Bamboo trench

1'-0" deep bamboo deterrent trench

Hugh and I dug a 1'-0" deep trench a couple weeks ago to deter the VERY INVASIVE neighbor's bamboo from encroaching into our yard.  It has been a great source of frustration for me.  The 20'+ bamboo grows so rapidly that when we came back from our week long vacation, the little shoots we left had grown into 10' tall spikes.  The new shoots are easy to stamp out, but once they are over a couple feet tall, they start becoming woody and you need a saw to cut them down.  Then of course, you are left with sharp spikes sticking out of your lawn - not desirable.  So, in short, we don't want the bamboo in the yard.  We dug a trench and we are supposed to go along the trench twice a year and prune back the runners that attempt to cross the trench.  We are giving the bamboo a couple feet of our yard because it does make a great privacy screen and we hope that, by the end of summer, we won't be able to see our neighbors ugly chainlink fence anymore.

Add some ferns and..voila!

View from the deck

I dug up some wayward ferns from around the backyard and moved them into the loamy soil where the side fence used to be.  I also split up a existing hosta into 6 mini hostas to hhelp fill out the area  Cheap and easy! 
Now, just one question: what do i do with the dry shade in front of the bed?  Try some grass?

New Hydrangea and Birdhouse

"Endless Summer Blushing Bride" and post top birdhouse

The birdhouse already has a new inhabitant.  We're pretty sure it is a chickadee, but sometimes it doesn't look like one at all.  When you see it in person, it doesn't seem quite as black as the other chickadees around.

Doesn't look like a chickadee here...

Here it looks like a chickadee

New Planting on the North Side

After fenced removal - before planting

After fenced removal - before planting

After fenced removal - after planting

After fenced removal - after planting

I added hosta elegans, pink rhododendrons, hosta frances williams, Viva redhead coleus, and japanese forest grass.'all gold"

Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker spotted in our backyard!

Birdhouse gone terribly wrong

I bought this birdhouse at Target.  Cute, right?  I thought so.  I put it in our backyard hanging from our maple tree.  After a week, I looked inside and was delighted to find a couple twigs. Perhaps the beginning of a nest??  After a few days, I peeked in again and was disappointed to see that the three twigs had not moved.  Apparently, the bird did not find the vessel a suitable home.  But, I thought the house looked pretty cool hanging out there so i left it, hoping another bird might give it a try. However, I looked in the other day and found:

 A GIGANTIC HORNET!  Luckily, my brave hubby knew what to do and secured a plastic bag over the whole thing.  When the huge hornet came back, he swatted it dead with a squash racquet.  Well done!
Now the plastic wrapped house is sealed in a 5 gallon bucket in our driveway.  We probably won't touch it for at least another month and we definitely won't be hanging it back outside!  Scary.

Broccoli and Pea Harvest

We just got back from a week long vacation in Florida.  I left the broccoli just starting to bud, but when we got back it was already about to flower.  I missed the ideal harvest time. June and I wasted no time in harvesting all the crowns.  I filled a gallon ziploc bag with the freshly picked and cleaned bounty and stuck it in the freezer for steaming up later.

Our first peas are popping now too. Delicious!
The spinach got to be about two feet tall and stringy so I yanked it out of there.  I'm tired of spinach now anyway.  We have tons in the freezer and we can do some more in the fall.
Little tiny peppers are forming on the one pepper plant.
The tomato plants all had their tops nipped off (deer).  I doused them in Liquid Fence.
Most of our sunflower seedlings are suffering.  June can't resist stamping on them or digging them up.  We might still get a couple.
Now that the broccoli is done I think I'll try some string beans in their place.  I couldn't find any plants, so I guess I'll have to try them from seed.

Peonies in bloom!

One of my all time favorite flowers is now in bloom in our yard.  I wish the blooms lasted longer, but maybe their fleeting nature is part of the appeal.

More from Scott

Shade Inspiration - Scott Arboretum

June and I love taking walks in Swarthmore College's Scott Arboretum.  I love how they put together shade areas.  It IS an arboretum after all, so pretty much everything is shaded by trees.  Here they have purple heuchera, blue hostas, and gold japanese forest grass.  This is the combo I'm trying to recreate in our yard beside the deck.  I already purchased six forest grass plants.  I can't wait to get started, but first, the tree company is clearing out the brush, taking out some small junk trees, and pruning the large ones.  Only another week to go!

Sunflower seeds planted

June and I planted sunflower seeds together this morning on the north edge of the vegetable garden.  I expanded the plot out about a foot.  I really hope some of the seeds actually sprout.  I was pretty lazy about the planting operation, not taking the time to cultivate a nice loose soil mix for them.  And the seeds were from last year.  I hope they are still viable.  We shall see.