I installed all my myself in my younger days, swearing I would never do THAT again). There is some left over from that project, so I circled one of the Redbud trees with it. The idea is, next spring, to move the nearby 'Betty Corning' Clematis to the base of the tree, to let it climb. (The Clematis in question is growing across the lawn next to this tree, as its trellis broke.)

Photo by me

There are two more Redbud trees and two more Clematis vines, another 'Betty Corning' and one whose name I can't locate right now. I have enough castle block to do one more circle. Then I will have to buy more, despite the promise I made to myself.

Photo by Nora

An experiment in the vegetable garden this year is going vertical. This trellis is in a bed of squash and pumpkin, some of which is supposed to be bushlike, some of which is climbing the trellis. I got carried away and overcrowded the plants, so I doubt the yields will be anything special, and I have to gently encourage the vining ones to climb, but so far, I think this idea works well for those with limited garden space.

Photo by me

Plans for this structure may be found in the final issue of Organic Gardening magazine; OG is now Organic Life and I'm not finding a useful link for you. Sorry.

Photo by Nora

It is too bad this 'Limelight' Hydrangea is tucked into a corner where no one ever sees it, as it blooms spectacularly every year, despite my amateurish pruning. It is probably just as well it is hidden, as it is always surrounded by weeds.

Photo by me

The plan for next year is to replace the weeds with Bishop's Weed, which I will be content to let take over that area as not much of anything else thrives there.

Photo by Nora

My g'daughter, who is not quite five, now has the coordination to operate a digital camera, so I let her use an old one of mine. The photos in this post that she took are unedited.

Photo by Nora

Her short stature give her a different perspective on the world than a grownup's.

Photo by me

Maybe I'll let her be my blog photographer.

Photo by me