Sunday was a very accomplished day! It wasn't rainy or as cold as it was last weekend - in fact, I ran around in short sleeves most of the time while gardening.
After my Wheat and Honey pancakes and scrambled egg breakfast (made by my lovely hubby!), I paid a visit to Orchard Supply to get a pair of long-handled pruning sheers that can cut larger than the 5/8-inch branches. Then, I pruned our 14 rose bushes down to a few leafless, short canes in the front and back yards. It took about 4 hours, including cleanup and some garden weeding (very few small green weeds).
I also raked the soil in part of the long L shape in the front garden and planted seeds for flowers that specifically attract hummingbirds and butterflies! Cool! I envision myself sitting on the front porch bench, reading a good book, drinking a Mocha Frappuccino or a Diet Dr. Pepper (or ice water - whatever!), looking up occasionally at butterflies and hummingbirds fluttering around my front yard! Hmmm, that is, after I get a comfy bench cushion for my tush!
I decided to leave the 9 backyard rose bushes where they are instead of moving them into containers. I was unsuccessful at finding information about whether regular-sized rose bushes would grow well in containers, how deep the container needed to be, etc. And, Bill hadn't yet made the containers...and it was time to prune 'em. I'll see how they do this year and think about moving them again later.
Hmmm, in the meantime, that leaves space in the backyard for containers filled with other plants! Part of me wants to just go out and get assorted plants and just see what happens with it all. Another part of me has a vision of a colorful and green backyard which means landscape planning...which I have no idea how to go about it (other than watching 2 landscape-related design shows on the TV recently!). We've no money to spend on a landscape designer. And, I'd kinda like to do it myself anyway. What's the fun in having someone else do the creative work of selecting plants? I also enjoy working with the soil (surprisingly considering I wasn't the type of kid to play in the mud...or play outside much at all!). I took multimedia courses in college with a woman who had had her own landscaping business in the past. She went back to landscaping during the dot-com bust after she got laid off. Hmmm, maybe she'd be willing to help me out with some ideas...types of plants, etc.
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