TIME FOR SOME TIDYING

When one of my gardening friends wrote, "Nothing lasts forever",  on a recent garden post I couldn't help but say "Well spoken" Two weeks ago I had given  David permission to remove the flowering Senna tree in the far corner of the Front Courtyard. It was never happy there even though it had planted itself many years ago. Being in the shady corner it tried to reach into the sun and being a fast growing tree meant weak wood. The main trunk was beginning to crack and some rather nasty looking brown stuff had oozed out and dried. I had enjoyed it for many years partly because it was visible from the living room. It also provided safety for the cardinals who came to drink from the bird bath beneath the tree. Leaning over and constantly dropping leaves it seems it wasn't even worthy of a good photo..... and yet still I had let it remain. 

It had almost fallen down in a strong storm and had to be staked. More and more falling leaves found their way into the dry creek. It was definitely time to bid both the tree and the mess farewell. And so I asked David to remove it. Being the tidy one among us he wasted no time. 

The big job was to tidy up all debris and fallen leaves in the dry creek before the rain came. And the clean up involved removing seedling inland sea oats, violets and ruellia, and some rather large liatris.  If there had been a place to walk there was no longer. A clean sweep. Both the garden and I feel so much more able to share a photograph of the cleaned-up space. I moved the bird bath because I doubt the birds would visit unless they felt the protection of a tree and the feeder now hangs under the the yaupon holly tree. t is only there for show after I discovered mice liked to climb up and feed too.

I stood back and looked at the corner realizing that it needed something in there to replace the bird bath. I started to think about what I could put in there to fill the void left by the tree. I took a wander around the garden to see what I might have. There is already a large pot in the other corner, a pot that I have never planted because it had always looked fine with nothing in it. I briefly thought of moving it over.  In retrospect I should have tried that first.

 

Then I remembered the pillar (half of a bird bath I had picked up somewhere) with a clay planter on the top. It was outside the gate so I lugged the two pieces in and stood back. Not right! Even if I gave it a grey wash. The problem is having two upright pieces. They fight with one another. So now I'm thinking I could put the old bird bath back and just put a plant in void. Maybe the birds will come anyway because they can fly into the yaupon for cover. Or maybe can find a suitable small bush or even a grass to plant there. One that doesn't drop leaves.

For now the planter and stand stays until I have had more of a think. And the rain came and I gave myself a pat on the back for having got the leaves cleaned out and those huge trailing liatris in the path. Those giant tubers found a new home in someone else's garden. The gravel and stones are all washed cleaned and ready for another year.