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Monday, September 16, 2013

I was an interested bystander


We are planting a few trees and bushes before winter. Or rather – our garden person JoAnn is planting a few trees and bushes – this is not the type of thing at which we display any talent. Our ground is rock hard so digging holes is really hard work. JoAnn arrived with a couple of young men to do this while she supervised. I was an interested bystander and made helpful observations.
She has installed some roses, some lilacs, some hollies and some pencil pines.
We are also getting a whole bunch of hicks yews to delineate our boundary. We share a vacant block with the place next door – which is apartments and has a number of tenants  - all of whom seem to have dogs. The owners walk their dogs on the lot and stray into our territory – which frightens our birds and squirrels. Hence the hicks yews which will - in about 100 years - morph into a hedge about 8 feet high.
The guys also weeded the garden and got rid of the poison ivy. She says she will treat this so it does not reappear. I can now get out there and keep things in order without the fear of being poisoned.
We were a bit worried that the new trees and shrubs may not have a chance to get established before winter arrives but she assures us that they will be just fine provide we give them a good watering twice a week.
It is finally starting to cool down and we have weather that makes you want to be outside. The cats follow the sun round the house and have to go from level to level and window to windows to catch the rays.

3 comments:

  1. Perhaps JoAnn your garden person can give me some advice on this Copenhagen garden which came with the house and requires an inordinate amount of chemical free maintenance. It is also overrun by snails and not the kind you want to eat with baguette, garlic and butter. I have been informed that the only way to get rid of them is to pick them off one by one and have them meet their maker in a pot of boiling water and that I'm not allowed to use any other product. Curious if JoAnn can confirm?

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  2. TNDW: I will ask JoAnn - but apparently a good way to kill them is with beer - by making trap into which they fall and drown. There would be worse ways to go - particularly being dropped into boiling water.

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  3. you're right, that is a much better way to go, personally, i would prefer champagne if it were me. but maybe i'll have a glass myself while i watch this miracle of nature unfold.

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