Front Row

You've seen them, front row borders. A straight line that mirrors the front foundation of a house. Usually 1-3 feet wide. Most of the time accentuated with a row of shrubs. Maybe punctuated with an arborvitae at the entrance or corner. Well, I inherited a front row, minus the shrubs, with the exception of what's now one mother of a barberry. Again, I ask what is there to do on a patch of lawn this size? Aside from mowing it, I mean.

I started with the tiny patch of lawn between the sidewalk entrance and driveway (Spiced Up Sidewalk). Then carried on through to the other side. I threw some curves into the front row. Our porch curves outward and I thought it would be nice to mimic this. I added sambucus black lace next to the barberry. I like the burgundy and dark foliage shades against the stucco of our house. (Hopefully the white paint on the stucco in front will wear off in a few more years - it came that way.)

The front of our house receives full sun all day into the evening. The soil is true clay - rock hard cement that literally cracks when dry, muck that you can literally sculpt when wet. I then connected the other side of the sidewalk entrance to the main bed. I added a little stone shortcut. It has taken me several seasons to get to this point. The soil is still not great but is improving. Silver brocade, snow in summer, lamb's ear, sea holly and russian sage standout against the dark foliage. A number of different sedums and thymes do well here.

Originally I had planted a cornelian cherry tree here but it just did not like this spot. It is much happier out back. So, I have continued the tapestry of dark, silver / blue, and chartreuse foliages with karl forester grass, blue star juniper, iris, agastache golden jubilee and sedum maestro. There is a wildlife friendly cherry tree seedling in the cornelian cherry's place that will either "make it or not."

 

The plants are now beginning to fill in and weave together. I will continue expanding this bed over time right up to the sidewalk. I envision more sedums, groundcovers, and hardy low growing evergreens but would like to incorporate natives. Not to worry, the inukshuk will show me the way.

Project: Apple Gourd Birdhouse

Last fall I picked up this green pumpkin-like thing at the farm along with some traditional pumpkins for our front porch. It reminded me of a green Frankenstein head.

When I went to add these pumpkins to the compost pile before the snow (eek!) began falling, the Frankenstein head seemed to have partially dried and was not rotten or squishy at all so I thought, "Hey, I'll just leave this out to dry some more and see what happens." I stored it among our wood pile behind the shed. It dried very nicely.

Well, now I know that it was an apple gourd and this summer I decided I would make it into a birdhouse for my dad for Father's Day.

I had my "contractor" drill a 1 1/8" hole into the side of the gourd. This size is ideal for chickadees. There are many sources online to help you determine what size entrance hole to make for specific species of birds. We also drilled some small drainage holes in the bottom of the gourd.

I slightly sanded the gourd with some fine steel wool to rub off any flakes of skin that were peeling. I prefer "au natural" so I simply coated the gourd with some spar varnish to protect it from weather. You could also paint the house or paint a design on it. I then drilled a hole slightly below the entrance hole to add a perch. I used a small branch. I added some wire to the stem for extra support and formed a loop on the end for hanging. You could also use copper wire.

I was really pleased with the way this turned out and it was easy. This fall, I'll be picking up some more of these "Frankenstein heads" from the farm (hmm, it would also be fun to grow my own), and they will spend the winter on the wood pile. I imagine these would also dry well in a garage. Hopefully, one of these will be hanging in my yard next spring! Maybe in yours, too?

What's Growing

The carrots are just about ready. I can't wait to try this 'Sunshine Mix.' 

The cabbage is ready to go into the kraut crock. If you suffer from frequent heartburn, try adding more fermented foods to your diet, i.e. homemade sauerkraut - works wonders.

The cucumbers have climbed their tower.

 

The garlic has been drying in the shed but is now ready for eating.

Add a lots of basil ... and yum, fresh pesto! Or on top of spaghetti, in a salad, sauteed with ...

cherry tomatoes! I've been snacking on these every time I walk in the garden.

And there's plenty for snacking!

The tiki tomatoes are climbing their torches.

These should ripen soon enough for one of my favorite breakfasts - a bagel with goat cheese, a big slice of tomato, some fresh basil, a sprinkle of sea salt, and cracked pepper.

The garlic chives are blooming.

And I hope this means that I'll have fingerling potatoes to dig up!