sunday's solitude

living fence

When we bought our house it came with two driveways...one on each side of the house. The lower driveway empties into a large concrete pad which I use as a courtyard. This area is also fenced-with a very old picket fence. We made due until this year when the back panel literally was rotting out and falling down. With our house being Tudor, we are somewhat limited with what fencing options to use, not to mention budget. Stone is the only traditional element that our house is missing, but an entire stone fence would have been thousands-not where I want to spend my money. One night last week I had the idea to introduce plants as a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional fencing. I also could allow for an arbor or gate to provide access to the backyard-something we hadn't had before. Believe you me, it's not so much fun to lug two 2 gallon watering cans from my rain barrel all the way around the house to water in the backyard. We ripped out the old fence and I planted 4 Howardii Ligustrum (8'x6') and got a great deal on a metal arbor with gate. I then set out to replace the rotted landscape timbers. I'm happy with the results so far. The other two fencing runs will also be replaced. The jury is out on the long run as I want to plant Fragrant Tea Olive (10'x6') while my husband wants to replace with new wood fencing. We are in agreement that the front panel will be faced with stone and we will add a metal drive fence to tie it all together. I know this much, I will definitely be waiting until fall to do any more planting!

reduce, reuse, recycle

A few years ago I stumbled upon a great hanger for plants that is made of industrial wire and is adjustable to fit any pot. I originally purchased it for its modern aesthetic and I had at the time a burro's tail succulent and a very interested cat. I had tucked it away with my many other "must haves yet rarely used" but pulled it out the other day and put it to use. Knowing that the hanger is fully adjustable, I decided to put to use one of my many black growers pots and to move an angel wing begonias out under the shade of an old ivy-covered maple. Voila! The hanger elevated a very basic pot, and the plant is thriving in the humidity. This idea can also work by reusing the plastic hangers that come with pre-potted hanging baskets as I did this in my courtyard with some sweet potato vine and flowering vinca. Just take another grower's pot and clip the hanger under the lip. Look around and try to reduce, reuse, and recycle in a new way.

sunday's solitude

summer vacation for your houseplants

Much like we enjoy a break from the ordinary during the summer months, so do our houseplants. Most houseplants are merely tropical plants that can tolerate and even thrive in our home environments when their light and water requirements are met. But during their active growing season, houseplants benefit from the humid, warm temperatures outside. Just make sure you place your houseplants in a shady, protected area as summer's full sun will certainly be too much of a good thing. Continue to monitor the need to water, and cut down on any fertilizer to half strength. When summer winds down, check for any pests before bringing back inside. Temper their return to the dry house conditions by transitioning to the garage or crawl before moving back into their "winter" spot. So send your houseplants on a little vaca and they will surely appreciate it.

sunday's solitude

almost...

new endeavor

I apologize for my lapse in posting- lots going on. One of which is my leap into the world of working for oneself. No worries, it's only part time for now, but I do have hopes of one day fully fulfilling my dream. I am working on a landscape for a friend of a friend and have thus mastered (kinda) the auto cad program my husband so graciously purchased for me. Lots to learn but practice makes perfect! So sunday's solitude will be back this weekend and more informative posts to follow.

If you are in need of any landscape design and implementation or design or implementation please let me know. young urban gardener is now in business!