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FishinBC asked for some recent picts of the creek and how its going. so here its is...i am slowly chipping away at this a little every day and have big dreams for what it can become!
Here is how it started:
That picture was taken after i pulled all the vines off the fence.
Here is the same angle taken today:
You can see progress has been made, but I still have a ways to go! I have uncovered the creek...here are more shots:
I know for sure that in the fall , I am going to divide some of my ornamental grasses and plant them in front of the chain link to cover that a bit. Then I will put in some weeping willows on the creek banks to help with erosion. I will also put in some hardware so that a hammock can be hung. This is such a big project, but little by little, its coming along :)
I had a fairly productive weekend in the garden. Got more work done on my many ongoing projects. My hubby went to get me more compost for the new bed:
As you can see, Milo likes it :)
Just one more truckload and this bed will be ready to plant! I have a small red maple that will be the center. A pass along from my inlaws...
We also got some more work done on the creek clean out project. My husband cut down some of the BIG branches and trees. But, we had to stop when his saws all blade broke. But, it gave me plenty of stuff to work on getting to the curb for pickup!
Its amazing what we are uncovering back there...it makes all the work fun!
I really spent most of the weekend in the backyard and mostly did routine work in the front. I finally got around to weedeating with my new blade attachment and it is the best thing since sliced bread! no more string nonsense! Here are some picts I took along the way of the backyard and its progress:
Sunflowers
blooming among the veggies:
Inside the world of a tomatillo husk:
The first signs of a ripening tomato:
Baby eggplant! YEAH!!!
Kale seedlings coming up:
My attempt at a squash vine borer remedy... I slit the vine and covered the wound with compost...I do not have high hopes for this:
The veggie beds as of today:
The backyard as of today:
Hope you all had a great gardening weekend!
We have been in a drought all summer and I have had to stay up on watering and do it during the restricted time allotment. But, since last week we have been getting some consistent afternoon showers. A lot of them are even major thunderstorms that are great to watch from the front porch. Its just fabulous! The only thing is that it makes everything grow really fast...including the weeds, so I am really having to stay on top of that!!
Most of you have read my entries about the creek clean out project and I have mentioned how we are on a flood plane and our backyard changes a lot in a heavy downpour. We had one today, so here are some picts:
So, I am NOT a morning person. Luckily my toddler usually sleeps till 8 or 8:30...a girl after her mom's heart. well, she must have been a bit off today, because she woke up at 5:30. Oi Vey!!! I promptly brewed a giant pot of coffee and then noticed that I rarely see my garden still fresh with morning dew. Very pretty!
Yesterday, my husband was so nice to drag out his saw and ladder and do some tree trimming for me and the backyard looks so nice and tidy :) I can see clear back to the creek from my kitchen window and it brings a whole new perspective on the yard!
The other project I finished yesterday was my bottle path. I used to have a bottle tree. It was the center of one of my veggie beds and the focal point looking through the arbor. Well, earlier this year, it bit the dust and fell over. So, I thought instead of remaking it (besides, now everyone has a bottle tree) I decided to make a bottle path.
It needs a bit more variety, but I am quite pleased with the outcome :) Too bad i never got around to snapping a pict of the bottle tree :(
I also drug some of the creek brush to the curb for the city landscape people to pick up. There is still a LOT more, but they will only pick up so much at once.
Not the greatest pict, but look at all that!
I spent a good portion of last night daydreaming about what to do by the creek and I am getting more and more excited!
I have a full day of garden chores ahead of me (once the pookie is napping) I will:
Today was a pretty mundane but productive day in the garden. Mostly did chores such as weeding and mowing. I also put in some more sugar snap pea seeds for yet another succession planting. I also worked a bit more on the creek clear out project.
Heres a pict of me and my girl mowin the yard:
see that pile of dirt in the back? thats the free compost for the city, we are getting it to berm up a new bed right there...gettin rid of more grass!
Here are some snapshots I took along the way while doing my chores:
EGGPLANT FLOWER :)
GREEN SWEET POTATO VINE AND MINT IN BLOOM, LOVE THE TEXTURES!
HIBISCUS BUDS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL...
PURPLE POTATO VINE WITH FEATHER GRASS:
AUTUMN FERN FOLIAGE
PROGRESS OF CREEK CLEAN OUT...
COULDN'T EVEN SEE THE CREEK A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO...
MY FRONT YARD AS OF TODAY:
HAS ANYONE ELSE GOTTEN AS ADDICTED TO DOCUMENTING THEIR YARD AS ME.... SO FUN!
OH. MY. GOSH!!!!
Its Raining! We haven't had rain in FOREVER!!!!!
At first I was kinda annoyed because I was in the middle of weeding, but after a nano second, I thanked the heavens and moved inside for the virtual gardening world.
I've been working on those pesky little summer weeds in the back....my next BIG project is to clear the overgrowth behind our back fence. There is a creek back there somewhere and god only know what else...
Already
starting to think about my garden in the fall too. THink I might plant some brightly colored mums along the back path. Also want to plant a bunch of bulbs. Fun, Fun!
I have a spring that starts in my next door neighbor’s yard, forms a little creek in my yard, before flowing in to and out of a pond.
Here is a picture of the top part of my creek, which has filled with watercress, below the ostrich ferns.
I planted watercress by seed in my creek a couple of years ago. I believe seed is the easiest way to plant it, due to the fragility of the plants. Since I planted it, it has been growing to such an extent that in the spring and fall time it can go from a little plant to filling my creek in about a month’s time. During the summer it seems to slowdown in growth. I have had to be pretty aggressive in controlling it, which has been easy since the plants are not deeply rooted and kind of float on the shallow water.
Watercress has a kind of mild peppery flavor to it. My primary use has been as a substitute for lettuce on sandwiches, which is pretty good. I tried adding it to stir fry, which I heard is done in China, but it didn't pass my kids taste test, so I doubt I will do that again.
Wikipedia claims that:
"Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C....Many benefits from eating watercress are claimed, such as that it acts as a mild stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid. It also appears to have cancer-suppressing properties." Wikipedia also warns to not harvest it around farm animals, due to possible contamination from parasites, of course, this should apply to any vegetable or salad green harvested and used in its raw form.
I am looking for more great uses of this prolific plant and would love any suggestions.
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