Friday, July 4, 2008

Garden Tales.......Part 2

I have to say other than my depressed tree out front, the suicidal grass out back and a beech tree that is looking old before its time, the garden is looking not too bad.

I had a couple of questions though.

1. Do you cut the grass and then whipper-snip/trim the edges, or do you trim the edges, then cut the grass?

I have started to trim the edges first then cut the grass and am finding this a better way of doing things.

2. Can birds see colour?

The reason I am asking this is that I have three bird boxes up, and one is plain wood and the other two are painted green. No one seems interested in the green boxes, but we are on our second occupants of the wooden box. Is green out this year in the bird world? Do they not like the smell of cedar shingles? Now that poses another question, can birds smell? Interesting thoughts for a Friday.

Here is the occupant of the wooden bird house, despite the fact I asked him/her to stay still and pose, he/she wasn't into co-operating.


Now for some photo's;

The back garden, I just picked up the sculpture thing on sale I think I paid less than $7 for it, so pleased with that.



The front garden. We put the privet hedge in last year to hide the side of the foot path. We gave it, its first hair cut this week, and although its a bit patchy in places they are all growing together nicely. I will burlap them though this Winter, as we did suffer a little snow damage last year. I burlapped the Magnolia tree and it came through great.




A bird decided to perch on top of one of the hanging baskets which was unusual.



Finally I was able to cut my first bunch of sweet peas. They are a perennial variety, grow like crazy and are all the one colour.

4 comments:

Leanne said...

Despite your dramas (quite amusing I'm sorry) your garden really does look lovely! I love your bird boxes. I hope you win your war and your lawn recovers and I hope their weren't any hives to contend with that evening. Hmm I wonder what those amazing mutant caterpillars would have turned into?

Funkymonkey said...

Hi, thanks for visiting my blog. I have to say your garden looks lovely and I enjoyed your earlier story about the rocks. My husband tells me that here in England we are not allowed to take rocks off the beach any longer. That makes my son a serial thief - he comes back from holiday eaach year with half of Cornwall in his pocket!

CannedAm said...

I've heard you've got to leave decorated/colourful birdhouses up for a year for the bird community to accept them. I don't know if this is true or not. I like how you've got them on the fence. We've got some decorative ones on our oddly tall fence posts (what else do you do with those fence posts???)

As for mowing/whipping...I mow frequently and hubby is available three days a week to whipper snip. So I tend to go around the edges with a hedge trimmer (I cannot start that weed whacker to save my life...besides last time I tried I couldn't use my arm for a week!) I'm a little lazy about it. But I get to it before it become jungle-like.

I read it's typical for a ginkgo to grow like that when young...sparcely branched and whatnot. Maybe yours is just younger than the others. They are pretty trees and very long lived.

Gill - That British Woman said...

Thank you Rachel for answering those questions, that makes sense.

My dad makes the bird boxes and I painted mine.

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