The garden 2.0

How to rebuild a garden with no means.  After moving to the Pacific NW and attempting to revitalize a garden of neglect.  A hillside garden to boot!  

My first effort consisted of trying to get moss to grow on some existing resin statuary. One is a ugly little boy playing a flute which used to be some kind of fountain in a former life.  There is also a garden house, with some dressing up could be a nice addition.  Finally there's a garden angel and a curly headed girl. So far not much luck.

All that exists is a forgotten cherry tree and a overgrown birch.  The cherry is in deplorable shape. A part has fallen and deeply buried.  The remaining trunk has been allowed to branch lopsided and with so many crossing and parallel branches only a severe pruning can hope to assist it.  

Will be trolling lists.  So far have been able to score locally daisies from and elderly woman's english garden. Then two beautiful mature rhododendron bushes now transplanted on the hillside.  

We also obtained some Pampas grass, which David had to dig for.  Judging from the cuts on his arms and his ear I'm not sure it was worth it.  We had brought a couple of shovels, the telescoping and regular shears and the pick and had to go back for a bow saw to get through the root ball.

Will post pictures soon. 

MISTAKES

I've sure made a lot of mistakes since I started gardening - the vast majority were small and inconsequential, however two really stand out that make me wish I could have a 'do-over'. The first and most fundamental mistake was not studying the sun's pattern throughout the year as it exposed various parts of the yard to full sun and/or shade. I sure would not have placed various elements and components of our back yard garden where I did - most notably the terrace. So now I'm stuck doing modifications to make it more useful for our summer enjoyment. And the other big mistake - the one every garden book and gardener preaches - AMENDING THE SOIL. Yes we were in such amateurish haste to start planting and enjoy the benefits of our efforts that I never properly amended the soil. Here in the midwest we have the worst soil - because it really isn't soil - underneath 6 to 12 inches of black soil is heavy clay - the kind of stuff NOTHING can really grow in. No wonder the prairie of the midwest is dominated by native plants that are tougher than tough.
So there it is. My major gardening mistakes. I'll comment more on these in future posts and on several of the lesser gardening mistakes I've made. I guess I'm continuing to learn and hope I never stop.

HOW I GOT INTO THIS MESS

I didn't always garden. In fact I didn't ever consider gardening until Terre and I bought our house in 2001. Terre was insistent on wanting a house with a yard so that she could have a dog. So we bought a place with a postage-sized lot on the 'prairie' in suburban Chicago. Having a natural adversion to lawn care (a childhood affliction) and realizing that something had to be done with this piece of scrup grass I had little choice but to consider gardening. Besides the back yard would need completely fenced in if 'Stinky' (the mythical dog) was to join our family. And I promised Terre she would have an electric garage door opener (detached garage/buried electrical line from the house) by winter. Then two events got us going - the spring inexpensive plant sale at the local supermarket, and the discovery of an old flagstone patio buried under 4 inches of soil and grass. I now had enough stone to build a walk, a wall and you get the picture. I was off and running.