Now that the labyrinth is done. Yes! ...
... and the little rabbit is done. Yes! ...
... which accompanies the squirrel I did a few years ago ...
(I'll be starting a pheasant very soon.)
... and the shawls are progressing well ...
... I've decided to turn some of my attention to the grounds on the west side of the drive, and take stock of this year's landscape progress. The east side of the drive, which used to be the site of the shed which I had torn down, is now home to my kitchen garden. A better view of the central "plaza" here; more clearly visible are the areas set aside for rhubard and strawberries, and if today's idea comes to fruition, currants too (towards the right, in an unfinished state)!
In this view, my attempt at symmetry is clearer. There will eventually be an arbor leading from the "plaza" area to the lawn/labyrinth area.
The west side of the drive consists of a wedge of ground bounded by the driveway and the stonewall which both meet at the road, a point marked by our (me and my two neighbors across the street) mailboxes. Besides the stonewall, there runs an unofficial, potentially viable idea of a field road. There are outlines of tracks accommodating four-wheeled vehicles--slight depressions in the ground--which trace up and around the humongous patch of rosa rugosa. These formations were made stronger last year at this time by the daily entrance and exit of the workers building my bird room. This faint outline of a road parallels the stone wall. It is where the lace-cap hydrangea lives for now, and just above it resides the lady slipper.
Between this trail and the driveway is the wedge which was this weekend christened my "shrub garden". It was already home to 2 lilacs, a peony, several day lilies and some irises, a white spirea, and flowering almond bush. I added a gifted buddleia--of deep, deep magenta--late last fall, thinking at the time that a miracle would be required for it's survival, and a miracle we were blessed with, as it put forth 3 blooms this summer. I also added a new hydrangea, purchased Saturday at a local nursery. I wouldn't be surprised if a beautiful, quite stunning, lavender Rose of Sharon finds it's way into this garden at some point. I saw it at the nursery. Gasp.
Obtaining the hydrangea motivated me to clean out the beds of lilies and irises and mow the rather tall grass. Here is a picture of the "wedge" with the drive in the foreground. The hint of a road will be on the right.
That is the "bush garden", and here is the new hydrangea I put in Saturday. I think the lacecap will come down to join it when it goes dormant in a month or so.
From the apex of that wedge of land to the road was the focus of this morning's gardening. The whole area had become overgrown, unmown, and shoddy. There were several types of weed--goldenrod, asters, etc.--all very pretty to look at, but after all, they have a whole field to play in so I told them I'd have to set boundaries. There are also beds of irises, another spirea, a bed of cosmos, and more daylilies in this area. They are all cleaned up now. A thicket of woody weeds, masses of goldenrod, 3 small trees, and yet more not-so-desirable shrubbery was removed from around the poor rhododendron down by the road. It is nice now to see the stone wall down in these parts and I'm thinking the area will make a beautiful, colorful flower bed.
The area from the "wedge" down closer to the road. Here, the "tractor trail" (I'll call it that) is clearly visible going up into the field.
This is the area from the rhododendron to the road.
Now I have a decision to make. Across the drive from the areas just described are 2 closely-set dying maples. This year I noticed 3 shimmering aspens, and 1 larger slippery elm taking root adjacent to the maples. Do I keep 1 or 2 of the aspens, or do I keep the elm? I think I'll have to do more research to see which would be the better choice. Here is this group of trees. (I drew circles around 2 of the aspens and a square around the elm.)
I think it's been a year of pretty good progress garden-wise, and this is turning out to be one of my more rambling posts! I leave you with pics of late summer color taken this afternoon, but first a picture of tonight's very bright moon.
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