2022 State of the Garden

This is a late summer overview of the plans for the house at Cordova Court.  

Front Yard:    

This year was an experiment to rehabilitate the lawn.  I followed the procedure to put down pre-emergent then post emergent weed control, followed by pushing an aggressive fertilizer program.  I used Barricade and then Season Long weed control, and they were effective in reducing the amount of weeds in the yard.  Unfortuntely, that left significant bare patches where the weeds died.  This seemed to be a cooler year, and the cool temperatures lingered well into June.  This meant that the powerful spreading tendencies of bermuda grass were not fully effective while the grass was cool.  I would say now that August is just finishing, I can see significant improvement in the healthiness of the lawn.  Not all the bare patches have filled in, but the grass is thicker, greener and more respectable.   \

The plan had three major elements:  

1. Keeping the grass cut low, 
2. Monthly fertilizing
3. Pre- and Post-emergent herbicide applied at the appropriate time.  

Tree Management

Trees need to be pruned every year.  Lower branches should be removed, particularly ones that are growing out a long way from the base of the tree.  

In fact, this is a common issue throughout the homestead.  Trees are living things that are actively growing and need to be actively managed.  I have a vision of the homestead as a place with many growing fruit trees.  but currently they are excluded by the towering shade trees.  Each year they grow taller, more imposing.  And they crowd out the possibility of the fruit trees.

I need to push back against this encroachment.

The trees in the front yard have grown tall and thick.  they are shading out the grass beneath them.  The branches need to be thinned, and the lower branches removed to allow more light to reach the ground.

Maple, front right.  This is the case for the tree in the front yard on the right.  It has one awkward branch sticking out toward the street that has gotten too long.  There are several branches hanging over the driveway that also need to be removed.  This tree also suffers from internal complications.  There are several small branches growing at odd angles internal to the canopy.  These small, tangled branches need to be removed so that some light and air can move through the branches.

Maple, front left.  The situation is similar on the other side.  The tree has developed some errant branches, and has some internal tangle that needs to be removed.  This will allow light to reach the grass underneath and to the bed behind.

Rose bush.  This needs to be pruned in August for another flush of flowers before the fall.

Arborvitae.  Need to trim away the dead branches, and renew the watering

Boxwood. Remove the scraggily boxwood and replace with something more interesting.  

Dead Boxwood.  Use a pressure washer to expose the roots and remove the lifeless stump.  Then replace with a fig or other tree.

Back Yard

 Perennial Fruits:  This year I started a new initiative of planting small perennial fruits in the back yard.  My experiments with pears, apples and peaches was initially successful but it was not sustained.  Now, I growing smaller fruits, including figs, blackberries, and grapes.  I also have a persimmon and a mulberry.  The concept is that these fruits will be easier to prune, and easier to defend against the birds and squirrels.  When I learn the concepts of pruning these smaller fruits, I can then go back to the fruit trees and treat them the same way.  

 

This year I am growing these perennials in containers.  This is for two reasons:  First, so that I can move them into the garage to overwinter them so they don't die in a hard freeze.   It is also to allow their very immature root system to develop in the container.  When I eventually plant them into the ground, the root system will be much larger (than the single twig I got in the mail).  That larger system will be easier to take hold.  Second, I want to be able to move them around for a while, to see which locations will allow them to prosper.  While they are in containers, I have a lot of flexibility and don't need to make decisions about support structures.