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Sunday, February 15, 2015

GARDEN AND GARDENER HAVE A MAKEOVER

Whether it is poor choice of plants, lack of pruning or general decline, there comes a time when a gardener might have to admit the time has come for a big garden makeover. How can this be? The garden is a mere 12 years old. And yet I have been feeling this coming on for a few years now and have been getting a few digs from David. So this week I finally made the decision. It all has to go.


Out will come the not so dwarf Burford hollies, the Indian hawthorn that are about to flower ( I shall miss their pretty pink blooms) and the not so dwarf yaupon hollies, struggling to keep their shape beneath the holly. And so at the weekend I gave David permission to do the deed. It has taken him 3 afternoons of hard work to get everything out.


The first to go was these Indian Hawthorne. For some reason they have never done well on this side when compared with the ones on the other side.


The Viburnum, Spring bouquet has problems too. When we came home from our trip last summer we found serious decline on the south side. I think it will be impossible to prune out these dead areas and have the plant recover. All these years with never any pet or disease, always green and glossy leaves even during drought. Now this decline.


I have to admit I am going to miss the green look but I think it will be for the best in the long run.


This time I am going to try to keep the planting off the patio so we can enjoy the patio we worked so hard to create.


The plants I have chosen are;

Leatherleaf acacia, Acacia craspedocarpa. This Australian native which grows into a shrubby bush has grey green foliage and bears yellow flowers in the spring. It is supposed to be hardy into the teens.



Loropetalum chinense, 'Purple Pixie' which grows to no more than 2' in height but spreads to 4' It has intensely purple foliage and pink blooms.


Ilex vomitoria 'Gremicr' or 'Micron'  holly which grows to 30" and spreads to 36" This holly with its diminutive leaves grows slowly to its ultimate size and should never need pruning.


I have to admit I love seeing our patio again but things do look a little bare. The bonus is a simpler watering system with just a drip to each plant and less pruning. I may be tempted to allow the odd bluebonnet to brighten up the spring garden.

Now it is time for the gardener to have her makeover. On Wednesday I shall be going into hospital for a hip replacement. Battling a problem for a couple of years and thinking all along that it was simply muscular it came as a huge shock to find my hip was the problem with bone on bone and huge bone spurs. It's a terrible time to have surgery but I am hoping I will be back to the garden in no time.

19 comments:

  1. Good luck with your surgery. The garden will be waiting for you.

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  2. So sorry to hear about the health issues, and wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery!

    On a lighter note, when I first read that first paragraph I thought you were talking about the whole garden and in my head went "Nooooo, it always looks amazing!". The patio makeover, though, looks very nice!

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  3. That's a lot of change all at once! However, I have no doubt that the garden will meet all your expectations. And everything I've heard about hip surgery of late has been positive. You'll be up and about, puttering in your garden in no time! Best wishes Jenny!

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  4. The patio does look great. wow a new hip! I could use a couple and some new knees too. But for just use drugs to keep the pain down. Hope all goes well for you!

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  5. It will be good to have the surgery behind you of course and I'm betting you'll surprise everybody with how quickly you get back on your feet. Does your surgeon know he is working on an internet gardening star?!? (No pressure mister, but we are watching you...)....

    And won't that sweet patio be just the place to sit and recuperate with a nice cup of tea! Spring's breezes and visiting birds will help bring a few wild flowers into your newly opened area perhaps - just enough to keep you cheerful company while you're on the mend.

    There are a lot of folks who will be waiting to hear your surgery went well so be sure to post (or get David to post for you) to let us know once the good news is ready to share? Thanks Ms. Jenny! We'll all be holding you in our hearts and thoughts Wednesday (and beyond).

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  6. Praying for the best outcome after surgery, Rose. My nephew had hip surgery last year and he was so pleased.

    The brick and stone work on your patio is beautiful. Revealing it from under all that shrubbery was a good move.

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  7. Best wishes for a successful surgery and rapid recovery! The garden looks so good! Kudos to you both on a job well done!

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  8. Good luck on your surgery and best wishes for a healthy and speedy recovery.

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  9. Sending you well wishes for your upcoming surgery. I'm sure it will go well and you'll be back to the garden quickly.

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  10. Love the choice of acacia. I didn't realize loropetalum could take your heat! The stone work really shines now. You're just the kind of patient doctors love, rarin' to get going again. So glad you'll be rid of that hip pain!

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  11. Indeed as Denise said you will be the model patient and be back in the garden soon. Good for you for just going for it and getting it done...both you and the patio plantings. Love that Acacia craspedocarpa.

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  12. You will be back in the garden soon and better than ever. All the best on a speedy recovery!

    The new patio plantings look great and allow the stonework and geometry to shine.

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  13. Wishing you the best with the surgery, I think you will recover quickly just like your new garden - Sonia

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  14. I think the patio looks much better now. You guys did a great job building the patio. Best wishes for a quick recovery!

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  15. I hope that very soon the renewed gardener can be outside enjoying the renewed patio, Jenny!

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  16. Jenny, I hope the hip surgery goes smoothly and you're back in the garden -- and pain-free -- in no time. The garden will wait for you. And I quite like the clean new look of the revised patio garden! Soon it will fill in, and you'll have beautiful new plants to enjoy. Thinking of you tomorrow...

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  17. I'm just now getting around to reading this.
    Glad the surgery went well. You'll be back in no time.
    I like the clean new look, too. And, maybe less maintenance. That's always a good thing.

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  18. What a difference! I hope your post-op recovery is not too painful. I broke 5 bones in my back and had a large inner hematoma in my left hip in April, so I feel for you! Just learning to get on and off the toilet was a challenge! But, you'll feel better and stronger each day. Take this time to do all the things you never get around to doing because you're usually busy in the garden...
    Karen

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  19. What an amazing job you did. I am so jealous of your patio.

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