I've been busy cleaning over this gorgeous warm weekend. My focus Saturday was around the raised garden beds. I also managed to get this rain chain planted out with succulent cuttings, they'll be in dappled shade when the birch tree leaves appear.
We will see if this ends up being cute. I filled a brass one as well for the front of the house, attached to the gutter - I think I like the black better? Anyway, they will both look better as they fill in. You can see I've got clutter everywhere to put away, embarrassing!
Well, I'm just going to show the whole mess of it. Here is the before. This is definitely the "junk drawer" of my garden. But it's about time to put tomato plants in so I need to get cleaning. I'm waiting on a few more cauliflower before I clear those beds. There are also radishes & carrots that are delicious right now.
Last year I struggled getting to the tomatoes because of a too closely planted rose, Princess Alexandra of Kent, which suffers a bit in this hot spot. I moved her to the front yard where she'll get a little afternoon relief with some shade.
Blueberry bush, chilean guava & huckleberry were also moved to less harsh spots. We're getting there, ignore the golden barrel, he's just resting there for a bit.
I will continue working on this, I'd like to put rocks or pavers in front of the raised beds. I'm glad I started this process now, I found SO many snails lurking under things, ewww! Missing the chickens who would absolutely feast and fight over the snails. And a few blooms.
*Almost.
Looks like something was dining on poor Sparaxis.
Hakea laurina, one year later. I've been worried about this Hakea since I planted it, it was completely stagnant. In the past 3 weeks it has put out so many new leaves, I couldn't be happier about it. The sun shining through the leaves is just beautiful, I think.
The cute teacup bird feeder Ivan gave me for Christmas is out!
Someone was so very tuckered out from the cleaning. My moving things around outside made him very goofy, he's a good buddy.
They are so lovely! I always find that seeing friends' gardens encourages me, knowing spring is on the way!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I love seeing others gardens!
DeleteI love the succulent rain chain! So cute! I love all the blooms coming up, spring has sprung!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I look forward to it filling out but I think I like it! This weekend was fabulous, I'm so glad you enjoyed the weather, too. ~Mom
Delete"junk drawer of the garden"... ha! I love that description. That's my garage, as it's not big enough to park a car in and is basically my glorified garden shed/junk drawer. That hakea with the light shining thru the leaves is pure magic!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know we all have a messy spot. The hakea glow through makes me swoon.
DeleteThe "mess" shows how busy you were! I look forward to seeing how the succulent/rain chains fill out. The Hakea looks great - I'm envious!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kris, I admit I let things go a bit too much back there.
DeleteSo many flowers! <3 There's so much to love about this post, mostly that your flowers are blooming and the warmer weather is allowing you to garden again. And forget about the "mess", it's a necessary commodity for us gardeners, so we all understand. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a rain chain before, but they both look great! I think the black one is more noticeable though, which is probably why you prefer it. Do you buy them ready made, or do you make the chain of pots yourself, Tracy?
Thank you Jo, I almost didn't show it. It's nice to know it's normal clutter. I found the rain chains on clearance, added a screen to the bottom. I thought I'd prefer the copper one, but I'm usually wrong on these things.
DeleteLovely. I don't really know Hakea laurina but I see from comments it's much admired and I looked it up. Very nice it's doing well for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susie, a bit of a nail biter!
DeleteI love your succulents and I love your rain chain. Actually, this is the first I've ever heard of a rain chain so I had to look it up - it's an interesting concept. My succulents are mostly indoors so I love to see them outside and thriving. Time for tomatoes? Well, we are expecting snow tonight and high winds after we had a record high (63F) yesterday. We don't plant tomato plants until May.
ReplyDeleteI'm pushing the tomato planting, even for here. They go in a raised bed, and I think that does give them protection. Oh, your weather is up & down just as it should be in Spring- the wind is NOT enjoyable, though. Have a good weekend!
DeleteDefinitely everyone has a messy spot or two. For me, the trouble spots are our sheds. I just don't know how to organize or renovate them so that they look attractive. I like seeing how you are adapting and changing to accommodate a new vision for the garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jerry, we used to have a chicken coop in that area. So definitely "things" just get left there out of sight. Sheds are great hiding spots though, I could probably use one!
DeleteFlowers... YAY!! I love the little tea cup of seed.
ReplyDeletexx oo
Carla
Your Hakea looks great! I still need to plant mine and dither about where to place it.
ReplyDeleteThe "junk drawer" of your garden--hahaha! Good one.
I planted tomatoes last week too--early even here but last year I waited then could not find the ones I wanted--all sold out.
Happy gardening, Tracy!
I love the color of a birch. And your garden photos are so pretty. The rain chain-succulent extravaganza is super clever.
ReplyDelete