Friday, October 31, 2014

Bushes and the New Hedge Trimmer





I planted tiny bushes when we first moved in the house.
Tiny mostly because we are on almost solid rock so
digging down to allow for a large root ball was impossible.
Although many said that they would take forever to grow large,
it must be the magic spot for hostas and bushes because
they all grow like crazy with little or no maintenance.  
I rarely ever water them!

They go so tall that they blocked a great deal of
the view into the courtyard and left no room
between bushes and the porch to retrieve anything
that fell or rolled off the porch.
They filled out so well that they ended up a good deal
into the courtyard itself and became a worry in the 
heavy snow as the branches were weighted down.
I would have to occasionally brush off the snow
with a broom stick to keep the branches from breaking.


I mentioned to my Facebook friends that I think my husband it out to kill me.
I've been after him for years to fix up the porch and paint it again.
I think I'd have a heart attack if he ever finished it.
Every year I hear the same promise.
I've even gone so far as to ask friends!

Oh, is there anything I can do to help you?
Yes, paint my porch!

They look at me so oddly, I can't imagine why.
Although my neighbor said she WOULD come over and paint it!
Really, I'm just kidding, Tom can do this but if she wants 
to keep him company and bring over her famous
pineapple cookies, please do!!

As you can see, I can now reach all the little things that
fall behind the bushes and my husband has a huge space
for that ladder while he paints the columns!

It looks like it really might happen this year
(fingers crossed)
He has some boards to replace first which 
he is currently working on, until it unexpectedly
rained yesterday. So much for drying out the wood.


In the meantime, the burning bushes are all aflame!
I do need to trim these as well because the path to 
the hose bib is between two of them.  These seem
to do really well too and rarely ever get watered.
They get lots of sunlight and are against the white siding
so they stay warmer for awhile and really stand out 
in the fall when the leaves change.


When I walked out of the garage and saw the 
dead weed (wildflower) stalks, it really hit me that it's Fall.
We will have a frost this weekend and not much will be
left of coleus, hostas, garden stragglers or patio flowers.
I might just find another tiny pumpkin or two that trailed
out the woods though. I love a good pumpkin hunt!
The drawback is returning with those burrs that are like
little needles which pierce your clothing and poke at your skin.
My granddaughter decided to sled down the hill one year
and came back covered in hundreds of them which 
means I spent a lot of time picking, picking, and picking!


Inside it will still be summer while I babysit the orchid
which now has four open blooms.  There are two more
to go so I hope I can give it back while they are so pretty.

How's Fall treating you?
And Happy Halloween!


6 comments:

Lady Locust said...

Doesn't it just feel good to get things cleaned up around the skirts of the house? That is on the agenda here this weekend: coil & pull hoses, rake sitting area, cover fountain, etc.
That orchid is still amazing:)

LindaG said...

Those are the best plants to me. The ones that don't need any care.
It will take me at least another year to get our porch and house painted, too; so I know where you are coming from.

Have a safe, blessed weekend! ♥

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

Oh! painting the porch.
a dreaded job for sure. Our porch needs sprucing up too. Your's will look good when it is done. The shrubs look nice too.
I've got an orchid but haven't been able to get it to bloom again... you have any tricks?
Do tell!

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I do nothing to the orchid. It is in the dining room which is at the front of the house. The porch is 9 ft deep and covered so very little light comes through and no direct sunlight. I keep a plastic water bottle with tap (well) water and give it a tiny drink every day. It sits in a plastic container with holes in it so the water immediately drips out. It is root bound. I have no idea why it is blooming.

Powell River Books said...

One advantage of living with a hillside "garden" planted by nature is not having to trim anything. It does so much better without my intervention. - Margy

Harry Flashman said...

Porch projects are tough. They never seem to get finished. I've been replacing a lot of the lumber on ours and just finished it (mostly) before the cold came.