Battle of the Weeds!!

Here it is the middle of July and I am swamped in the weeding and not feeling happy about my garden. The biggest disappointment is the veggie garden.. try as I might I can't get the weeds under control. Put in two raised beds and even they became inundated with weeds. Seeds I planted did not germinate in the soil.. too dry? And the bindweed came from both sides of the raised beds and snuck in under the boards. I need to take aggressive action on that weed. This year it's thicker than the year before. Interesting thing I laid a pile of lawn leaves in the long-veggie garden area and haven't seen a bindweed come through that area, yet!!! The asparagus area is full of bindweed...

Plan of action.. spray, yes spray the entire open area in the veggie garden (except for the raised bed areas) give it a couple of days to take hold of the plant and then lay black plastic over the entire garden.. smother that plant out... let the plastic lay for the rest of the year, thru the winter and into spring. Yes this means I'll lose the asparagus plants, but they seem to be mostly female plants anyway, producing way too many seeds and not enough stalk thickness.


I haven't really gotten anything done with the side garden.. want to amend the soil, loosen up some of the compacted, depleted soil areas and then plant more perennials. Hope to still get to this area, work the soil and then plant with the perennials that Tagawa has on sale this fall, always a nice selection of perennials this fall that will look great next yeat.

Well I best go, I have the garden hose running in the veggie garden and don't want to turn it into a bog garden!!!!

K

SummerTime... Loving It!!

Wow, already getting into the end of June!!! Trying to do my things in the yard.. doesn't seem like I have gotten far.. so little time.. too much time spent at work. However, truth be told, when I am not at work, I am wasting my precious time. Need to get on track with what I am wanting to get done. So just a quick note for now...

Trying to keep up with the veggie garden.. weeding and etc. Asparagus patch looks horrible.. thinking of tearing it up and redoing. This fall. Put in veggie plants, they seem to be doing okay.. but the seeds I planted have not yet come around? Confused. Garlic looks almost ready.

Trying to keep caught up with weeding the rest of the yard.. not doing so good with that in certain places in the yard. But getting to it now. Put in flowers around the pond.. looks great!! Put in some more plants in the raised flower bed. Have some hollyhocks coming up along the fence.. love that look!!!

Today I am going to rework the flagstone area.. reposition the last row of stone, sloping too much.. so I want to level the area and rework.. then finish up the rest of the patio area in the SE corner.. will update later today how that went... and when the light in the back gets better I am going to take pictures (too bright, right now).. and then I will post to the blog site.

Later, K

Fifth Year and Sixth Year

Life and finances got in the way of having a productive year. Spent time both summers trying to find the leak in my pond and revamping the waterfall. Was able to plant some perennials that I picked up at the garden center.

Is the yard TOO much for me to take care of? Are there too many things on my garden plot to take care of and bring it to the level of love that I want to bring it to? All the years I have spent looking through gardening magazines and photos and wishing that I could emulate those gardens in my own world... and guess what... I have it right here before me.. I own a yard that has all the foundations for a beautiful garden.. from roses to flowers to bulbs to fruit trees to veggies.... Every spring I start the year on optimism and hope for the best and plan for the best and then time constraints get in the way of watering efficiently and effectively... weeds take over and I don't get the tasks done that I want to accomplish to make my garden excel. However there are moments when the garden relaxes me and calms me and I am satisfied to just be in my garden.

I did get the garden shed torn down and therefore will have more room for additional raised gardens for veggies... I got a chipper so that I can chip the branches that I prune from the shrubs around the yard. This past fall I cut back the rose of sharon and the peach tree, which were both overpowering the yard. Also cut back the lilac bush in the corner... plan to prune and style a few more shrubs this season.

The fifth and sixth year are over and past... and a new year is upon me and the potential for a beautiful garden is just out the door and through the garden gate.

Loving life and getting dirty, Kristi

Fourth Year 2007

This will be my fourth year in my garden.

So far this spring I have put in a raised bed in the veggie garden.. last fall I planted garlic and they are up and growing. The rain has been consisitent and often... which is great!!! I pruned back the roses and they are showing buds. The peonies are full of blooms. The lilacs have already bloomed out, plan to prune this spring. The white lilac is finishing up. And the Hydrangea was FULL, too full, will want to prune a little so it's not so top heavy.

Heavy pruned the rose of sharon and the currant bushes in the back yard. The Iris are big and strong this year.. what with all the snow and moisture to get the blooms really heavy this year. I had a full garden of volunteer (reseeded) bachelors buttons, which was nice, but some reseeded to the point of messy.. cause they clustered around the iris. Unfortunately, with my busy schedule I haven't been able to get out and clean them out. It looks untidy and messy. Want to work on that this weekend.

Bindweed is still my nemisis.

The pond is doing great. I reworked the waterfall and have a slow leak, which I will need to look at.. but have left it alone for now.. need to spend my time on other things. Planted my pond and bog garden last weekend. Still need to plant the front of the pond.. and more in the perennial bed.

Planted my tomatoes with Wall o Waters. Put in peas and carrots and beets... just now starting to sprout. Still need to put in the other veggie plants and plant other veggie seeds. Putting in some flowers and arranging the plantings to take advantage of the "companion" planting theory. This is the year I want to work harder on the veggie garden. Put in one raised bed with plans to put in three more. Eventually I want to put in a raised bed for the asapargus bed and replace the rasied bed that was in place when I bought the house.. wood has rotted. I would also like to get rid of the big metal shed and put in one or two rasied beds in the corner with a small shed against the fence. I don't need that much space and it seems to be taking up a lot of garden room.. plus the shed is an ugly metal/ rusty structure. Would rather put in a small shed and get rid of the mower and snowblower, since I don't use either one. I use a push rotary mower so I don't need the big space.. plus there is room in the garage. It would look cleaner and I would have a nice view of the lilacs that are stuffed behind the garden shed right now.

PROJECT Plans for this summer:

I already covered this during late winter as I impatiently waited for spring to arrive.

Some new ideas.. and to risk repeat. The SE corner still needs to be finished up. Put in some trellis work and extend the hieght of the fence, planting some vines which will give it a nicer, enclosed affect. Cut a few of the lower branches on the pine tree and plant hostas.. plant a few more perennials.. for the moongarden.. last year I planted some plants that are not "moongarden" plants/ color, will move them later and replace with white or pastel plants. I was sitting in my backyard the other night and realized, yes, I do want to put in a moon garden so that is what I am focusing on for the raised bed area.

Plant around the front of the pond.. small clammering plants/ perennials for some/ annuals for fill. Move the blocks away from the back fence.. use for walkway in veggie garden.. and then plant sunflowers among the strawberries... and hang bird houses along the back fence and a few in the SE corner. Hang hummerbird feeders/ oriole feeders.

Of course finish up planting the veggies.. corn/melons/squash.

Clean up and plant the side flowerbed. Replace the dying rose in the front.

Plant some flowers along the bottom of the shrubs (rose of sharon and currant). Figure out what I want to do with the backyard.. grass? Groundcover? Path? not sure yet. Wooden walkway? with plants along side? May not get this done this year. At the end of the yard, in front of the veggie garden I want to put a statue of some sort.. with two plants on either side.. roses? fruit trees? ornamental grass? Something for just purely ornamental value at the end of the yard... a focal point from the pond.. from my bedroom window.

Finish off the patio area.. (found out Lowe's no longer carries my bricks.. ) I will need to find another source or a compatible brick that will work with what I already have!!!! Damn!!!! Also want to put in a wood deck off the kitchen patio. Put up a wall at the end of lower patio.. with a bench seat and overhang for plants and bird feeders to the sides. For privacy and the feel of an outdoor room.

At the end of the patio to the side I want to put in another small seating area.. where there are rocks at this time.. a concrete stamped area.. with a raised planter arched around the area... leading to the fruit trees (espaliers) of apple/ peach/ cherry/ etc. whatever will grow in Colorado. Which means I might have to move the compost area.. or find a nicer looking bin.. maybe set up two small ones in each side of the yard.

For the front yard, the only thing I want to change out is the rock garden.. add some larger rocks.. and silt. With a stronger variety of rockgarden plants.

Doubt if I will get all of these done before the end of the summer, but I love keeping the big picture in focus so that I know where to go with the little pictures.

Going to be busy, again, this summer.

Third Year In My Garden

Coming into my third year.. I still don't feel that the yard is "mine". It still belongs to the previous owner, and perhaps, a part of it always well belong to her. Sometimes I wish I could meet her, or correspond with her, tell her how much I appreciate the work and time she put into the garden.

This spring I dug a pond.. with a little help from the kids.. oval shape and 2 1/2 ft deep. For the area I don't know if I could have made it any bigger or different.. size and location determined that for the most part. But what a wonderful addition to the yard. I can see it from my kitchen through the patio door.. and it is positioned right off of the back patio. I enjoy the water flow of the waterfall.. one thing I might want to rework at some point is the level of the pond... it is not level on all sides, so I cannot completely fill the pond on all sides to hide the liner.. but sometimes the pond consumes too much of my time and I don't get to the other areas of my yard.

I also put in a bog garden (with perforated liner) behind the pond so that I can put in marginal plants and bog plants. One concern is that a lot of high moisture loving plants also prefer shade.. which this area of the pond does not have.. so I have to watch what I plant in the area as they can become scorched. I planted my pond plants too early.. put them in and then got a cold night that set the plants back. My lily did not bloom, but I am hoping that this year it will (07). The other water plants came along nicely.. wind was an issue with the taller plants. About a month after I put in the pond I applied at Tagawa garden center, and got the job in ponds/ houseplants. YEAH!!! I have learned so much about ponding.

The rest of the summer I, again, put in a veggie garden, tried to plant later in the season so that I could harvest in the fall when the kids are home. Tried fall planting but didn't get it harvested. I have not had good success with my veggie garden. Disappointed. Watering consistently is a problem I have.. heat. As always I make a promise to do things differently "next year".

I laid flagstone in the corner of the yard with thyme between the stones. This is a nice seating area.. I want to put up a trellis for vines and plant more plants in the corner. (Next Year). In the heat of the day I was moving hot, heavy flagstone. It got to be a labor intensive job... still not quite finished.. need to fill in some areas between the flagstone and pick up a few small pieces to complete the area leading up to the pond. The thyme by the small stream grew in wonderfully. Planted some perennials in the raised bed. Still have things to work on this "next year". But I like how it is all coming together.

My roses had two wonderful bloom times this year. During the heat of the summer they slowed down on blooming. I finally feel like I am taking ownership of my yard. As I tend the yard and make it "mine". I love it more and more every year.

So many things I still want to do.. it will take time. But I love it.

My Third Year in MY Garden

Last summer, my third year, I finally feel that I was able to really get into the dirt of things. I drew up a rough draft of the yard, laying out the hardscapes of things, and slowly started to plot what plants are located where. As I was able to spend sometime with my garden I was able to find what all was out there. In the front yard I have lily of the valley, I have coneflowers and daisies. In the spring I have tulips and narcissus and hyacinth. Lilies and iris. Alpine strawberries and columbine. I am finding what is working and what needs more work. (Not that I have gotten anything done about the "more work" part, but I at least have made note of it).

Last spring I put a pond and bog garden in the back yard, next to the extended patio area. I put rock around the new raised flower bed in the back yard and laid a flagstone patio in the back corner. I attempted to plant plants, but found there was so much hardscaping to do that the planting was only a small part of the garden renovation. I removed the rotting wood around the rose gardens and replaced with rock.. it looks good.. not as rustic.

Last fall I planted garlic. Had planned to plant tulips, but the snow came before I was able to get them in the ground, so they are in the bottom of my fridge, hoping they make it through the summer in the fridge.

Second Year in my Garden

The second year in my new Garden I found myself wanting to devote more time to working in the garden and patching the bare spots and doing more than just quickie weeding frenzies, which is what the first year was all about. I wanted to "bond" with my garden and make it my own.. instead I felt like a caretaker of the garden.. tending the garden for the previous owner. I wanted to make it my own.

I have moved around many times in my life and almost every place that I have lived, I end up putting in a garden.. a veggie garden; flower gardens are a luxury and can only be put in after the essentials of the garden is taken care of first. This is the mentality of being raised by a parent/ grandparents of the depression era.. so every time I broke ground it was spent preparing and weeding and maintaining a veggie garden, who had time for the enjoyment of flower gardening?

As I spent another year in my new Garden, I realized the yard was already prepared. I had a veggie garden already dug and fenced in.. AND I had flower gardens throughout the yard. It dawned on me what a wonderful place I had taken possession of. The yard had SO MUCH going for it. I wanted to work it and make it mine.

The second year I again planted the veggie garden and tried to keep up with the weeds. And once again I was spending too much time on the river and at my boyfriend's instead of getting time in my garden. I was making notes, mental notes, of what all was in the garden.. the diversity and variety of the micro environments throughout the yard. So much potential. The summer came and went and I was only able to work to keep the weeds at bay and maintain the yard. I tried to put down sod in the backyard but with the dry weather it burned up and died. No such luck with the sod. My first year I put in a concrete patio area and realized it wasn't wide enough to accommodate a patio table/chair set, so this year I added bricks and extended the patio area into an "L" shape.

So I put away my garden tools and once again vowed to spend more time in the yard, next year.

First Year in my New Yard

In late summer of 2003 I found a home for my family. It had the right number of bedrooms, and with three kids, that's not easy to do without taking out a second mortgage before even getting the first one... I peeked into the backyard, shrugged and made the comment that it was a work-in-progress. The backyard had little impact, no grass/ weeds instead. What I didn't immediately notice were the shrubs and potential of the yard.

My first year of gardening was a year of discovery. I really didn't spend much time digging around in the yard. My then current relationship took up a lot of my time as we went rafting and spent time working on his yard and helping him with his needs over mine. I would take brief moments to dash over to my house and weed without really seeing what was planted. Because of the short amount of time that I had to work on my yard this first year, I felt overwhelmed instead of appreciative of what I was working with. I pruned the roses and tried to plant the veggie garden. Since I was gone at stretches of time and the weather was extremely dry things didn't go/ grow/ well at all.

I ended the summer with the promise that I would spend more time in my garden, "next season".

Springs Frustrations

Okay, I didn't plant my tulips that didn't make it into the ground last fall.. I am going to keep them in the fridge and hope they make it to through the summer so that I can plant them this fall. So far, so good.

Every other day we have been getting enough moisture to keep the ground wet and the air cool.. too cool and damp to get out and work the ground. Anytime that I have a day off it is either snowing or raining.. I can't get any yard work done!!!! All I can do is look at the work I wish I could be doing. I was able to tackle the front yard.. raked, fertilized, and reseeded. But then it snowed and got cold, so I don't know if the grass seed will germinate or if it is too cold. The fertilizer should be good however.

Last week I spent sometime demolishing my waterfall setup in the pond, put in a waterfall tank set up instead of just rocks.. but I didn't get it high enough over the pond for sound effects and looks, so I want to redo the redo I just did. I am going to put in a two stage waterfall area.. dig the waterfall tank higher and back about two/three feet, have the waterfall fall into a small water holding area that will then spill into the pond.. I need to pick up some liner and maybe some more rocks.. this will bite into my bog garden area.. but I can "live with that"... Tonight at work I am going to pick up some more pond liner and when I get a chance dig in for the revised waterfall set up.. hope this is the final revision. Cause I want to get the plants established around the pond this year.. plant some groundcover and plants.. and get some grass around the area, so it doesn't look so barren around the backyard.

Til the weather clears I guess I'll be blogging instead of bogging.

Spring has sprung

The snow has finally melted, seeping into the ground, with greenery bursting through with promises of flowers to come. I have been out a couple times now, doing spring cleaning and it is such a wonderful time to be out digging around the potential of the season to come. I enjoy the pleasure of the promise.

I am going to plant my tulips that didn't get planted and hope for the best. They have been in the fridge for the last twelve weeks, so they have recieved the consistent chilling that they need in order to bloom. So cross my fingers and hope. I am generating my list of seeds and plants.. and I know as I walk the aisles at the garden center I will also do impulsive choices, but thats the fun of it all.

I want to plant perennials, and when I buy, I am going to buy no less than three plants of each. And for annuals, I am going to fill the yard with plants. I should also consider seeds.. but I have only a marginal success rate with seeds.

Can't stop Planning

Maybe that's why I am wanting to get out to the garden, so I can stop coming up with new plans and more "work" for myself. As I look through books and see the multitude of ideas, I see all these things that I can incorporate in my garden/ yard.

SE CORNER:

Build an arbor in the corner that's at least two feet over the existing fence/ posts in triangular form with beams overhead. Move rocks and plant vines and flowers along the fence.. this will provide shade and privacy to the area.

Trim lower branches from the evergreen.. amend soil and plant shade plants under the evergreen.

Build a wall/ trellis privacy screen at the end of the patio. For privacy and shade. On the cement slab coming off from the kitchen install a wood deck/ platform.

The list goes on and on... I enjoy planning and hoping to make these plans a reality. But the longer it takes for spring and actual yardwork to arrive the more plans I keep adding to my list of things to do.

Kristi

Spring is getting closer: Back at Work

I spent yesterday working at Tagawa's. Deadheading and cleaning up the plants. Watering the flowering bulbs and bonsai. What a meditative great feeling. The part I dread is when a customer asks me a question about a plant or other such thing and I feel completely at a loss. I respond from my vague memory and hope I am answering correctly. After they leave I go back and check my answers, which, thankfully, were for the most part, correct. Only a few blunders. BUT, I want to have it come from confidence and surity!!! I want to feel strong in the answers so that I know that I am helping. Only then will I feel 100% great about my nursery job. So I will spend time studying the books on plants and getting to know them. Researching and memorizing the information. Listening and learning.

I remember Dee saying that it will take a couple of years before it comes naturally. I need to give it some time, but also make the time to study and learn as much as I can about plants. Cause I love my job and enjoy working there I want to do my job the best I can and at the level of quality of the others that work there. In just one year I learned a lot about plants, but want to do a better job at helping customers with their questions and concerns.

The scents and the visual appeal of the greenhouse was so refreshingly wonderful. Love it.

Last year I thought about wanting to incorporate houseplants in my house, this year I want to make it happen. Thinking of how to do this as my house is not very accommodating for plants. What I am thinking of doing is setting up a "plant wall".. with shelves and lighting so that I can grow plants in my house. Orchids would be nice.. standing alone and majestic. Then cluster some on a shelf with grow lights. Hanging plants in several areas. Lots of things to plan and do.

Spring is coming.....

The end of February is here.. or close to the end of February. Spring will soon be here. The tree in front has buds. The snow cover is melting (2 months of snow, that's a first for my experience with Colorado winter). Crocus are popping up. Rain is in the forecast instead of snow!! The signs of spring are coming. AND I am working at Tagawa's again this season!!! Walked through the greenhouse on Monday.. the smells and sites are wonderful.

And as I look out over the yard I see many different things that I will need to work on....

POND:
* Dig and restack waterfall. Siphon off pond.. remove fish? pull back liner and dig out the shelf area for the waterfall. Level and reinforce this area, replace liner. Consider getting a waterfall tank from Tagawa's and restack rocks around to camoflouge the tank.
* Reposition and amend "deck" off the pond. As the dirt has settled and is resulting in a slope so I will need to reinforce this area to level the pavers.
* Build up area of the pond that is not level with the other side so that the pond doesn't drain when it is full. SE corner?

BOG:
* Plant plants for the bog area. Water consistently. Taller plants than last year. Reed, cat tails. Bog plants.

POND Area:
*Plant ground cover around the edge intermingled with flowers. Shorter this year than last year.. the ones I put in last year were too high. Lower.. no more than 8 inches. Pinks... ???

PATIO:
*Lay the remainder of the patio.

These will be the first jobs of the season as soon as I can get out into the garden/ yard.

I want a garden that is lush and green. Flowers and cozy corners. Would like to get some higher walls and overhead arches added to the garden which will provide the feeling of rooms and privacy.

Alongside the above jobs, I will want to work on the veggie garden as this also has top priority. See previous blogs to see what I have planned for the veggies.

I am anxious to get out into the yard and start getting things planted and growing. Watching the progression of it all coming together is exciting. I want to make the yard inviting and welcoming to myself and others. Getting antsy to move from planning stage to doing stage. And this year I should have a little more money to get some of the supplies I need for making this happen!!

More projects.....

The snow still covers the ground and I continue to think of garden projects for the upcoming season. Almost forgot that I want to put in a rock garden in the front side yard.. where the makings of a rock garden has been started. Want to "plant" rocks and amend the soil so that it supports plants that are often grown in rock gardens.

I will start to plan and list the supplies I need for my raised vegetable garden plots for this year. That is my prime objective this summer.. to produce a wonderful veggie garden. Every year it seems as though my veggies are always lacking and unproductive, I don't know if it's the soil? the amount or lack of watering? but this year I am going to put more time and effort into the veggies. I have drip hoses and sprinklers that I bought which will stay in place in the veg garden so that all I have to do is pull the hose over to this area and connect and water... fertilize and amend the soil will also be important.

VEGGIE GARDEN PLANS.. OBJECTIVES:

Amend soil.
Succession plantings
Water consistently.
Weed regularily.

Cover/ shade/ and tend!!!

ALSO....
I put in my application for Tagawa Gardens for the upcoming season. And when I stopped in with the paperwork I popped through to say hello to Dee. and it sounds really promising that I will be rehired for the upcoming sesaon!!!! YEAH!! If I make it back for a subsequent season it will be a shoe-in that I will be considered for other seasons thereafter, as long as I apply and keep coming back!!! I love the place.. the plants.. the atmosphere.. the workers.. etc.

This summer my garden is going to be my refuge and haven. It will be my soul replenishing place where I go to meditate and renew myself. I will transcend the place so that it is a healing, safe, and wonderful place to go... and if it isn't I will heal it so that it evolves into the kind of place that is healing and rejuvenating. When I think of a place that is healing and rejuvenating, what do I think of?

HEALING/ REJUVENATING....
Green// lush... quiet.. solitude.. secluded!!! How can I make it so? Lots of plants... waterfall.. more prominent and louder. Pergola over the patio. Gazebo or arbor over the corner seating area. Lots of plants.. bird refugee.. sitting areas.. small, quaint areas/ rooms in the back. Take time to work the garden and also enjoy the garden.. time to relax and enjoy.

Looking forward with great anticipation and hope for a wonderful, beautiful summer in my garden!!!! 07 will be a year of garden wonder. Kristi

More Snow

Expecting more snow this weekend, into next week. I look at the ground cover of snow and think of the potential, the moisture that will be absorbed into the ground.. how wonderful it will be this spring to have all the moisture deep in the ground.

The birds have been really hitting the bird feeder as the ground cover of snow has limited their food supply... there was some wheat in the bottom of the canister that I was storing the bird feed in and they are throwing it on the ground. I thought for sure they would have eaten the wheat berries??? I guess not.

Thinking of one more "job" for this summer. Redoing my waterfall for the pond. I want to find a central rock for the waterfall and then add some around it. I might have to dig the area around the waterfall area and level the ground better. Seems like I left it too uneven and not enough room for a good sized rock to be put on the area. I took down the rock I had because I was afraid that the ground would settle and/or heave and the rocks I had set up would collapse and I would lose the rocks in the bottom of the pond. I learned a lot about digging for a pond. 1) the sides should definitely be anally perfect as far as level with each other. 2) I should have had a lip for the rock edging. 3) I needed more of a platform for the waterfall area and so that it would cascade directly into the water.

Garden Dreaming

Spent some time today looking at the various plants and seed catalogs (online). And there are just so many wonderfully, beautiful plants. Each spring there is a feeling of optimism of the potentially gorgeous garden that I will have. But the summers of Colorado always seem to burn those dreams right up. I need to break down and realize that watering is a mainstay of Colorado gardening. A little manipulation to get things growing, instead of cooking....

I envision things for every part of my garden/ yard. Since I did a lot of work last year, putting in the corner garden/sitting area and the pond area, I am hoping that this year I can put more effort into planting and mantaining the new growth.

Container gardens in the front...
Bird feeders
Butterfly flowers
Hummingbird flowers

Corner garden:
Along the back wall build and put in some type of art work.... a focal point. A shelf over the rocks?

Gardening for the Soul

This year I want to approach Gardening in a more soulful manner...

There were times last summer when I approached my garden time as work time. I want to step back and remember that my garden is my retreat. My garden should be a place to reflect, to replenish, and marvel at the miracle of growth and renewal!!!

January is a month of planning and anticipation of the gardening months. This year, at this time, in Colorado I have up to two feet of snow in the backyard and along the garden walk in the frontyard. When I look on the snow, I see a blanket of hope covering the flowerbeds and lawn. The promise and hope of the upcoming season that it will be productive and beautiful, knowing that this snow is much needed moisture that will seep into the ground.

Planning. My plans are to "dream big" of what I want to accomplish.

VEGETABLE GARDEN AREA:
*Install raised beds
*Remove current garden shed in order to enlarge the growing area.
*Install a small garden shed/ wall unit along north fence.

EAST YARD:
*Clean up branches/ mulch.
*Clean up compost area.
*Dig and replenish area.
*Prepare for fruit trees and plants for '08 season.

RAISED BED and CORNER-Seating area:
*Plant loads of perennials and annuals for a flower bed that blooms with beauty.
*Lower level, plant with medium sized, mounding flowers.
*Plant vines or tall flowers (gladiolus?) along fence.
*Pots or containers along south wall?
*Trim evergreen and plant shade plants.... hostas? ground cover? astilbes?