Perennials: Tall Phlox - What can I expect?, 1 by julie88

julie88 wrote:
~grin~ Pirl...I just see you and your friend out there 'pick-axing' the edges of that drive way. LOL It kind of reminds me of something I did waaaay back in the mid 60's to something my DH thought was "So COOL". In one house we had, the evergreens in front of the house had grown far past "pretty' so he decided he'd make 'topiaries' out them. I think he worked all of one whole weekend triming those shrubs until they looked like 'out-of-whack' poodles. (I hated it!! ...but that was then, this is now.)

So when he went to work on Monday morning, I proceeded to go outside with a hack saw and an axe... The old retired guy that lived across the street sat outside ALL day and watched me do my thing. Late in the afternoon, he'd finished several glasses of Iced Tea and finally wondered over...shook his head...and said "Eric's gonna kill you." and walked away.

By the time Eric got home at 5 that evening, I had the whole thing clean as a whistle...new flower beds dug and even had a few little mairgolds planted where his work of art had been.

He didn't really say anything. UNTIL a few nights ago. I have no idea what brought it up but he said "I'm mad at you." I asked why. He got a funny look on his face and said "Do you remember when we lived in Illinois...and you chopped down the bushes I'd made into bonsai or something like that?" I just looked down at my lap...afraid I'd burst out in hysterical laughter...and said "Yep! I sure do!" (and all the time I'm remembering how GOOD it felt to work SO hard and I got what *I* wanted. hehehe)

So the pick-ax and the driveway definitely hit home with me. LOL

Thanks, Sheila...I *love* your back yard. It's gorgeous! Those decks...Terrific! And you've done a great job of hiding your 'unmentionable' under and behind those daylilies.

Your tank cover is UNDER the soil!?!??? Lucky you! I'd much rather have mine without the 12" above ground collar...but the code now tells us that we have to *leave* it above ground. Don't ask me why. It's a PITA *big time*. If mine was below grade, I'd just build some kind of portable planters or even put a gazebo area over it. And I wouldn't even mind if *I* had to be the one to dig it up when the mandatory clean outs had to be done.

Here's mine...just LOOK at where it sits!