Friday, September 25, 2009

The Snake Pit

I'll get to the snakes later, but first a list of what I did this morning.

I built a compost bin. Sort of.



I put it in an out of the way place. I need two more regular sized pallets instead of those small 3/4 pallets.



I moved the crape myrtle. I know, I just couldn't stand it any longer.



I laid out a rough area for the recycled brick and concrete patio I plan to build this winter. I'm doing it now because I know I'll change my mind a few times during the process. It's inevitable. I can't wait to get rid of that dead oak tree. Three more weeks, we should be chopping it up.



I moved the pink brugmansia to the hydrangea bed. There are more brugs here now than hydrangeas, but that could change any day. They're rooted and ready to plant. Kongmansia has lost all its leaves again. If it survives the winter, good for it.



I planted a couple more white crape myrtles and mowed the front yard. That's where the snakes come in.

The snake pit. It's periwinkle and weeds. I thought I would like it, but this stuff is a thug. It's already 4' into the lawn and is just over a year old. I've got to get rid of it. I mowed it all down today.



The lawnmower claimed another victim. Don't ask me what kind of snake it was. I don't know. I don't care. It was a snake.



I'm looking for suggestions of what to do on this sloped bank. It's shady, gets about 2 hours of summer sun along the driveway and none along the street. It's dry, heavy clay and stone. Against the house, I have hucheras, gardenias, tea olives, knockout roses, lavender, artemesia, some grasses, and bluish salvias. I'm thinking shrubs would work well on this slope, but the mulching...oh the mulching.







Other items worth mentioning today:

Spider lily.



Miss Huff and Yvonne.



Just waiting for the seeds to ripen. It went quick this year.



81, mostly cloudy. A good chance of rain this evening and overnight. Muggy, again.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Have you thought about autumn fern for that slope? It would gradually spread, and can take the dry shade, plus it's evergreen!

Otherwise, some of the white liriopes? (i.e., Silver King or Snowcone) That would bring a good "pop" to that area.

Just did a shady slope with drifts of "Brigadoon" hypericum and Saliginella (Blue Peacock Moss). The moss is deciduous, but the Brigadoon stays all year

Jeff Vandiver said...

Tom - call me crazy, but i'd install a small water garden at the bottom, with a rock-lined stream leading down to it. There's one close to my work, and it looks beautiful!

Laura said...

yikes! when you mentioned the snake pit i didn't realize there were actually snakes in it! just thought you were being silly.