The rush of spring and early summer has passed and it seems we’ve landed smack in the middle of a drought. The weather’s been pretty strange since last March. There’s been but one good rain that I can remember since mid-may. Some plants, probably sensing the situation as emergent, are blooming a month or more early.
Since my last post, the vegetable garden has been a big focus. I cleared the area around the driveway and leveled the ground. This was accomplished by hand and shovel. The area was full of Barberry, Hosta, Weeds and Russian Sage. Most of these were given away. I still have the Russian Sage in a nursery area, but will probably give that away, too. Then, on May 26th, the Milwaukee Victory Garden Initiative delivered three raised beds and filled them with soil! Victory, indeed.
Victory over lawns happens one square foot at a time – in this case it was 156 square feet in one month. That’s not so bad. The next phase (not going to call it a battle) is the North East corner, where I’ll remove about 50 hostas to prepare for the first installment of natives!
May: Clearing the Land. Cleared enough space for three 4 x 8 raised beds.
May 26: New raised beds from the Victory Garden. Trellises devised by me.
June 20. Growing strong after three weeks!
Victory over Lawns! Here’s the slogan for the Victory Garden Initiative.
…and Native Plants.
Down with the hostas! LOL They are way overused in Wisconsin.
We’re back after a two-week vacation. It’s greener in Texas this year. Thankfully our neighbor kept our garden watered for us. We have patches of dead grass in our yard, and the black walnut tree is dropping pecan-sized nuts. I’m guessing the dead grass is kentucky bluegrass and the living grass is fescue, or just better shaded. The dead patches are smack in the middle of the yard in full sun, so I’m thinking of seeding it with no mow and/or a blue grama/buffalo grass mixture.
I just looked up the victory garden initiative — what a great organization!
Ramona – Yes, I should have name the post “Victory over Hostas!” Anyway, they were thriving happily under the Boxelder tree, but that had to be removed… so out with hostas.
I plan to install Prairie Nursery’s No Mow in this project too. Thinking of using the “smother” method and converting the yard one area at a time rather than all at once. We’ll have to compare notes.
I wish more folks in Illinois were as progressive. People sure do love their grass.
Yes, grass is very popular across the nation. No Mow Lawn is a good alternative! I plan to try No Mow in a few areas, but mostly the yard will be converted to natives. Slowly but surely.