privacy screen

I love my house with the exception of some annoying neighbors way behind me. They seem more interested in what is going on in my back yard then minding their own business. Oh the joys of urban living! I originally thought about doing a bamboo forest-but upon further research and speaking to someone who was trying to contain 15 foot tall stalks-I've shifted to some Formosa azaleas. They explode with tiny lavender blooms in the spring, are evergreen, thrive in dappled light, and the best part is that they mature to 8x6. That's just large enough to help me forget the neighbors behind me and also help to add some color to the other side of the creek. I'm going to containerize the shrubs this year for ease of movement and placement. I can't wait for my 8x18 living screen. When they burst with color in a couple of months, I'll add pictures.

snow in Charlotte!

Just an note to vent...I moved away from Ohio because of snow and I don't like that it followed me here! The difference is that an inch or two is business as usual in Ohio but here it shuts everything down. The kids climb dirt (or clay) mounds in attempt to sled and it's pretty much gone by evening. Anyway here's the pictures to prove that it did, in fact, snow.

crawl space gardening

Who knew? In the north you either have a basement or you don't. Down here you get a little of both. In addition to general storage, your crawl space can become a great place to store frost tender plants-a few feet of warm air between the ground and the first floor. The crawl space is not only humid, but has characteristics that most plants thrive in: stable, warm air, and no drastic fluctuation between day and night time temperatures. Crawl spaces are great for bulb storage and to create an environment for continued growth. By adding a fluorescent shop light and an inexpensive timer set at 12 hour intervals you can continue to grow cool season plants like begonias or succulents. Use your crawl space all year to maintain your lettuce garden in the hottest part of summer.