Yard Work

Parts of my yard are like a manuscript that badly needs editing. Today, I did a bit of snipping and planting—but mainly just looking at how the yard has changed.

The pergola needed some work. Volunteer sunflowers—thanks to the birds' messy eating habits—had sprouted at the right side. I thought the left side needed something, so I planted some wisteria I'd been saving. Maybe it will grow up the side and across the top, giving me a green bower.

Notice that I put some bricks under each of the two benches. I got tired of weed-eating under them.

A lot of flowers are blooming around the gazebo. The snapdragons did very well, a gerbera daisy that I bought on special last year survived the winter, as did a mum which will bloom later. The lavender, that was a tiny plant a few years ago is spreading and blooming like crazy.

Behind the lavender, the sage is going to seed. In the foreground, protected by a cairn, is a sweet shrub that I bought earlier this year. A few weeks ago, it was a little stick, now it's full of leaves.

I bought these two pots of yellow daisy-like flowers from Kroger on special for a dollar each. Originally, $11.98, they looked brown and miserable when I bought them, but they've bounced back nicely. Behind them, the rosemary bush and another lavender plant are spreading out. Both were small plants a few years ago.

On the gazebo's east side, a red lily blooms. The St. John's Wort is blooming and spreading like crazy.

Inside the gazebo, the wisteria is taking over. The wisteria is a few years old, but hasn't bloomed yet.

It's invading the ceiling.

Along the front sidewalk, the prickly pear is blooming.

And a kitty lurks in the mondo grass. The gladiolas behind him will bloom in a few weeks.

A briar grows from the dwarf nandina along the front of the house. I just trimmed some briars from there a couple of weeks ago. How did they grow so fast?

I can't believe how much things have grown this year. Change is inevitable, I suppose. It's hard to believe that three years ago, the gazebo looked like this and the pergola like this. And three years ago, I blogged about editing part of the backyard. Ditto, two years ago.

My yard seems to be in a perpetual state of revision.

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