Just get er done!

There is a spot in this garden that I have turned a bind eye too just because we didn't know we were going to get to the property in the end..... STRESS STRESS STRESS!... first our place in AB Canada needed to sell... what a mess! But it finally went through.. phew!!! We thought that was it that it would be plain sailing. Oh no, then we had the appraisal done and it came in 35,000 less then the written offer! The sellers were not happy and could of backed out of the deal. We had to start looking for another home..... again.... gurrrr.... My now husband affectionately known as "the bear" has lived here for over a year and a half renting, waiting for our place to sell. I stayed back in Canada working for the City of Calgary. We saw each other 21 days in 11 months. Only 2 days in the first 5 months of our marriage! Yikes!
Its all good though and its all behind us. My energy level has greatly increased as evident by today's little work bee. I have to give some credit to the made at home starbucks ice coffee drinks!
Im proud that I finally remembered to take "before" pictures.. I usually remember half way through a project!

So here we go...into the area of dispare!.. the most I have managed to do is occasionally go in and

cut off any seed heads of weeds or pull the occasional weed. I still haven't decided if this willow tree gets to live or not! If it was a weeping willow... or at least a Laurel leaf willow.. Im just not sure what it is actually.

 

 

 

 

So you can see that there are some cool plants in here. Interesting colours and contrasting textures and forms going on.

 

  

Plus a lot of just plain mess!  Some of these grasses are rather prolific. As one of my much loved instructors at Olds College would say "They don't play nice...and they don't stay at home!" meaning that they spread or take over and choke out the other plants.

 

Quack grass!  Gurrrrrr all of you know exactually what that means!  I will be digging out their roots

not only today... but, for who knows how long!

Ooops! a Peter Pan moment!... I resisted the  urge to try to either out run my shadow or to jump on it!

This is an area that I can make as an alternate way into this secret garden spot... or somehow

put in some more of the ornamental grasses I have to "block" the view in!

 

And Now the "Afters"

ta daaaaaaaaa......

Oh look!  what beautiful roses!... and I actually managed to weed them and still have skin left on my arms! Usually I am a horrible scratched up mess for a week or so till I heal. Apparently I get so engrossed into what I am doing that I don't feel any pain till I stop!. Then of course it is too late as the damage has already been done.

 

They are very very pretty. A totally tangled up mess though! I believe they are some variety of Carpet Rose and therefore perhaps suppose to be like this.... any advice would be helpful. I shall be googling them and seeing what I find on the Internet as I have no experience with these. Isn't it amazing though what you can learn on UTube ..

This poor Maple has been hideously pruned at sometime in its life time. I again assume that it probably suffered from die back at some time... But, you do know what they say about when you "assume" anything... hmmm

I love the blue of this grass.. have absolutely no idea again what it is. I've never played with the ornamental grasses in Alberta because other then a very few of them they weren't hardy.

I actually didn't really like them until I moved here to this garden. I will defend my ornamental grass from the Bear.. even if they are a lot of work cutting down in the spring.

 

I don't think this picture really does these grasses justice..

There is quite a lot of space now in the middle of this area. I have several ideas as to what I shall do with the space... I think Bear is trembling at the thought of my next crazy idea.  If it doesn't involve a burning pit... he really isn't going to get into it. Somehow I don't think that a burning pit with all this grass is really a very good idea!

So this is the North side of the secret garden from the outside.

Yet more  shots of the colours the grasses give.

I've saved the one side as Im waiting for them to finish growing and flowering... Do grasses "flower" or do they just go to seed? Anyways, the other side shot is really tremendous... I call them my "Jurassic grasses"... You will just have to wait to see!

Finally my reward for a job well done!.. ahhhhhhh.

and I drank the whole blender full before going to shower off.

What a great feeling getting it all done.

Hope you had a wonderful Labour day.