Timberrrr! #GardenJournal

The days are still warm but a slight nip in the air portends the coming of autumn. So this year I decided to get a head start on spring while I prepare for winter.

A few years ago I was inspired to plant some milkweed for the Monarch butterflies. Then I added flowers to attract them, and a few beans, and before you know it the little makeshift garden was expanding between my deck and a quickly growing pine tree, too quickly growing.

I love white pines with their soft needles. I planted it when it was a foot tall, carefully choosing a spot where it would have room to grow. In fact, one of my pet peeves is people who plant trees with no thought for that (like planting them under their eaves). I used to brush the heavy snow loads off and wonder if it would survive winter buried under a snow bank. I figured out how to prune it and it was looking good, then it really took off growing. At the same time, I realized my neighbour's maple tree was conquering my yard at about 3' (roughly a meter) per year! So I have been watching this collision in slow motion and reluctantly decided to cut down the pine before I needed professional help to cut it down. [sigh]

I'm not sure I was really ready to do it myself yet, but my friend who is visiting offered to take it down and I finally gave the go ahead.

It produced its first pine cone this year and I saved it. I'm going to take it to the bush nearby and plant it there.

My zinnias weren't doing well and it wouldn't surprise me if it was either because of the pine tree's shade or the more acidic soil it causes.

And there goes the last bit. I decided not to worry about the stump this year and just build the bed around it.

Meanwhile, I had started picking up and bagging the pieces. After the pine tree was taken down, we selectively trimmed a few big branches from the back of the maple to let a bit more light in to all my gardens.

It has been a while since I last put in a garden and my muscles could feel it. Incidentally, that tiny white fence at the bottom of the fence was to keep my neighbour's dog in.

I added a few bags of soil and finally found a use for that 20' (6.1 metres) of vinyl edging I had in my garage, and then I planted these hyacinths.

All done! There is a little tidying up to do and a huge pile of leaves will fall in the next few weeks.

Out front, the three geraniums must come inside for the winter.

The pots look really good when you remember to put them in the dishwasher.

I saved three hyacinth bulbs for the front bed and the package said this variety would repel rodents. We shall see. One advantage is that they are planted pretty deep.

Cool weather and a little fertilizer is starting to work with the fuchsias but their days are numbered. In theory, I should be able to cut them back and bring them inside like geraniums. In practice, it has never worked for me. I just don't have a good cool spot for them inside.

Recent rain revived the zinnias.

This is probably my last outdoor gardening post until next spring but I have ample indoor garden.

Images

Photos from the iPad of @kansuze in Kanata (Ottawa), Canada.

Enjoy!
@kansuze