15 March: top of the hill

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

hillside garden

We made our first visit of the year to the hillside garden that we started taking care of last autumn. It was a peaceful and quiet place to work today except for a pass by the Coast Guard helicopter.

I had become so involved immediately with the garden that I forgot about even looking at the view for the first couple of hours.

I weeded a bed that we made on a slope above the driveway and added a couple of Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’, one of my favourite ornamental grasses, still dormant, and some assorted colours of California poppy seeds.

I then went over the exasperating couch grass still trying to come up in the bed west of the deck. I dug it over so deeply last year, but any tiny root left wants to make a new clump.

You can see the the Ilex in the background did not like the cold winds this past winter. I clipped them up as best I could.

Allan weeded the drop off edge of the bed by the deck stairs.

I didn’t do a thing in this bed of montbretia, will get at it next time to keep weed grass from taking over again. There is so much montbretia that I am just going to let it be.

Allan weeded the haze of gentle weeds on the long deck bed, which fortunately does not have couch grass. I have high hopes for beauty here.

blue oat grass planted last year

before…

..and after; can you tell the difference?

He got down low to work on the couch grass around the base of a cotoneaster at the top of that bed; heaven forfend it should spread downwards.

I made the first work foray on the north side of the house.

I started weeding my way down the shrubby lower garden. For the last two weeks, I’ve had troubles with a pulled calf muscle, causing some loud yelping for a few days even when I moved my leg while reading. I had been worried it would be extra bothersome today. Not so; maybe working on the slope stretched it out just right.

We planted narcissi last autumn (and other spring bulbs) all around the south and west beds (except for the one thick with montbretia). So far, the best show is on the shrubby hillside. It will be another year till there are good solid clumps.

After weeding….

…more poppy seeds went into the entrance wall bed.

I don’t think there is hose access anywhere around there, so adding perennials trailers along the edge, other than the lithodora that is already there, is unlikely for now, although I might try some trailing rosemary.

Just when we thought we were done, I saw a big sword fern that would be easy to trim, so Allan attended to it.

I formulated a plan for next time on that lower garden, cutting back some blackberries that poke up through the shrubs and cutting to the ground a holly tree (holly being on the noxious weed list, and surely a seedling that took hold here). That will give the east windows and the deck a better view of the eastern sky.

It was hard work because of the steep slopes in almost every area, but satisfying, with good weather, not much wind, quiet, privacy, and satisfaction at a job well done.

at home

Allan mowed the sword fern and lithodora trimmings for the leaf bin.

The work board tonight: