It is that time of year. I have started building some bird houses. And also did some trimming today of a plum tree, dwarf granny smith apple tree, and the large crimson queen jm in front.
This bird house design is based on soj's shed by here stream/pond. I also used some interesting oak branches as a base similar to the one i gave Louise at the ru last fall.
Here is a smaller version of the soj design bird house.
And here is the A-Frame brid house - was debating how to hang the house and finally decided to drill a hole through the peak and run a branch through the house and use some cooper wire for hanging.
Very nice, Bill!
I really love those! I have a wren house that lost its roof this winter :(.....if the snow melts, I'll get to it, & hopefully, repair it. I have 2 projects that I'm thinking about....one involves getting rid of a very weedy and brushy area behind my driveway turn-around.....the other is a new DL bed for the base of a stone wall in the backyard.......
Still waiting for mine. ^_^ (With NY motif.)
Looks great! Waiting for mine too!!!!
Suddenly today...15-20 goldfinches at the feeder, when there have been none.
I'm starting to read the "bird environment" posts much more closely.
Bill, are you taking orders? LOL....is there one with a Connecticut theme? .......not sure what that could be
They are wonderful Bill
thanks all - these are pretty easy to build.
Very nice work, Bill, and great use of sturdy old branches as well.
A CT theme would be Huskies I guess, dem!
Hmmmmmm....or maybe an insurance co building?
Our projects have been mostly deconstruction. Pruning, cleaning and taking down trees. Though we are building a couple new beds and a stone stairs to nowhere. Not funded with an earmark, but with some old uncovered left over stones that will make climbing a little hill to the back of the property a bit easier for me and a nice focal point for a new area that I am planting.
In our zeal to clean up some old brush piles, I had a eureka moment and realized that with a bit more clearing, we have a wonderful new spot for a second veggie bed that will be far superior to our current bed. The soil will be great, better sun, and level. It will need a deer fence as well as a lower rabbit fence and a gate, so now that is on the April list. DH even liked the idea. I will have to do some more landscaping to meld it into the yard so it looks good. But that is the fun part. Patti
DH started trimming the down branches which appeared out of the snow. One off tulip tree is 17' & couple off pine 11' each.So I foresee more light in one of the flower beds which was becoming shaded. It has both 'Thalia' daffs & a couple with pink cups which were hybridized by a friend in MO.
Our 1st project is laying down a stone "driveway" for the trailer that hubby bought for our biz, that in turn will show me how much planting room I have for the rock garden I wanted to do.
nice to hear about everyones projects! thinking about one of those stone stair cases myself patti.
Oh no, ours will look so bad compared to yours. I will post before and after shots so you will at least know that we tried. Patti
I'm jealous.
Iris, I, too, noticed large hemlock branches down near my hydrangea garden.....this is not good, they need the shade! Patti, a new veggie garden sounds wonderful......I'm already thinking about the spring peas & Swiss chard.....Bill, a rock project? Can't believe it! Yes, Jo, I'm jealous, too!
thought you might want to venture over to the japanese maple thread - i posted some pictures of trimming one of my crimson queens - there are three new shots at the end of the thread - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/945583/#new
Beautiful JM trim photos. I was really glad to have the help Bill.
you are welcome joann
I never thought about trimming my JMs because they are still babies, but I guess I'll need to in a few years.....
Game of LARGE pick up sticks is in order.
you have that right lucy - my yard is covered in broken branches from the lovely white pines.
Ours is filled with broken pine branches and twigs, too.
Robindog, I am very excited about the prospects of having a veggie bed in the full sun. Novel idea. It will be confusing to have two that are so far apart, but if the new one is so much better, we may move them together next year. That would give me a new space in the old veggie bed to plant more perennials and shrubs and of course bulbs. Salivating.
DH did a second burn pile with Xmas wreath and lots of picked up stuff. So we are pretty clean in Nantucket, but Vt is still covered with snow, so that clean up will have to wait. The sun is out so melting is happening. I am sure there is a nice mess underneath it for us to clean up. Patti
This message was edited Mar 14, 2011 1:02 PM
Patti, one year I had a veggie garden down the bottom of my hill, & another one where the pool was, right outside the garage.....the downhill garden is gone.....can't believe I walked up & down that hill for so many years! It would be fun to start planning the new perennial bed!
Wish I could burn things/people/deer.
I will be relocating a number of mature hostas - Guacamole and Sum & Substance from my front area to around my pool. They fried last year since I removed the dead large JM. I will divide them and will thus have many. I will use them in that horrible, weedy stone area.
i've seen lots of dead deer by the side of the roads now that the snow is melting, a coyote and fox today. a fire would be nice
We have not seen any deer, but no tracks were around so probably spent the winter somewhere else. I don't miss them. Do you have a county officer who picks them up?
Saw a dead deer along the side of the highway the other day...the crows had found the body before the highway crew did! Victor, I like Guacamole!
Every dead deer is a good deer.
here here!!
My neighbor down the road must be saying that.....I just noticed his shrub hedge is totally chewed!
I like deer....in someone elses yard.
