Friday, May 06, 2011

Reworking the garden


It's not the prettiest picture. But I've been spending time re-working the bed next to the south side of the house. The reason for the change? Gophers. They finally found a way through the wire somewhere and devoured nearly everything in the bed. (Here's the first post where I made the bed originally and the second post where it's completed.) Now I'm happy to say that it lasted a long time, and perhaps if I didn't have school occupying much of my time, I could have stopped the invasion. But that wasn't happening. So I'm putting gopher baskets in on top of the wire and making it a permanent planting.

Which is rather odd for me in a way. I was trying to think "when have I ever planted a rose bush?". I don't think I have, except for the occasional transplant of a miniature rose that I received as a gift. I have always kept my roses in containers. Now, they're getting a permanent home, interspersed with a variety of herbs and flowering plants. Wonder what that will be like?
Here's a picture from the last of the side garden's "hayday" in 2008:


When this is done, I'd like to finish "the orchard".

4 comments:

Jeannette said...

I think you have put the wrong word in quotes in your last sentence,~ When this is done, I'd like to finish "the orchard".~

If you have more than one tree call it an orchard...I support you in that....but as a true gardener you should have the word "finish" in quotes. ; > )

Gardens wait during season when we can't attend...they don't wait in their finest frocks, mind you, but they wait. I am sure your garden and your gophers are glad to have you back.

CoastalCAGardener said...

I think you're right that the quotes should be moved. Probably "finished" is never achieved. I do have three trees in the spot, but they weren't in the picture. I have 3 or four more to add.

And I actually hope the gophers are not too keen on my return.

Andrea said...

great raised beds! what are you studying??

CoastalCAGardener said...

Thanks, Andrea. I'm hoping the raised beds will look nice again this summer. I'm studying herbalism, Chinese medicine and acupuncture. I just got home from a week long course on herbs hosted by East West School of Herbalism.