Between the rainy days, we’ve had some really lovely days and I’ve been getting out to do work in the garden to take advantage of them. I’m excited about getting more work done in the house, but it’s just such a disaster right now (with the kitchen renovation happening) that I find myself either painting in the studio or working outside in the garden. Both have been a nice retreat from the dust, noise, and clutter.
The garden has also been a source of discovery and excitement as things are coming to life and revealing themselves. Some hostas have popped up in the back along the neighbor’s fence and I added a few variegated ones that were given to me by a neighbor. I was able to get this area weeded, planted, and mulched at a very small cost since most of the plants were free.
I bought some lavender to plant, but this area might end up being too shady for it to thrive. I’ll keep an eye on it and replace it with a plant that likes dappled light if need be.
With the additional hostas my neighbor gave me (she gave me a huge box of them), I made a garden bed under the Japanese holly bushes…
We still need to address the area behind the bushes and along the fence, but I’m trying to take it one step at a time. The goal is to get the back yard feeling tidy and kept so that when we’re in the pool or entertaining in the back yard, it feels relaxing. I have a hard time unwinding when I’m surrounded by work that needs to be done.
Since the fence is falling apart, we got a couple of quotes on having it replaced with a vinyl fence, but it was just too expensive with all of the other big home projects we have going on. Since the posts are in good shape, we’re just going to replace the cross pieces and pickets ourselves and that should make the fence safe and functional for a few more years.
Do you remember the rocky garden bed I wanted to obliterate with napalm? Here it is as a reminder…
Well, I’ve had a lovely surprise pop up…
I adore Lily of the Valley, so it was such a nice surprise when those lovely bell-shaped flowers emerged. So, instead of ripping out everything in the bed, I decided to clean things up and work around the Lily of the Valley. It has been slow going, to say the least. I am pulling each rock out by hand, pulling out debris and plants I don’t want to be mixed in, putting down weed-blocking plastic in the open areas, washing the rock, and then putting it back down. To help clean out the other garden bed that has river rock mixed with dirt, I’m removing those rocks, washing them, and putting them in this bed as well.
I’m really looking forward to being done with this bed because it is painstaking work, but it’ll be worth it in the end. In addition to keeping the Lily of the Valley, I planted some more hostas from my neighbor and transplanted sweet autumn clematis from another part of the yard. (The one on the right is sweet autumn clematis and the one on the left was some other variety that isn’t known to me. The one on the left did not like being moved and it shriveled up, so I pulled it out.) I am also planting Japanese holly bushes under each window and I’ll keep them neatly trimmed as they grow. We have several Japanese holly bushes in the yard, so I know they do well here and I like that they have a boxwood look about them.
I bought to add some height between the windows. We’ll eventually get new shutters also. You can see that shutters used to be on the windows (there is a faint ghost of them remaining on the brick), but they were removed a long time ago.
When we bought this house last fall, I felt a kinship with the previous owner. We like a similar color palette (her kitchen was blue and white and other public rooms were minty green) and, even though the landscaping was overgrown, I could see that we had similar taste in plants. I wasn’t really sure what would come up in the spring, though. Would she have picked pink and red flowering bushes that I would want to remove? As bushes have bloomed, though, I have found several delightful surprises that feel like gifts from the original homeowner. Buried in an overgrown mess on one side of the house is a large lilac bush. It’s enormous and in desperate need of pruning, but it is there and can be saved. When the dogwood trees bloomed, I was so happy to see they had white flowers. And, a mystery bush near the back fence turned out to be a mock orange bush.
I had never seen one, so I had to ask my Instagram followers to identify it for me. Jeff would like to put a shed right where it’s planted, so I’m going to trim it way back and transplant it when it’s dormant.
We have several beds with a ground cover that is going crazy and it needs to be tamed, but look at these pretty flowers! My phone identified the ground cover as box elder. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but there are weeds growing in with it and I don’t like having beds that are impossible to keep tidy. I was going to have Jeff hit it with a weedwhacker just to get it under control, but I’m glad he procrastinated on that because the flowers are another little gift. Does anyone know what they are? They remind me of Queen Anne’s lace, but the leaves look different.
I don’t know it they are pretty weeds or if they were intentionally planted. Either way, they are sweet.
As I’ve been working on the landscaping, the contractor and his team have been working on the pool. It’s finally drained and emptied of all of the muck and they removed the broken tile and coping. It’s looking better already!
This is the new tile that will be installed. (I’m not sure why a couple of tiles are missing off of the sheet, but they’ll obviously put tiles in those holes when installed.) I had debated about the tile color, but I decided to go with something that will be similar in tone to the water once the plaster is redone. We’re going from white, which makes the water a bright turquoise, to medium gray, which will make the water a softer blue.
Today, there is a bustle of activity. A mason is installing the brick coping on the pool while the contractor is going to start setting the cabinets in the kitchen…
Just to let you know, lilies of the valley are extremely invasive. I started with just a couple plants and they are now everywhere and very hard to get rid of. I deeply regret getting them.
Yes, I am aware of that. I was looking into planting them in Minnesota but decided against it for that reason. The nice thing about where these are planted is they are surrounded by concrete, so they will be contained to that bed. I will tell you, pulling up the ones I want to remove has been a part of the slow process! They are really rooted in there!
Jo and Marian,
And my problem is … I cannot MAKE lilies of the valley grow anywhere, and that’s one plant I’d dearly love! My grandfather had one bed of lilies from which I’d make the most fragrant bouquets. I keep trying to start pips in his memory, but they just won’t grow for me. So envious of your “over abundance!”
I put my 2-3 little plants in a corner of my hosta garden years ago. Now, every spring they are beyond that, beyond the rocks that edge the garden and about 3′ into the yard. And Marian is right, you cannot pull them. I don’t want to use Round Up so today I found a substitute I’m going to try – 1 gal vinegar, 1 c salt and 1 T dish soap. I hope it works.
Hi Jo-my husband orders gallon size containers of white vinegar that is a stronger % than what u can buy in stores. This works very well & is a better way to kill weeds than using poisons. We also use a torch on a propane tank when it’s cool weather. That’s a fun way to weed! 😉
Liz – I have some “garden” vinegar I’ll use. I would love to use a torch, but I live out on a little farm alone and I’m too scared. That would be slick tho.
Jo, the best way to get rid of Lily of the Valley is to dig them out with a shovel. Dig deeply. They have long roots that spread underground, and it is difficult to get all out on your first digging. But, if you persist, and keep at it, you will get them out. You may need to watch and see if a few leftover strays return, and you may need to do a second digging in a month or so. But, eventually they will be gone. You can not pull Lily of the Valley because the plant breaks from the root, and the root will eventually send up another shoot, and another, and another!
I’m wondering if the white flower is yarrow?
I planted lily of the valley bulbs 2 years ago. This year i had two finally sprouted and 1 bloomed, I don’t think they will be invasive in my garden for a looong time 😂🙃
I thought that too.
No that is the highly invasive gout weed aka snow on the mountain or bishops weed. It is a nightmare to try and eradicate. I think there is even a FB group devoted to it.
My favourite flower, and they remain a healthy green all summer. The ones that creep onto the lawn are mowed with the grass. I love them. Memories of childhood home and the small bouquets my mom made.
I planted lily of the valley bulbs 2 years ago. This year i had two finally sprouted and 1 bloomed, I don’t think they will be invasive in my garden for a looong time 😂🙃
The queen Anne’s lace looking flowers are an invasive weed. Goutweed or Bishops weed. Long white spaghetti like roots that pull up easily after a rain.
It’s hard to read all the comments on my phone, but in case someone hasn’t mentioned, here is a tip. In Google search bar on new smart phones, there is a camera. Click on the Google camera and take a picture of any plant (birds, shoes you see someone wearing that you like, etc) and it will search by image and tell you what it is (where to buy, etc).
Everything will look so lush once you see what’s coming up and are able to get things trimmed back. If you have any maple trees around the house, keep an eye out for box elder bugs. Sprinkling borax or diatomaceous earth at the bottom of window sills and around door jambs will deter them from coming inside the house.
I believe your mystery ground cover would be Bishops weed.
That was so helpful and I think you are right! I watched a video on removing it and, even though the flowers are pretty, this plant isn’t a gift! 😂 It looks like I have my work cut out for me because it is all over the place in this yard.
Not a gift for sure! It is terrible. It can’t be removed. You can do two things. Cover it with dark agricultural plastic and leave it covered for years, it still can come up after three years! Put gravel and pots on it to cover it. The second is to embrace it but never let it flower. The seeds will be spread by birds and that will be an even bigger disaster. Cut it short, burn all cuttings, and put high big leave plants in it. I inherited a patch in my north garden. I isolated it and filled it with covering plants. Huge grasses, Alchemilla mollis, Darmera Peltate, Daylilies, Verbena, Veronica. Until it is covered totally. After I did this 8 years ago it never bloomed again and the massive growth cut back too. Never ever use cuttings or replant a plant in another part of your garden, a tiny root of it can regrow massively.
Oh my gosh! I’ve been doing the same thing and feel a little silly when I share that I’ve been “washing rocks” for 2 years now. We have removed and cleaned up some beds. What a job!!
It’s called gout weed up here in southern Ontario and there’s a variegated version as well. Both are highly invasive and hard to get rid of – although they make a very lush ground cover.
I love Lily of the Valley. Loved them as a child and still do. So glad you can keep it and contain it. A friend brought me a bouquet of Mock Orange years ago. It was heavenly. The scent was wonderful! I’ve wanted one ever since. I am jealous! Isn’t the craziness fun! So much going on at once, and just think when it’s done!
Due to the concentration of cardiac glycosides, it is highly poisonous if consumed by humans or other animals.
I would get rid of that bishops weed as best as you can. I have it from a neighbor and it literally has taken over parts of front and back yard. The roots run deep and will invade everything including your lawn, tangling up in other ‘good’ plants and creeping under bricks and sidewalk. Even the landscaper said it is a beast to get rid of short of digging out all the ground it has invaded. This spring I applied some plant killer but still have to pull out new growth popping up and sadly it killed a whole section of my beautiful hostas. 🙁
I desperately attempted to get rid of bishops/ gout weed from my flowerbed in the front lamppost area. I must have brought it into the garden within a plant I bought at a nursery….I pulled it for two years and watched it strangled some plants and creep into the lawn. Nothing worked not even weed killers
I eventually had all the plants removed and the contaminated soil removed two feet deep. The lawn company recommended I not plant any plants just apply grass seed and keep it mowed to kill back any remaining grout weed,
I do miss my front garden, especially the clematis on the lamp post but it sure beats trying to constantly pull that weed.
I would caution you against planting anything too large under your windows – ie Japanese Holly, does not look like you have enough room. You need at least 1/2 spacing for the whole bush expected diameter.
Marian,
I loved hearing about your garden adventures! I too am a fan of lily of the valley, and in fact just found the pink variety at a local nursery, so I planted some and am anxious to see little pink bells. It is so exciting to watch things grow and thrive. I am also excited to see your pool renovation.
Marion ,
Lavender needs full sun! At least 6 to 8 hours. You need to move it now while it’s small & not summer.
So fun that you are getting wonderful blooming presents!
Thanks! I’ll move it when I’m working out there one evening.
Yikes! Goutweed is THE worst!!! Please share if you learn of a way to really get rid of it. We have been fighting it for 15yrs. We’ve had some luck covering it with heavy duty weed barrier and a 3 inch layer of mulch. Unfortunately our neighbors aren’t as diligent so we still have areas along the property lines that are a struggle to keep it at bay. Best of luck eradicating it.
It looks like there may be creeping myrtle vine in there with your lily of the valley too. I love lily of the valley and that is the perfect spot for it since it will be contained! Your house and yard are getting prettier and prettier!
I know you’ve already put in a lot of effort in your stone areas but you really don’t want to use a weed barrier under the rocks. Eventually what happens is solid gathers on top of the weed barrier and weed seeds will land there and soon you will have weeds growing among the rocks again. I know this fro working in my own yard and working at a garden center.
What do you do then? I’ve never tried to garden in rock, but these beds are a jumbled, weedy mess.
Another suggestion for the prolific weed which your partner might enjoy: flame! My husband bought a $20 tool that attaches to a propane tank and he gets them while they’re young. We have way too much to caretake to use it exclusively, but it’s a great trick for targeted weeding without using poison that may harm other wanted plants.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but rocks and gravel in beds is not good, neither is any kind of plastic “weed barrier”, rocks create a hostile environment for all but the hardiest of plants, the beds are always full of debris and weeds that get between them, weeding is a chore, and the beds are just plain awful to keep clean. And rocks reflect heat back into the atmosphere so they just aren’t good.. There’s no up side to having rocks in a planting bed. Your best bet is just to rake them out and get rid of them. Use thick layers of newspaper instead, or better yet, cardboard boxes that you have flattened and removed the tape and labels from, placed or cut to fit around plants, both options are free, and will eventually decompose. Use a good quality wood chip mulch over that, at least 2-4 inches deep and not mounded around the base of plants, (keep a little area free from mulch around each plant to discourage rot and fungus, just a couple of inches around the base). Mulch keeps soil cool during the summer, insulates in winter and helps conserve moisture and will help keep weeds at bay. One of the first lessons taught during my Master Gardner class was about mulch and the horror stories of rocks and gravel in planting beds.
Weed block fabric is pretty much a joke, it doesn’t decompose, and weeds just germinate on top of it. Don’t shoot the messenger please, just passing along what I learned in my classes, and Boy! Did I ever regret putting gravel or rocks in my garden before I knew what I was doing. I spent hours raking it all out, but my garden was much nicer looking and less maintenance for me, you’ll need to replace your mulch annually but that’s a small price to pay. It will be a chore to remove the rocks and gravel but your garden and mother earth will thank you later.
YES!!!! Crystal you are 100% correct…..and I was going to write the same. Thick newspapers/cardboard and mulch. Plastic is soooo very bad for many reasons plus it just doesn’t work. And when it works it’s way up to top…yuck. It is also bad for the water table. I have a large front and back yard and been here for 5 years now AND still I am finding and removing the plastic.
I do love the Lily of the Valley. The smell is heavenly.
Thanks for all of the information! Oh, I am not a fan of rock beds at all and never would’ve chosen it. I thought about removing the rock entirely, but then I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Since it’s just one small area that is between the house and the concrete pool deck, I’m going to work with it for now. I am just trying to get it cleaned up and under control and then, in future years, maybe I’ll remove it entirely. I can also remove rocks out of the larger garden bed and reclaim that for dirt and mulch. It’ll condense the rock and make removal easier down the road.
I bet if you put it on Craigslist for free you will have many takers! If you have a creek around you could dump the rocks there…no? ???
I once had the worst ever, falling down creepy shed. Broken windows and mold growing inside. I advertised come and get it, you take it down and take it all for free. I had over 75 calls!!! Before I could even remove the ad. “FREE” works every time! They might even pull them out for you.
Good luck with your Bishop’s weed. It is a nuisance and pain in the neck. I don’t know where mine originally came from, but it has found it’s way all over my yard. Once the pretty flowers are gone, attack it with a vengeance. It spreads by underground runner, so most likely you’ll be fighting it for the rest of your years in this house.
Thanks! At least it’s pretty. 🙂 I watch a good video on removing it and they suggested it needs to be sprayed when it’s just coming up. Once the leaves are dark green and it’s flowering, the leaves are too waxy for a weed killer.
Hi Marian,
I have never dealt with this “weed” but what I find works great on other weeds/unwantables is 30% vinegar with a couple shots of Dawn dish soap. Better for you, the pets and the environment. However DO NOT get it on anything you want to keep. Or let it be in a runoff area. It is best to use on a sunny day with no rain insight.
I had a ton of vinca (very aggressive) that a professional said he would have to 3-4 times use RoundUp and then “maybe” it would be gone. Then I couldn’t plant anything for a year! I said no way to RoundUp around me, my family or dog. Plus I never wanted to be digging around in it, even after a year. I got the “vin/dawn combo” and did it myself!!! One shot, heavily applied sunny hot day. DONE!!!! It does get to your eyes and your throat!!! 30% sold at Walmart garden section and Home Depot. I bet it will work on your patch too!!!
A lot of work but a garden is so worth it! Your new home has a lovely yard and bit by bit you are bringing it to life! Some good surprises too! Can’t wait to see how it all looks as the summer enfolds:-)
I strongly encourage you to do some plantings of native plants. Not only will they thrive, they are beneficial to pollinators. Avoid imported plants that may look pretty, but do more harm to our ecosystem.
Thank you! I’ll look into that!
My plant ID app says the Queen Anne’s Lace like flowers are ground elder.
Thank you! Mine said it was box elder, but that was before the flowers came in. I was checking to make sure it wasn’t poison ivy since it has three leaves!
Thirty-eight years ago we moved into our old house in January. Ours was not overgrown but all severely cut back so they could easily paint. That first spring was so fun as things came back to life. With apps a thing of the future I poured over books trying to identify and understand everything. Great memories.
The perfect time to trim a lilac bush is immediately after it’s blooms are spent. It is NOT a fall trimming. If you wait, and trim it back in the autumn you won’t get many (if any) blooms next spring, or sometimes 2 seasons. SO right now my lilac is blooming – not sure when yours is – but keep that in mind.
I think I am more excited about your pool than about anything. That is going to be awesome once it’s cleaned up and ready to go. How exciting!
I would love to trim it soon, but I can’t even get to it! It’s about 14′ tall and it’s behind a wall of overgrown bushes. It’s just a mess. We need to do a lot of cleaning out before I can prune it.
Marian, your “Queen Anne’s lace” could be cow parsnip, giant hogweed, a hemlock, or other toxic plant. There are several different ways to tell them apart. Look online for the various differences. You don’t want to mess with any of the toxic ones, they can cause a rash or worse, even to death. Until you’ve identified them, probably best to keep the pets and family away from them. I’ll bet your local extension office can help.
I , too have been washing rocks:) It will be worth it when you are “done”. However, as another reader commented, you will eventually have to go through that process again. Weeds will find a way, whether rock, mulch, or other barrier. Don’t get discouraged, think of it as a free gym workout! Personally, I enjoy working in my garden every season. It feels very natural to me (no pun intended). After all, gardening was Adam’s first job.
Eagerly waiting for your follow-up post to your Luckett’s trip.
Thank you! I took a look at those and the leaves are different than mine. I think other commenters are correct that it is bishop’s weed/ground elder. When I took a picture to identify it with an app, it identified it as box elder, so it makes sense that it’s in the elder family.
I also came to comment about the mystery plant. I have Bishop’s weed and agree it is not a great occupant. If you have ever read the Mitford series, Father Tim is always battling with “the Bishop”!
We have a huge mock orange that has been transplanted from one area of the yard to another. It started very small and has thrived now with the room to grow. The scent is fabulous.
I had a huge fight with Lily of the Valley. I dug for days, and day until I din’t think I could dig anymore. Eventually, I covered the area (large) with black trash bags, and laid 2 x 4’s over the plastic, and let it sit for
the entire summer. The next spring I removed the plastic, and thankfully it was gone… and hasn’t returned.
Also, FILLED 6 of those leaf bags with iris bulbs! They were anywhere there was dirt!! Amazing!!
Hi Marian,
Forgot to mention this…. I have several of these and you might want
to have a look… plant them under your windows… They are fabulous
if you want something a little different and the color is so beautiful!
Easy to maintain… just cut them back to maintain the size you want…
Check out: DOUBLE PLAY CANDY CORN (Spirea)…. So pretty!!
I live in zone 9 (I think)…
I love seeing your gardening progress and the different areas of the yard that you are working in. After cleaning a garden area, I use newspaper as a weed deterrent and weed blocker on top of it and then add mulch. I seldom see a weed in my garden beds and my flowers and shrubs are doing great! I highly recommend using newspaper and it will breakdown. Happy Gardening
Marian, your yard is looking so beautiful! How nice of your neighbor to share her hostas with you. Your trellis is lovely and when the clematis starts climbing, it’s going to be so pretty. I love Lily of the Valley, too, and we had it all around our big Oak Tree. Both my Mom and my Grannie had these at their houses. The scent is so nice and, when you bring some of the flowers inside, the whole kitchen will smell wonderful.
Marian, don’t worry about the weed barrier as it really does help. As you see a weed(s) in the rocks, just hose the area and then pull out the weed. We used a weed barrier under our cedar mulch all around our home and just kept adding more cedar mulch each spring. After a few years, we never had a problem with weeds of the tree roots in our bush. You can always add more of your rock.
Love the blue and white tile you have picked for your pool! How exciting to see your pool being repaired. You will soon be enjoying it.
Looking forward to seeing your cupboards in the kitchen. Everything is going to be so lovely once it is finished — and it sure won’t be long now. In the meantime, it’s hard to wait. When we built our home at the lake, the cupboards were delayed for 2 months and it was horrible moving in without our kitchen finished. However, it is all worth the wait once everything is finally done and you are enjoying your lovely kitchen!
Thanks, again, for taking us along on your journey!
I agree that the best time to prune the lilac is right after it blooms. However, it is a three year process. Prune 1/3, then the next year another third and then the rest the third year. This way you always have some blooms and it is not as shocking for the plant.
I smiled when I read about the Lily of the Valley (my late mother-in-law’s favorite). She grew them on the side of her house and had no problems with them getting into the lawn. My late mother would wash the landscaping stone around her house about every five years or so. She did this well into her late 80s. I, of course, would avoid visiting when she started this project!
Lots going on in your yard!! I recommend you get a consultation from a landscape gardener. Yes, it cost money but not a lot for consult. They will assess and recommend and for a little more money actually give you a plan…on paper. Some things you can do yourself and other they will do as your budget allows. It is an expense, but in the long run, it will save you money and time. I love having a plan, don’t you?
I have had the best luck with getting a bed ready, adding a layer of old used carpet, (free on dump days or remnants from the dumpster at a carpet store.)..upside down so the backing is facing up…then add your mulch, and whenever you see the carpet peeking thru add more…I added pea gravel instead to my topping, and has worked great for many years This year tough I have an invasion of the “spring plant weed”…that when you go to pull it it springs all around and throws its little seeds all over, so am going to try the vinegar route to see if I can get rid of those little buggers…anyone else know of a way to get rid of those?