The Upper Meadow.

Last fall, shortly after building the large raised bed, the leaves turned and color filled the trees out back. In the 2.5 years I've been in this house, I've cleared out a lot of undergrowth and opened up the backyard for sunlight and plantings. Yesterday, I realized, I have a lot more space to plant than I thought.

The new makeshift stepping stone path winds its way around the upper potager and down into the orchard. In a few years, the fruit trees should fill out and take up a lot of space. Plantings will change as more shade is reintroduced into this area.



The ground drops and slopes falling about 8' in elevation from the highest point to the lowest. Two truck loads of leaf mulch were spread here last spring. The landfill no longer gives the stuff away. Something about state regulations and permits they don't have. Drainage here is sharp.



Looking back, there's a lot of empty soil right now. The leaves will slowly turn to black dirt over the summer with the rain and heat. I stuck most of my hardwood cuttings around the edge of the woods here. Until they grow into sizeable shrubs, I'll use drought tolerant plants to fill the spaces. Many wintersown containers will be planted out in this area, coneflowers, black eyed susans, coreopsis, yucca. The perennial bed is nearly full and self-sown seedlings are popping up like crazy. I've got to switch my focus to another area of the yard.



Spring is advancing rapidly. The pollen index is very high.





It's 45 degrees and sunny. The high today should be in the mid 80s again. I've started consuming massive amounts of water during the day.

The two owls just swooped through the backyard. The birds are going nuts. No sign of any squirrels.

New beds to fill.

By my calculations, I should have about 1000 new seed grown plants to place around the property this spring. Lots more seeds have germinated over the past few days since it has warmed considerably. I need new beds to plant them all in.

On Sunday morning, Carla and I spent a few minutes laying out the edgers for two new potager beds. I moved one of the wooden beds I built last fall. There was a reason I never hammered the rebar. I now have 128 sq ft of space to grow tomatoes. They still need final setting, soil, and some adjustments. I've got a month to get that done.



For semi-shade loving plants, I have a shady corner where many of the rooted hydrangeas have disappeared over the winter. If they return, great. If not, I have plants.



The meadow will be home to things like Ox Eye Daisy, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, grasses, etc. Direct sown seeds will also be tossed out with an emphasis on orange cosmos.



The upper meadow, behind the upper potager, will hold orange and red blooming plants that should contrast nicely with the fall color I get from the maples back here. More cosmos, Salivas, and reseedings annuals will be sown here.



The front slope will become a butterfly garden. Buddleia, coneflowers, rudbeckia, and lantana will be the foundation for this bed. 200 daffodils are already pushing through the soil. Deadheading will be key to keep this bed blooming through the fall.



The final bed is new. The stones have been adjusted. The greenery has been sprayed. In a couple weeks, I'll add cardboard and leaf mulch. Scented plants like nicotiana, four o'clocks, datura, and brugmansia will be planted here. This is by the garage door where I enter and exit most of the time. Coming home at night will be a joy.



There's a lot of new growth out there today. The overwintering plants have been shuffled out, covered with a white bedsheet to minimize sunburn. It's already 61 degrees and warming quickly. We should see a high in the low 70s. The garden center is busy as can be. Our last three days have seen a significant increase in traffic. Perennials will begin arriving this week. Shrubs, trees, and cool weather annuals are already on the tables. In another week, it'll look like a true garden center again. Time passes quickly when you're busy.

When I get home, I might spend a couple hours trying to level and place the edgers for the lower potager beds. I'm loving the weather.