About the yard/garden

In addition to being a diary of my adventures in the garden, this will also be a place of record-keeping for my own reference so that I may look back in case I forget what I planted where... or when I planted, sowed, whatever. For anyone who loves to garden and has information or feedback for me, please feel free to comment.

I'll be adding pictures soon, but this text description will be beginning of your acquaintance with my garden. When I use the term "garden," I am referring to our front and back yards, not only the "garden" proper. For we have many unique and wonderful plants all over this yard, and all deserve recognition and remembering here.

The front yard is our face to the world as it drives by on our street. Nearest the street are two raised beds on either side of the sidewalk that come from our front steps and down to the street. Lying across it is the sidewalk that goes up and down the street. These raised beds are on the street side of the city sidewalk, and are bordered by decorative red rock. Within the raised bed on the west side is a huge, old tree (I have yet to determine what it is). This tree has big leaves that cover the yard every fall, and old branches that have dropped off during windstorms, one of which broke the rearview mirror on my car. There is yucca, yarrow, hens-and-chicks, tulips, mullein. Later in the year there will be other mystery flowers that grow and bloom and die.

On the east side of the sidewalk to the street, the other raised bed features a wonderful big sagebrush (artemisia tridentata), more yarrow and yucca and mullein. This sagebrush has self-propagated into the red rock east of it and I've considered digging up the plants and putting them somewhere else, but I haven't done it yet. There is another tree, and I am unsure of what it is.

Crossing the sidewalk into the yard proper that lies in front of the house, there is a border along the sidewalk on either side of the walk that goes to the street. On the east side is an Oregon grape, yarrow, poppies, lavender, mullein, and mystery plants. The lawn goes up toward the house but is quite small (yay) and against the house is a shrub (don't know what it is, but it's spiny), an Oregon grape,and another unidentified shrub. Under the shrubs are mint and lavender, as well as hyacinth in the spring, and other mystery flowers.

On the east side along the sidewalk is more lavender, yarrow, mullein, and a cool bush that has little white flowers. There is a rock path that curves up from the city sidewalk to the gate that goes to the side of the house. The rocks are basalt, so rather a reddish brown color. On the east side of the path is a scotch pine and a flower bed of sorts with mullein, yarrow, and other mystery plants. The lawn on the east side is the same size as the west. Against the house is a big tree/plant with yellowish green waxy-ish leaves. Next to that is a cedar-type shrub that is probably too tall and overgrown, but I'd need a ladder to trim it. Then, next to the front steps is a Japanese maple. Under the trees are lavender, poppies, tulips, hyacinth. I'm going to plant shade-tolerant flowers as well, because this is the north side.

There isn't a lot of room on the west side of the house, just a strip of lawn and some shrubs and roses. A flowering quince reminds me of my Mom, because she liked that plant. Then you come to the west side back gate.

The east side of the house is where our back door is, and when you enter the gate from the front yard, there are various ground covers and plants covering the chain link fence. Periwinkle, snowberries (aka corpse berries , some sort of vines...

I will continue the description of the back yard in my next entry.