As you can tell or will soon learn, I’m slightly enthusiastic about the process of planting something and watching it grow. I’ve been surrounded by plants all my life and couldn’t possibly imagine a world without the rainbow of colors and hues of green that mother nature has graciously provided us with.
My yard is quickly becoming a melting pot of perennials, shrubs, fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. I’m continuously learning about the flora and fauna that we share this planet with. This year I’ve incorporate mulch to the beds, a few more native species and some drought tolerant plants that will do quite well on their own without a lot maintenance or water.
There was quite a bit of work getting the yard to where it is now. The soil’s littered with various bits of debris from rocks, bricks and old glass bottles… So I had to remove and sift quite a bit of this by hand, in order to plant in these areas. Yes it sounds like and was a lot of work, but I find it quite rewarding and therapeutic.
A more frugal method of adding a lot of plants is by, purchasing a lot of plants at the end of the season that way they’re extremely discounted, you may not have a huge selection but you save a ton of cash. Another great way is by salvaging plants if someone is getting rid of plants because of a reno, adding a deck or dividing a large clump of established perennials.
I now have a large area of perennials in the centre of the yard breaking up my elongated rectangle of a yard. This area’s home to a lilac, corkscrew hazel, a Hinoki cypress, I think an elder or choke or service berry. I get a lot of salvaged plants and things that are nearly dead, I’m generally able to revive them.
This area is my start at providing a habitat for wildlife, a dwarf evergreen for the birds to find a bit of shelter, berry producing shrubs, tons of seed pods from the perennials for them to forage off. I also salvaged a cement bird bath.
Along the east side of the yard is another strip of perennials along the fence, some fruit trees, berries, rhubarb, and a vegetable patch.
Towards the back of the yard near my shed I plan to place a greenhouse in the spring. I have the framing up from a 10′x20′ canopy shelter that I’m hoping to convert to a passive solar greenhouse, by covering it with some plastic, framing the ends and bracing the inside to make it stronger.
I’m also planning to add a 20′ long raised bed on the side that’s facing the sun. I’m really looking forward to the new planting season, I’ve got an ambitious wish list planned. I hope I get around to incorporating most if not all of the items from that list. Part of the plan for my gardens in 2011 is raised vegetable beds, lots of them.
