Trellis

Today I built a trellis for the chimney. The wood members are a little thicker than I had planned. The 2x6s I had purchased weren't the best. I bought culled lumber for 1/2 price. You get what you pay for. The best pieces were used to build the shutters last Sunday. I painted the trellis white, designed, and built it as I installed it.





I think the white helps tone down the purple of the shutters and especially, the garage door. That's a lot of purple.



Last fall I moved a Star Jasmine to the base of the chimney. Morning glory volunteers that were supposed to be Scarlet O'Hara are coming up. The vine last year was purple, not red.



Along the wall near the steps, I have my knockout roses, lavender, salvia, and a few miscanthus.



It should be nice next month when everything is in bloom and the morning glories really take off.

Out back, the Magnolias are starting to bloom.







The photo is blurry because I was standing in snake infested ivy and periwinkle hanging onto the branch I had used a stick to pull down the nearest flower. Even though there are only a couple blooms on my side of the tree, I caught several whiffs of the lemony smell as I was working. Another week and it should be breathtaking when the smaller tree starts to bloom too. Removing trees last year gave it lots more sun and it has really put out some impressive growth with all our rain.

Speaking of rain, 2" collected in this container I left out yesterday. This container was empty except for a few styrofoam cups when I left for work.



When I went to Carla's this morning, her gardenias were in full bloom. I plucked a nice one and took more cuttings. I'll stick them in the cloner this evening and see if it works on semi-ripe growth. Right now, they're in water on my desk. The whole room smells of gardenias.



It's 81 degrees, muggy, and rain is on the way again. I've got to finish cleaning the basement. Lots of sawdust mingled with rain water from last night's storm needs to be cleaned. Laundry needs to be folded and put away. All my tools are scattered about. But first, I need something to eat.