Saturday, November 18, 2006

Behind the Bush in the Garden...

... are many, many leaves. Even though I've raked a few times already, the recent rains and heavy winds blew the rest of the leaves off the trees, depositing them in the yard. Though we live off the road, I still like things to be picked up and tidy outside. It makes a big difference to me when I drive in at the end of a work day, when I wake up and look outside in the morning, and when I'm wandering around the yard on my day off... to have things in order, put away, looking as though someone really cares about the house and property. So, I raked through the perennial beds, again, and raked the front lawn. I should be able to finish it tomorrow afternoon. It's a pretty big job, but also has a huge payoff, since it's the first thing anyone sees when they drive in here. Definitely worth the effort.
There are some who say the leaves in the garden are good mulch over the plants, and I agree that is nice... but maybe not necessary. What I did do is take the bunched up, twisted mass of iris and day lily leaves, comb them with my fingers to remove leaves, and twist them into French knots, as if they were great masses of hair. I figure this will give them some insulation against the cold, and certainly at least as much as some leaves. We'll see how they fare through the winter, and how many blooms we get in the spring & summer next year. For now, it looks really good out there.
In other news, there are photos of Sam Crilly at http://artofpossibilities.blogspot.com/

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