When I returned home from vacation last week, I was pleasantly surprised that everything in the garden held up well. Of course, we were fortunate enough to have extensive rain over that 10 day period, but all things considered, I was digging my garden.
Until I didn't ...
I like to take a gentlemanly stroll through the yard each evening and reconnect with my plants. It is a means of relaxation and a quick assessment of what needs to be worked on (answer = everything) in the near future. Some nights however, turn dark quickly as I get frustrated with "what isn't working". When that hits, I want to set all of my plants on fire and start over. Yes, it's irrational, but it happens and there isn't anything I can do to fight it off.
Let's take last night as an example.
I make a right turn out of my garage and immediately I am drawn to this mess on my right:
There has been poison ivy growing within the bowels of my Russian Sage for three years now and I've yet to do a thing about it. Scratch that, I think there is poison ivy growing there but I haven't confirmed it. But I can't take my chances reaching in there and making contact with the evil being to then require steroids to survive the oozing rash the next day.
So other than bringing in a backhoe to rip it all out, I am paralyzed by indecision. I'm hoping one day I'll just get frustrated enough and throw caution to the wind and jump into this mess with a hazmat suit on and pull it all out, itchiness be damned.
Next we approach the back deck and all it takes is one perennial on its death bed to set me off again:
This horrifying looking Bee Balm greets you as you walk up the steps of the deck. Welcome to my home and my collection of dead looking things. What is so frustrating is that the other two Bee Balms nearby look great so this one is a mystery. I did scratch the soil near the base of the plant and could see new growth so it isn't beyond hope and it will most likely be OK, but in the short term, homie is pissed off.
Speaking of "pissed off", I had such high hopes for my Serviceberry 'Autumn Brilliance' when it was planted a few years ago. White flowers in early spring, berries for the birds in summer, orange/gold foliage in fall (hence the name) and even an interesting multi-trunk for winter interest. What I missed in the sales pitch was the bare legs it would have almost all year round:
Yes the flowers are great:
And the autumn color is solid:
But those bare legs leave a lot to be desired. I have done some reading and further research to determine if this is the nature of this tree/shrub and it appears it is to some degree, but typically not this bad. I am willing to wait it out a bit, but it sticks out like a sore thumb as I enter my driveway each and every day.
Son of a ...
And finally, let's talk dull and green:
This bed is right at the entrance to my front walkway and nothing says "this dude is boring" like this painfully uninteresting spot.
In spring, there was a lot more color and interest:
But as of now, it fails miserably. How I let this happen is a mystery but I am so determined to change it and to change it soon. Maybe I just need to focus on colorful annuals each year or maybe we're talking overhaul here. Only time will tell.
And there you have it.
Quite the spoonful of negativity, eh? It makes me feel better to have it out in the open and hopefully forces me to take action in the interest of this blog.
My apologies in advance if I brought you down with me.
John
