The decision has been made

I've been fighting with one of my bamboo plantings this year: as it got taller, it got droopier. It turns out that this particular variety has curvy culms (canes) that weep, which is quite attractive in the right space. I don't have the right space because of limited room, so I've done several things to help keep the culms more upright and out of my neighbor's garden: pruned the tops to lighten the load, tied culms together, even built a support "cage" to help keep them in place.

Although this bamboo has been sizing up very nicely and producing some beautiful culms, fighting with it has been a major negative. I've been considering removing the plant and putting one of my other bamboo species there instead, and yesterday I finally made up my mind and just did it. I didn't create a timelapse video as I did the other time I removed a bamboo from my garden, but here's the whole process.

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My favorite thing

There's so much to like about my new front walkway: the stones, the dozens of new plants, the fact that I can walk to the street without trampling wet lawn, the improved view out of my upstairs office window. The one aspect that I think is my favorite of all though is the addition of the pots. You may have noticed them in the photos of the completed project. I know I can't stop looking at them.

These were a completely serendipitous find on the trip to purchase the metal path edging, and I think they're such a key element of the walkway now -- I couldn't imagine not having them!

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climb, climb, flower, climb

Late summer and early fall may be my favorite time of year in the garden, mainly because some of the more substantial plants are at their peak: full-sized, flowering. Good examples of this are the flowering vines. Most are annuals, and have spent much of the summer growing up and over whatever they could.

Today I look at each of them, specifically their blooms. We'll start with the Cardinal Climber, which as I recently mentioned has finally started blooming.

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Moudry! Grrrr.

I post about this grass every year: Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry', or "Black Fountain Grass". It's irresistible to those who haven't grown it before with those wonderful dark inflorescences, but I have to tell you... it's a pain.

I've been removing the seed heads (the only reason to grow it really) for the past couple of years, but I still have seedlings coming up in the lawn. Well, they're really past being seedlings now.

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A little veggie garden love

I've been planning on working on my fall veggie garden for a few weeks now. I started some plants in trays a month or more ago, and they've been ready to bite into some soil for a while -- my other projects have been getting in the way though.

This past weekend when I bought a load of compost and manure for the new front planting beds, I got enough for the veggie beds too -- no more delays! As is evident in the above photo (and the next few) I've been neglecting this for a while.

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I've noticed

A few things have caught my eye recently (when I've taken a break from digging and lifting and building). For instance, I really love this bamboo:

It's Sasaella bitchuensis, and I hope I can keep it somewhere around this height every year. It's almost perfect like this! When I'm standing in back looking at the pond, this is directly behind me. Some days I have a hard time deciding which direction to face.

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Walkway phase III

Today I finish up the walkway project. In part one I dug it and laid most of the stones. In part two I finished the details and filled the cracks. So what's left?

Planting beds! I've been jealous of the front yard gardens of some of my gardening friends in other parts of the country like Gerhard, Scott, and Loree -- their plantings give the neighborhood and passersby so much to admire. I want something like that! That's part of the reason that this walkway finally got built after 20 years: new planting beds!

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Walkway phase II

Yesterday I "finished" the walkway that I started earlier in the week. That first day I dug the walkway, filled with base rock, and laid most of the stones. There were a few holes to fill, but I just couldn't do any more and was out of daylight.

After a few days of recuperation my body was ready to finish this project, and I was excited to get to work. Oh, I did spend an hour or so on Thursday and Friday evenings cutting stones -- the only way to fill the remaining gaps. Here's what I did yesterday.

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perfect planning

I know that I wasn't very diligent when it came to deadheading (removing spent flowers) from most of the perennials and shrubs in my garden this year. It was just too hot, I was too busy, [insert your favorite excuse here] -- whatever the reason I just didn't do it.

Who could really tell though? Looking around my yard, it looks like a typical early-autumn garden. No evidence of my laziness. Except for the roses.

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