Yardening June 2014 #3 into July

dunno...laborious hand weeding knocks it back for me but it always returns. A smooth surface that it can't root into so readily would help, but I can't picture what that would be in the area you describe. Thorough weeding followed by a coarse mulch? Big chunks that wouldn't feel too cuddly to dig its toes into.

Sally, I think there is at least a good 12 inches of stones along my fenceline with that neighbor. I have mixed feelings about it--it's been very effective at stopping her variegated vinca and ivies from creeping over, but I also cannot plant there at all. :-( Then, once the stone stops there are *tons* of roots from the neighbor's red bud and also her big tree that came down in a storm last summer.

So, my gardening options are limited in that whole side of the yard, and it's one of the few places in my yard that gets morning/dappled sun. I put the bird feeder and bird bath over there, and got some help digging holes for the peach tree, beautyberry, and 2 hibiscus (I'm not strong enough to dig through the roots there, but my handyman was able to do it for the peach tree and beautyberry, and Happy and her DH were able to do it for the hibiscus).

Right now, her beautiful rose bush and abelia x grandiflora hang over that fence and make it pretty along that fence line, but she must be around 80 now, and it's hard to say how much longer she'll be there. :-( A new neighbor might not care about these beautiful plants and they might come down. Unfortunately, it's too stony on my side of the fence to establish the same plants on my side of the fence. :-(

Speaking of changing neighbors--the new back neighbor who cut down the beautiful old tree in his back yard replaced it with the ugliest shed imaginable, and is now using the space behind the shed to dump their unwanted bulk items. Ugh. Out of sight out of mind for *them* maybe but honestly this is how ill feelings between neighbors build... :-(

1) a close-up of their ugly shed and trash heap overlooking my back garden area
2) the same scene from further away--this is what I see when I walk into my backyard
3) the same area last summer before this new neighbor moved in--slightly different angle as I didn't have a shot of the exact same angle from last year, but you can see it looks nicer without the shed ;-(

I have a second, smaller holly tree back there that I'll probably move this fall in an attempt to hide the ugly sight.

Edited to add: the small tree you can see in the photo from last summer is still there in the neighbor's yard--you just can't see it any more because of the ugly shed. I don't have a photo that includes the big tree they cut down. :-(

This message was edited Jul 6, 2014 7:35 AM

OK, I'll take some shots of the whole horrible ugly area when I got outside shortly.. (got some weeding to do).
That whole area on that side of the house is horrific... all the wild strawberry, the hillock on which the Holly grows, around which is a bunch of nasty prickly stuff that I can never seem to control... myriad other weeds that infest the area... it's a nightmare!

I'm thinking the rocks would be a great idea.. but it would have to be the medium-sized river rock type of rocks... large enough to use a blower to blow out the leaves that I KNOW will fall and fill up the area, including the evil prickly Holly leaves. (yes, EVIL!)

I'm with all of you we have wild strawberry growing every where and I am constantly pulling it out of the beds. Don't think it is going to go away anytime soon either.

HOLY carp Catmint, that is really an eyesore!!!

River rock sounds great speedy...since you're buying...possibly at employee special pricing
;^D

wild strawberry grows sun or shade, moist or dry...it adapts amazingly! it must have some purpose in the world but I can't see it! Maybe the birds are so disappointed with the tasteless wild strawberries (Duchesnea) that they given up and don't bother my real ones.

Just got my Japanese beetle pheromone trap. I'm thinking of hanging it out back near the neighbor's eyesore shed. heh heh. ;-)


whew! Got the Japanese beetle trap hung on the back fence (near the eyesore) and let me tell you it is *perilous* carrying one of those!! :-O The Japanese beetles got excited immediately and started flying around me as I was carrying it to the back. Good thing I got it all ready before taking it outside... One bug I *do not* like!!

This message was edited Jul 6, 2014 10:42 AM

Here are some pics of the puzzling "weed" popping up all over yard this year. I'm pretty sure it's Senna, but I've looked at about 4 kinds of Senna and haven't found any with flowers that look like this and with 4 leaflets. Edited to add that the cheerio I strung up is about the same size as the flowers.

It's possible seeds were in the soil a lawn company put on my lawn after aerating it, but some plants have popped up in garden beds. They grow very quickly, maybe 4 inches in a week.


This message was edited Jul 6, 2014 1:26 PM

I have some of that too Muddy.
Catmint, I think you should go to the nursery and come home with 2- 5gal. min. Leyland cypress and plant them 2' from the fence and about 6-8' apart just in from the corners of his dump.. In 2 years or so you will not see the mess and it will be lost in memory, not to mention Leyland cypress. LOL
Your side you can keep neatly sheared like a hedge, the other side, what other side? It doesn't exist anymore.

LOL Ric! Good idea! :-)

Cat--

Now you know why I put those shadow box fencing panels behind my raised bed.

Or--I would be looking at MY back yard neighbor's trash and old logs and
an unused deck box--and last year's dirt from his window boxes of herbs.
Also--2 lg. outdoor trash cans and a small tractor--his 7yr. old G-son rides.

It is a pile of junk---but I do not have to ;look at it! G.

1--Nice view of my raised bed....and the back yard.

2--What's behind it.....not too bad at the moment...

Gita those panels look nice!

Cat---Hmmmm--maybe you have never seen this bed going up?
This was in May, 2011.

The soil was total Crap--so much for me being a yotal cheapo.
I seriously amended it--with everything imaginable....but when i dig-
the soil still feels hard.

It was to be my veggie bed--but in a years time--for sure 2 years--
it was fill of maple roots--and NO veggies.
SO--I am establishing some perennials and definitely, some large annuals
to fill it this year.
4-O'clocks--Butterfly Weed--Lots of Glads--some transplanted DL's--etc.

Gita

G.

Looks like it was a lot of work Gita. The fence is nice and definitely hides the neighbor's eyesore.

I've seen Gita's raised box planter with the panels and it really is very nice. Does a great job hiding the neighbors junk, too. Maybe a bit more practical than Ric's idea. LOL

yes, the panels seem like a good solution! :-) Gita, are those panels available at HD?

cat--yes, they are....It is called "Shadow-Box" -fencing.

The boards alternate--you can see through them looking sideways--(see pic. #3 & 4 above)
but looking straight on--you cannot see anything. See last picture.

I had a man build it---a friend of my back-yard neighbor. A Handyman--who needed
some money. He did a great job!. He asked $300--I gave him $350.
Materials not included. I paid for a all that stuff...

http://www.homedepot.com/s/shadowbox%2520fencing?NCNI-5

G.

Yes Gita, I agree some type of fencing would be immediate and not expensive, but my solution would be a pain in his assets, or non-assets, as the case would be.

The passion vine has out grown it's trellis so I had Ric hang an old broken rake head on the wall for me. Tied some white cotton twine from the rake to the trellis.

Ric, while I like your idea of the Leland "fence", (heehee, you are one evil-minded ornery little critter, aren't you!?), I think I like Gita's fence idea just a wee bit better. At least the fence won't need pruning and shaping up every year. ;)

OK, got some shots of my "ugly side yard" area, along that fence...

First shot is to give you some perspective of the "hillock" it's all on.

Second shot, a close-up of that prickly stuff that's growing there, beside the holly.

Third shot, down the driveway-side "bed". You can see that, as you walk "up" the driveway, as soon as you step off the tarmac it almost instantly goes UP that little hillock.. you can also see all the crap that gets mowed/blown into my "bed" from the other side of the fence.

Forth shot, this is toward the back yard from the holly... you can see that, as you approach the fence, the ground slopes upward as well. Makes it really hard to plant anything along there; not to mention, hard to put up another fence of any sort 'cause the concrete from their fence posts is about 1' in diameter under-ground... and about a foot deep. (I've dug to check).

There's about 20 feet from that fence to the side wall of my house... if I plant anything too big, then there won't be enough space to even WALK there. (not to mention, the A/C unit sits on that side of the house as well - see last photo).
A big ol' sticky wicket!

Holly, the hanging rake is a piece of brilliance! I can never find trellises long/tall enough for the real climbers.

The Leland fence also appeals to me for its sheer creative orneriness! Unfortunately, there is not enough space back there or I just might do it... ;-) However, the fencing idea would screen them out all along that back edge where currently there is only a low metal fence. I'll talk to my handyman about it...

Speedie, looks like the slope of the hillock would make working along there difficult--and the prickly things sound awful!! Is that whole vine area prickly, or just the holly behind it? Stones seem like they might be problematic due to gravity--they might tend to roll over time either towards the fence or away from the fence?

I love Ric's alterior (sp?) motive, very nyahh haha! I love the rake-trellis! I have a four tined spading fork head that needs a repurpose. Or a new handle.

Seems like we all have a problem spot in our yards. Well, when we achieve perfection in so many ways, in the rest of the yard...lol

Yeah I hear you about the problem spots Sally! And some days I feel too much of my yard is like that with its morning shade and hot afternoon sun!

That is a challenge, the opposite of what plants love. Good moisture can help, I think, but you can only commit so much energy to watering plants, and who wants that kind of pressure, lol

Yes Sally that is exactly it! :-)

Fun random fact of the day for you possum haters (possums are not pretty, IMHO)
"... opossums are good groomers, and kill most ticks that start to feed on them...."

Oooh.. a NOT fun fact
"...Young tick larvae are particularly vulnerable to dry weather, so wet weather in
June helps high survival rates of nymphs into their adult stage, creating a larger tick
population two years later, with corresponding higher count of Lyme Disease cases...."
I feel like we've had a wet spring in general...

Catmint, check out reed fencing, Comes in a roll 6' by 16' for $25 and can be easily attached to existing chainlink fence with cable ties. Will last quite a few years, or can be taken down if view improves!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/6-ft-W-x-16-ft-L-Bamboo-Reed-Garden-Fence-0406165/100330784

Speedie There is a piece of equipment that can be rented called a ditchwitch (?) that is used to cut a trench for laying pipe or cable a foot or two feet down. Once slit is there along fence line it can be filled with stone to stop root incursion and aluminum roof flashing can be rolled out with maybe 6" blow ground an the rest attached up the chainlink to prevent blow ins and vine creep from neighbor. Can be painted to blend in if desired. What has Bossman done in similar circumstances when he wears his landscape hat? Those sticker vines may be cat briars...nasty. Clipping them off at soil level will get them to give up in a year or two (no need to grub out roots and no chemicals) Long handled loopers can be helpful and I'll sometimes plunge them into soil and nip the roots, too.

Coleup, thanks for the idea! I'll have to take a look at it. I wonder how sturdy it is? I like the price!! :-D

I like that the reed fence is removable. Once you put a privacy panel against a chain link. you are set up for crap growing in between that you can never get out.- tho it would be on their side so...their problem but they don't care. The price is right for at least trying it. Is it sturdy enough for the top half to be above the chain and not get floppy?

Home depot carries a wide selection of reed fencing. NOT all in the stores...

you can always go to homedepot.com and look it up in the search line. I did that...

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Fencing-Garden-Fencing/N-5yc1vZc3m1/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-reed+fence?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5

Remember---you can order anything on line and have it shipped to your nearest HD.
They will call you when it comes in and you go to pick it up.

This way--NO shipping charges! G.

Thanks for the link, Gita.

Catmint, that's pretty inconsiderate of your neighbors. :(

I seriously considered reed fencing before deciding on the permanent solution.

One pro to reed fencing is that at least initially, it's very pretty, and acts as a nice backdrop to your perennial garden. It draws all the attention down to your plants.

One con is that they don't last very long. I've heard of some people taking them down in the fall and putting them up again in the spring.

It's also going to provide a bit more shade, which may or may not be what you're looking for.

thanks, SSG. Can I ask what your permanent solution was?

Vinyl fencing! :)

Vinyl fencing?? Tell me more--I'm all ears! :-)

I needed a taller fence for the backyard (scary dogs, inconsiderate neighbors).

We looked into wood, which is cheaper initially, but you have to maintain it every few years. I didn't trust the back neighbors to maintain their side of the wood fence and was concerned that it would be infested with termites or get rotten from their side. There's also a shed and and old tree right by the back fence line, which makes regular maintenance difficult.

I went with a company in AA Co. They were much cheaper than the ones based in Mont Co and very efficient. They completed the entire project in one day.

One thing to consider is that those fence diggers are clueless about plants and will likely stomp all over anything that's near the fence line!

That's really cool, SSG. I can see where vinyl would be a good solution. I'm assuming it's a lot more expensive, though...

Definitely a lot more expensive than the temporary reed fence solution, but only a little more expensive than wood. I read somewhere that if you're not planning on moving for awhile, vinyl may be cheaper than wood in the long run. I think that's particularly true for non-handy people like me and DH, but not necessarily for someone like Ric!

Vinyl does *look* like plastic, which is a downside. But the fake look can be easily covered up with more plants. :) I actually prefer the look of reed fencing because it gives a vague Asian-y feel to the garden, which looks really nice as a backdrop to Japanese maples and hydrangeas. And white blooms really pop against the reed fencing.