Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Backyard updates...It's a jungle out there!

Unruly, Crazy, rambunctious, out-of-control are just some of the words that would describe my kids...hehe! But also my over-watered, over-grown garden! Sure I love the country look, in fact I LOVE the wild and free flowing, but really I think things may be getting a little out of hand. I'm afraid I may lose a child, not to mention a plant or two behind the ever-growing mountain of weeds and mutant plants!

My front unruly problem child! See the plant poking up middle/top, that is a box hedge trying to catch some sun, it stands 10ft tall...yikes! Got some serious hedging to do in here.

But really it is no wonder, with all the out of town trips I have been on lately and all the rain, rain and more rain, the garden has become somewhat, gulp...neglected! Yes, I now currently own the house on the block that looks like renters live there...Shame! Shame! I am waiting on a letter from the HOA to see if someone still lives here or for an abandonded car to end up on the front lawn.

On a walk around my gardens today with an Arborist from Evergreen Treecare. I discovered it to be more serious than I first thought...
I know there is a Rhododendron in there somewhere? Under this beautiful, mutant size bleeding heart there is a small healthy Rhody, it appears to have been gobbled whole! Not sure what will have to go?


Also, how do you lose a tree? Last year I planted an Italian Cypress either side of my pussy-willow tree with plenty of room (so I thought) All 5ft of it is now hidden on the right, you can't even see it under the branches!


Someone spot the Hydrangea? Between the lilac shooters that are on steroids, the rose bush and the ground cover that's gone wild, my poor Hy has gone into hy-ding....


OK, then you have my garden appropriately named...Weed lovers walk ;) This is my side garden path that has just gone to the weeds, I have a serious days work out here just pulling dandelions alone...


Then there is this, the weed of all weeds...my "taller than me" dandelion! Standing 5.5ft tall, yikes how long has it been since I was out here last? I'm almost proud of how big and healthy this is though, the soil has got to be doing something right! Not sure if I want to pull this one, or wait and see how big it gets?


But yet my Wisteria is being well behaved and hasn't eaten my house yet, I even managed to kill one this year! I know I hear the gasps of shock...You killed a Wisteria? I have no idea how that happened, the most indestructible plant on the planet!


So that is the latest news from my garden....Out Of Control! But oh all the fun to be had, its a good thing I LOVE GARDENING, pulling weeds, mulching, pruning etc...Will update shortly with another Backyard Update, one of the pretty type, the "after" post! I also want to post all the great tips I learnt from Brian the Arborist about tree-care...stay tuned!

Also, how do you keep your garden orderly? Are you out there pulling weeds every-day/week or do you have some great tips for keeping weeds at bay and plants under-control?

14 comments:

  1. I have to laugh over your 5 foot tall dandelion. Sounds like you are ready to get everything back under control though. You have some real pretty things there. Good luck.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. My garden could use some of your rain!! I pull weeds every time I see them. I'm constantly pulling some weird grass thing out of my beds. I had an arborist come out last fall. Very educational!! At least you don't have to water!!

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  3. You should be proud of how healthy your garden is. You can call it a cottage garden--not perfectly trimmed and proper, but rather welcoming and gently free-flowing. Very lush!

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  4. The rain made your garden happy and really, it looks healthy and full. Even that mighty big weed!

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  5. I am amazed how your garden is growing. I wish my plants would grow so profusely. I am constantly weeding since the weeds seem to grow at twice the speed of the plants. We haven't had much rain and my garden is in survival mode. I am afraid I will be faced with the same weed dilemma when we return from our vacation in July. Looking forward to your after photos!

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  6. It's amazing how nature takes over! The plus side is that your garden seems healthy because it's growing so green and full. I'll take that over brown and sad any day. A Before and After shot is a great idea! :)

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  7. The dandelion like plant looks like sow thistle, are the leaves spiny? The plant can grow over 5 feet and over 4000 seeds can be spread from one plant, remove as much of the roots as you can because it seems that sow thistle's roots are rhizomes and if you leave any of it behind you'll get new plants.

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  8. Thanks for the visits and comments, I always love seeing you here!!
    The rain has been very generous here this year, I wish I could send some of it down to the dry regions and share it with your gardens!!

    @Adele, I will have to go out there and double check. That would make more sense as it really is ridiculously huge for a dandelion, thought I'd be entering a world record there ;) I'll post here later today what it is...thanks =)

    I'm excited to do an after post, its motivated me all the more to get out there and tame the wild beast, hehe! Cheers Julia

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  9. I too love the jungle look! I had a "tree guy" come in recemtly. I know its good to do but I'm always upset after they finish. I prefer the overgrown look, so your garden gets a hguge thumbs up from me, 5' dandys and all ... :)

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  10. Wow - Glad you told us how high things are! I would have never guessed. I'm amazed. That rain has really made your plants grow well! Good luck with all the weeding, hedging, and finding hidden plants!

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  11. "Orderly" ha, ha, ha!! I'm laughing. There isn't a lot of order to my garden really. I do try to keep the pathway clear though so at least maneuvering through it isn't too difficult. I think this time of year everything is going a little crazy, especially with all of the cool, damp weather we've had. I think your garden looks great. I like the overgrown look too--lots of shade and privacy. I hear in some cultures the dandelion is revered. :)

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  12. Your garden looks vivacious, just like mine, after (or during) the endless NW rain! I think we should just move into tree-houses and not worry too much.

    The brick path is awesome.

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  13. Your garden looks so happy after all your rain, its celebrating by growing so tall !! I pull a few weeds whenever I pass them, that way its never too big a job, anyway some weeds are beautiful!

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  14. Wow! Everything in your garden wants to GROW! We have a bit of the "jungle look" going on in our garden too. I started out calling it an "informal" look which then become "wild," and now it's a flat-out jungle.

    I try to weed in smaller, more frequent "sessions" - maybe 5-10 minutes every other day. If I tried to set aside a few hours to just sit down and weed I know I'd never do it. Too easily distracted!

    I'm glad you've had some rain and sun and good growing conditions! Clearly your garden is happy. Especially that dandelion - holy moses!

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Thanks for stopping by and reading my latest post! I love sharing my gardening adventures and reading your wonderful comments. Happy digging...Cheers Julia!!

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