my little hideaway
The oak tree has fully leafed out, and it was the perfect time to take this photo. I am in the process of finishing a newly designed website which will include this blog, and this photo was needed for the landscape section. Keep in mind that what you see in the photo is an ongoing work in progress and some items are still missing. I am currently looking for a very large pot to place on the brick terrace in front of all the electrical boxes, and of course, I intend to plant something in it. I just don’t know what until I have the pot. And we’re waiting on the zexmenia to become available, which will be planted against the foundation under the screen porch. Expect the new site to be up and running by the end of next week, but before then I will post photos of my just completed front garden.
and so it began…
During last week’s deluge, the front garden makeover finally commenced. The conditions were far from ideal, but the forecast had predicted sunny skies, and the work had already been postponed for too long. Michael Parkey had marked all existing plants with colored tape — the orange tape indicated complete removal, the white tape designated transplanting, and the blue meant that the plant was to remain untouched. The Hadden Landscaping crew made fast work of the demo despite the bog-like conditions, and the irrigation crew was able to come the next day to install the new drip lines and sprinkler heads.
Since this makeover is not as extensive as the backyard garden, I’ve decided that I will combine all the front transformation phases into a future single blog post. So expect another post with a lot more photos sometime towards the end of next week.
caught the wrong critter
Sadly, an opossum was the one to get trapped. I actually like opossums, and they’re beneficial to have around. But since he would continually come back and fall for the same trick, it made sense to have him or her transported to a more rural area. We’ve decided not to continue with the bated traps until after the front garden’s landscaping has been completed and when little exotic goldfish are again available to restock my little pond. A day or two before I purchase the new fish, I will have Master Services come out and again place two traps. Anyway, I’ve been told that two blocks over, there is some raccoon roadkill, and perhaps this raccoon was the one who killed my tiny pets.
come and get it, you little monster
Last Friday night my little pond was totally trashed. And while cleaning — desperately looking for my three little fish — I only found bits and pieces of my former friends. The experts say it was raccoons, and there’s little to be done to prevent this from happening again. But this will not keep me from trying to encourage them to move out of my neighborhood. Master Services Animal Control has set up two traps around the fish pond, and way in the back end of each trap is a small container of dog food. They tell me that cats are not likely to fall for this trick, and I’m counting on it. If and when a raccoon has been captured, I will photograph the criminal to share with you before he or she is taken far away to be released.
If you’re wondering about new fish for the pond, I’m told that the new shipments of fish won’t arrive at local water garden stores until mid-April.
and in the meantime…
by Andy Coolquitt, 2002
Let’s maintain loose posture. Today was suppose to have been my first blog post about the front garden’s makeover. With torrential rainfall predicted over the next three days, Hadden Landscaping decided to postpone the first phase, which is to pull out the unwanted plants and dig up additional bed space. Starting today would have been equivalent to creating a giant mud pie to wallow in when they return to resume work on Wednesday or Thursday. But in the meantime, I’m just getting older.
The image above is a wonderful little piece created by Andy Coolquitt that I picked up at the annual Five x Seven back in 2002. Five x Seven is an annual fundraiser, art sale and exhibition benefitting AMOA-Arthouse exhibitions and educational programs.
Tags: AMOA-Arthouse > Andy Coolquitt > Five x Seven > Hadden Landscaping