Yard Report

It looks like Wally's hard work on the drainage in our yard has paid off. We've gotten plenty of rain recently, and it's definitely not swampy like it was before. Hooray!

Our lettuce and spinach are doing fantastically. The peas on the other hand are not very exciting. We've enjoyed a few pods here and there, but they just never do well for us. I'll have to read up on how to grow those things for next year. Our broccoli is starting to flower, we've planted lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant seedlings that we started from seed in planters. We direct sowed our squash seeds which are now sprouting.

Our lettuce, beets, broccoli, and spinach. The lettuce is amazingly sweet. Just makes such a difference really getting it fresh.

Wally's started working on the bridge in our children's garden, but hasn't worked much on it. I'm thinking about trying to grow climbing hydrangea up it once it's done. (This pic was taken before I got the camelia!).

A little "peering pool" which is ending up being a murky pool for dropping shells in. That's fine with me since it's for them!

Grandmama and Grandaddy bought a fun big birthday present for me. It's a Dr. Tinsley camelia (I kid you not). Very appropriate ;0)

The Dr. Tinsley camelia. It has pinkish flowers in the late winter/early spring.

It'll be nice to have its evergreen leaves in the children's garden. Oh, and I have taken the tags off since then :)

I feel like that garden space is really progressing slowly. It's such a large space. We've planted lamium for some ground cover. Have a path of moss, and I'm experimenting with lemon thyme as more ground cover around the mound that Wally eventually will turn into some kind of hobbit house.

I planted lamb's ear at the corner of their treehouse/fort. It's just so nice for touching. Almost anyone would agree it's a must for a children's garden.

The oakleaf hydrangea is really getting leafy. My impatiens that I started from seeds are doing really well. I'm so surprised! They are all getting nice and bushy. The bricks are to protect them from kids' feet. I have more scattered all over that garden area. I've mulched around a lot of the major plantings since taking these pics.

I'm trying to figure out how to block the chain link fence all down that section of the yard. It's mostly shade, so that makes it even harder. I don't want a vine that will be hard to control, but I want something that will consistently provide coverage throughout the year. Not many options for that. I've found they make rolls of reed fencing etc. that you can tie over the chain link http://www.fencecenter.com/store/item.aspx?DepartmentId=15339&ItemId=70048 it's $20 for a 10 ft roll. Also found some "fence fabric", but this is even more expensive http://www.fencefabric.com/our-products-design-options-wood.html. Any ideas?

And yes, that is a sandbox.

I gave in. I figure if we put it in the very back corner of the yard, most of the sand will have fallen off/out by the time the kids get back to the house.