For the previous three years since Shanna was born I have been feeling increasing levels of desire to have green in my surroundings. I miss the mountains. I miss walking outside on spring mornings and closing my eyes and hearing the mist in the trees. It was wonderful. So now I am settled in a more arid land. Clay soil and suburban lawns as far as the eye can see. Yuck. I’ve been working on amending the soil (big thanks to my cousins last year) and I’m adding plants every year. So far it seems that most plants make it and a few don’t. I always have at least a few that won’t take. I consider this the cost of doing business and move on with my life. 🙂
I need to work on creating more shade in my yard. Right now it is so directly, brutally hot that it isn’t very fun to play out there for a lot of the summer. I want there to be more greenery. I’m working on it. A friend is moving out of state (this is not going to be a net-win for me) which is very sad but she is leaving me with her extensive collection of potted plants. I could not be more thrilled.
One of these years I’ll get my hands on paving stones and I’ll start doing the hardscaping in the front yard. I kind of figure it’s ok if it takes me I while. I have a lot of springs ahead of me.
Noah humored me and spent some time out back with me this weekend. I really enjoyed that. I feel a lot of joy in being outside and I’m not sure exactly how it works for me. That sounds odd. Sometimes feeling outside is wonderful and sometimes I’m just not happy with it. I’m not sure what the conditions are specifically. I do know that early spring/late winter is my favorite. The weather is in the 60’s but the sun is shining beautifully in between much needed rain bursts. To me this feels like when God is restoring blessings upon life. It feels so peaceful out in my yard enjoying the green.
Now why the hell is everyone so damn depressed.
So far it seems that most plants make it and a few don’t. I always have at least a few that won’t take. I consider this the cost of doing business and move on with my life.
I have a dear family friend who has been a landscape designer and gardener for ages. She says, “If you’re not killing something, you’re not gardening!”
Good Luck. Try some trees. Pay attention to where the sun in in the afternoon.
That is exactly what I am doing. 🙂 The late afternoon sun bakes the hell out of my house because it comes right in the back window. The curtains help a little bit, but I need some plants in the way. 🙂
Spring is nice – Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons in Davis, probably because they’re when the climate is the closest to where I grew up. I also understand long-term projects. This year, I plan to start arborsculpture on the fig tree in back – I plan to graft limbs together to make a living play structure for Baby Josh – by the time he’s big enough to use it, hopefully he’ll have a nice climbing tree.
I actually feel strangely new to long-term projects. I haven’t done very many because I normally don’t stay in one place long enough. This is super exciting. That does sound like an awesome thing you are doing with the tree. I’m trying to figure out how to make our back yard more kid-awesome.
If you want some inspiration, I will loan you a landscaping “porn” book I have!
Would those one of those pop up canopies provide a cheap source of back yard shade?
I actually have a master plan! It will just take me a few years to get through it all because it is expensive. 🙂 This is apparently my most recent really expensive hobby. Whoo? At least this helps with resale value I tell myself.
So what I want to do is: I want a wood structure with a trellis over/around the hot tub. I want some vine growing up that. I would like to get some very large pots and put them in front of the living room window with another large plant to divert the direct sun, but I will need something that can take the super intense baking in front of the house. So far it’s too intense for most things so I’m not sure what to do there yet. I want to remove the current 10’x13′ shed that contains about 6 shovel shaped items and one big rubbermaid tub. Kind of over kill. 🙂 I want to put a very small shed on that concrete slab along with a table and chairs with an umbrella. I’m adding bamboo as a light break along the fence. I’m adding trees. It’ll be awesome. 😀 I’m just not sure exactly what or where yet. 😀
Squee! Landscaping and gardening and spring are all so exciting! Yay! I’ve been going to Yerba Buena Nursery up on Skyline and drooling over all the natives… The next time we get together we have to geek out about plants. I love your trellis idea. I think I want something like that in the front of our house, once we have a porch-like thing there.