OK....
today was the FIRST day
since Fall...
that
I
actually
stepped foot
into my garden
to see
what was happening.....
you see....every year after about the beginning of September,
I go into complete "I am so sick & tired of gardening mode"
"I cannot & will not pull one more %#*!##*^ weed!!"
{such language...I'll say.....}
so here are a few front yard shots while I'm telling my story....
I just get so totally burned out by then....
that I must go on strike
for a good 3 or 4 months....
to rekindle that desire....
to make things
....b l o o m....
Ya see....
it was almost 2 years ago....
when in one of my totally out of control A.D.D.
quiet moments...
I decided....
ya know...
we really don't need grass in our backyard...
do we?
Kids, do we need grass back here??
cuz the dog just poops in it right?
and then it just gets rained on & all mushy grossness, right?
Right Mom....
they agree....
what more did I need???
Me & the hubby CErTaiNly were not
making any use of it....
So, it goes like....
Honey, we don't really need grass back here do we?
he's like.....huh?....
with that cute little look on his face...
that means something like...
"oh no...what is she thinking...."
So, he says, "well, I don't know...
what exactly did you have in mind???????"
Then I'm like...
Oh, {very casually}
I don't know....I was just thinking.....
he kinda looks at me with that same "oh crap"
look on his face...."what is she thinking...."
and there it begins....
the great quest for the
"potager" garden
and potager garden is what I did.
oh yeah, I tore out all the grass....{that is another story all of it's own}
learned all about brick laying....
and created a lovely little potager garden in our backyard.
{please don't mind all the massively overgrown squash leaves laying on the gravel....}
The only trouble is
I now have a 100ft x 30ft
flower bed!
argh!!!
{you gotta admit how massively overwhelming this is....}
and hence....my absolute disdain for weeding by September....
is it becoming more clear now??
So, let's review of few of my faults
that help contribute to my madness....
....#1 taking on too much...
#2 biting off more than I can chew...
and #3 {of a lengthy list}
is......making humongous flower beds with
no weed control system....
{can you see all those weeds there? growing like gangbusters???}
So, this year...
I need to figure out...
a way...
to...
resolve
THIS!!!!
Even if it means
(while I still have energy at the beginning of the season....)
raking back all the mulch
and pea gravel
and
installing
weed blocker fabric stuff.
I just can't go
another summer
with my
self imposed
out
of
control
garden
that
takes
over
my
life.
So, what do all you bloggy garden girls know about this?
Any words of wisdom???
{please say yes! :o) }
{{hugs}}
Shellagh
p.s.
just want to make sure you know these pics are from last summer....not now.....right now I just have a bunch of sticks (ie:dormant perennials) growing... & a bunch of sogginess....
p.s.s.
I'm linking to Outdoor Wednesday for the first time....what timing huh?
so go on over & check it out!
p.s.
just want to make sure you know these pics are from last summer....not now.....right now I just have a bunch of sticks (ie:dormant perennials) growing... & a bunch of sogginess....
p.s.s.
I'm linking to Outdoor Wednesday for the first time....what timing huh?
so go on over & check it out!
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30 comments:
I feel your pain! A single weed sprouts in my flower beds and I feel like I've "neglected" my garden and more than one makes me crazy! We get a break from yard work here in WI; it's called winter! LOL! From November to about May, there's snow on the ground and everything is dead.
In my smaller flower beds, I make thick layers of newspaper under the mulch to keep out the weeds and it also bio-degrades eventually. It works well for a small area, but for something that size, you may want to get some Preen weed barrier fabric!
It's absolutely beautiful! I am so excited for spring this year and ready for some pretty flowers.Last summer I really got into gardening.I always have had pots here and there but that is it.I hate to weed I am with you.We try to use grass clippings in the garden under the flowers to keep them down and good old Coke if you can believe that.Though that seems to bring ants and bees.Best of luck!
Your so very Welcome~ I am glad you liked your treats.I will be holding one in Feb and it's going to be Red.
I saw a few more items in your Etsy store I really like.Good Eye spy for treasures.Chow 4 now~Kim
Okay, here's the plan. You get a volleyball net, some tequilla & chips. Have a party. Stomp those darn weeds out! Get drunk and don't think about it TODAY.
No really. It's wonderful & you'll work it out, because you always do. Lisa
I will let you know if I come to any great solutions on the monthly Grocery bill as well.I am starting to really use coupons and I have my list ready to go with coupons in hand.
I love to eat but it seems to be such a waste of money in one end out the other Ugh! I would rather spend that money at Pottery Barn or Tarte or Barnhouse Boys that is for sure.TTYL`Kim
You know I am considering the VERY SAME THING in my back yard. I have a relatively small patch of lawn and a small vegetable garden but I would love a flower garden like yours. But I don't know if I have the time to weed it either and no money to hire a gardener!
Your so funny! that alot of work! wow, but so gorgeous..you have a great green thumb..love the snapdragons..lulu
Your gardens are amazing. I absolutely love the design with the statue in the center. I am very jealous - we have a huge deer population here. I have to be very selective on my plants, or I will just be feeding the deer. I do use the black weed liner fabric - though I have to say it is not 100% effective. Those stubborn weeds still manage to get through. Take care, Lori
I lift my first cup of morning coffee to your potager ...and to the weeds I say @#$#@##$%$##!!!!!!
I love your blog and reading it as soon as you post. We did huge gardens also and we found out the weed block doesnot weed block. Then we got into about 8 pages thick of newspaper (nothing in them to read anyway)and then cover over with find grind mulch. This will stay down for a good couple of years and tends to kill the bad weeds. By that time ready to add new mulch so if needed add more newspaper at that time. Oh by the way we have a big bucket of water with us while on our hands and knees and we just wet the newspaper before we put it down it molds better to the soil. nancy settel
I may have missed something, but here's my solution unless you're opposed...
We live on a HUGE lot and fight weeds like the rest of you. We buy a vegetation and weed killer and spray it on the open dirt patches that we want completely free of anything growing (pathways, area's around roses, etc...). This stuff (Ortho) works well and will keep anything from growing for several months, for us up to 9-10 months. I don't like having to use the chemicals, but it isn't too often, and I simply can't keep up with the yard without it. Hope it helps... but remember it will KILL EVERYTHING, so use with care!
mulch- mulch and more mulch!!! good luck they're wonderful.
Wow! Your garden is just beautiful!!! Enjoy your sun ;)
Susie~
So glad you stopped by so I could find your BEAUTIFUL blog! I read through it all and love every post and every picture! We must have the same dream files! :) Can't wait to see more ~
Sarah
Your garden is lovely. I was out in our gardens yesterday thinking how desolate they look but thankful there aren't weeds to pull. We tried weed preventing fabric. A layer of Preen weed preventer with a heavier grade of weed preventing fabric without success. This year I'm going to try Preen,several layers of wet newspapers under the mulch and try some mixture you make yourself that we found in a book to spray over that. If that doesn't work...the largest garden might end up being turned back into grass.
I just left a long comment and it didn't go through!!! Ugh! Anyway...your garden is stunning!!! I would love to have a garden like that! I'm adding your blog to my favs!
If you don't mind spraying, apply a pre-emergent to stop the weeds from germinating. Otherwise, plant some kind of creeping ground cover. Just a thought. --Delores
You have beautiful gardens! And I can so relate to the weeding, even though my gardens are not nearly your scale.
I do use Preen, not thinking it is so great. I also do what Nancy suggests, put down thick layers of newspaper, cover with mulch. That does cut down on my weeding, and the next spring, I just dig the newspaper and mulch into the garden and start over. I have the most lovely dirt in those areas.
Good luck, wish I could come and help you weed. It doesn't feel like work when you are in someone else's garden! And what a honey you have, mine likes the grass...
Kate
Smile. Still smiling. Love that garden you posted.
Joyce M
Mulch, mulch, mulch, then mulch some more. That's my solution. I don't have a potager garden but I have a lot of flower beds and a path around my pond. It take mulch and some regular maintenance.
Beautiful blooms and scenes.
A great outdoor post!
Have a nice day.
I've got your solution, you need a gardener!
I'm a BIG help, eh!
Oh, and nice to see I'm not the only one exposing their tootsies for the world to see this week. ;-)
Anne
I 'm totally there. I walk away the first real cold snap and refuse to look at it until Sping. I even leave the potted plants were they sit. I'm so over the weeding! Your garden pictures are beautiful. I can't wait to see it in the spring.
xo carolyn
Shellagh,
For you I would be a weed picking maniac! Any day...
Have a wonderful weekend, filled with loads of seed catalogs, and dreams of sun days to come!
Kate
Your garden looks amazing...and don't weeds count as plants...they're green aren't they...lol.
Hi,
First of all, you have a wonderful garden !
I want to have that too, but I'm afraid of all the work with it. Maybe in a smaller scale ??
Have a wonderful weekend !
xo
Anci
Beautiful garden... beautiful photographs... beautiful blog!
Made me smile!
Michelle
Beautiful garden photos and I love all of the pics in the post below. I save things I love to look at for inspiration too. You have a gorgeous blog!
P.S. I found you on Rachel Ashwell's blog and was intrigued with you blog name.
Jennifer
Wow, such a transformation! It looks very nice. How about ground covers in those bare areas? Those will definitely cut down on the weeds. And if you spray your weeds with vinegar, it'll zap 'em just like that! Good luck with your lovely back yard! Lisa :-)
There is an organic pre emergent called Concern. It is made from corn gluten. You first have to pull the existing weeds then sprinkle the concern on the ground around existing plants and water in. You have to reapply every 3-4 months, but it is easier than pulling weeds. It keeps seeds of all kinds from sprouting, but does nothing to plants that are already growing.
I love your blog! this is my first visit. I removed my front lawn once and did a similar idea to yours, I loved it. I used decomposed granite for the paths and rolled it out...weeds seemed to have a hard time growing in it.
Enjoy the spring when it gets here you will be itching to get out in the yard again!
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!!!!!
And a gorgeous blog you have....Betty @ Country Charm
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