Spring Things And Fence Dreams

~ Bitchy After 60

Well spring has arrived in my little corner of the world. There have been days of lovely sunshine this April, which only means one thing–getting outside. Outside this time of year is in the garden. There is some clean up, which I always leave to the spring, and entails cutting back any wooden stems or anything else that won’t decay or blow away by June. Mother Nature does a great job of garden cleanup. So I let her do her thing. 

There are things to trim and others to cut back so they can be dug out. A certain old potentilla that had grown to over seven feet and was totally covering a path was a single day project. The remains still have to be cut out. There is always a lot to do out there. Not all of it will get done. It never does. 

The many, many boxwoods on our property have some sort of pest or disease. Even with all the online research I have done, I have no idea where to begin with this. A couple of my rhododendrons appear to have a fungus so they have been sprayed. Let’s hope it works. 

Much of the wooden garden infrastructure that had been in stalled over twenty years ago is in need of replacement. Our old muscles are not looking forward to this so some of it is not going back in. 

In particular a small lattice fence that hid my dumping spot for garden mess and provided a little privacy. The posts were rotten so it came down last week. There was once a plan for a large compost area in this spot but that idea fell by the wayside years ago. So good-bye dumping grounds and hello to leveling and planting a few things for privacy. I am certainly going to miss that dumping spot.

There is a lot of storm mess from last fall’s hurricane to clean up. Broken trees and branches that we piled next to our shed. Luckily we have a tree guy in our neighbourhood, who is coming early in May to cut the remains of damaged trees that are still standing and then mulch as much as possible. I have big plans for the mulch. 

There are deer, happily nibbling on the salad bar that is my garden. We hadn’t seen deer for along time, but they returned a couple of years ago. I happen to like the deer and will need to adapt to having them feed in my garden. Over the next few years, I expect some things will die off from too much nibbling. Any replacements will need to be deer resistant. I am a little concerned about some of the more unique things I have planted that I don’t want to be destroyed so some sort of protection may be in order. 

I do sometimes dream of a fence, but not for the deer. Years ago our property lines were thickly filled with trees. We could hardly see our neighbours or their houses. But hurricanes and the long-horn spruce beetle have taken a huge toll in the area. My fence dream resurfaced once again just last week when I gathered my clippers, my gloves and my trug and started to tidy a garden at the front of my house. Suddenly he saw me, my new neighbour. New, as in only here about four years. He dropped what he was doing and walked, with intent, from the other side of his yard to have a conversation with me on the property line. Now this neighbour can talk, and talk, and talk. And although I like a nice conversation with neighbours, these ones are usually too long and pretty one sided. So I often check to see where he is before deciding which route to take from my front to back yard. I try not to make eye contact even from a distance, especially when I just want to putt quietly. In my mind I am chanting, please, please, please don’t shout a greeting and wave. 

For the past couple of years this neighbour has had some sort of major construction project on the go that lasts for weeks on end. First a huge three-car garage that is actually closer to my house than to his. Then a stone patio along with property leveling using huge boulders and landscaping that meant weeks of heavy equipment in his yard. This year the first job is replacing a small garden shed with a new large shed (I am thinking small garage since he wants to put one of his trailers in it) and then replacing the boards on the front of his house. At some point there is going to be a whole new back deck. I hear all the details during those property-line conversations. Believe me, there are many details. With all this going on, peace and quiet for putting around the garden has been rare. So yes, on these days, I dream of a fence.

Thank you for reading. 

Photos: Jenn Stone

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21 thoughts on “Spring Things And Fence Dreams”

  1. Jen it could be Gall Midge it is a fly that lays its eggs on the early buds I had it on a couple of my Lillies a couple years ago and contacted Allan Banks of Harbour Breezes. You have to remove the buds and do not throw them on the ground they will over winter in the soil. Put them in a solution of bleach and remove any and all that look invected or it will spread to the other buds. I keep checking my Lillie’s as they bud

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    2. I have had that on my day lillies. Definitely have picked off and got rid of them. The rhododendron had white powder until I sprayed. I am keeping an eye on them. Maybe I should ask Allan Banks about my boxwood.

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    1. Most of the property line is sloped and rocky, with tree trunks and other scrubby remains. But maybe the neighbour will put one in in the future. He obviously has a much bigger budget than I do.

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  5. We’ve been outside too, working on the planting beds, enjoying the mild weather. Your projects and priorities make me smile. We find that we’re doing less in the way of building hardscape features, more in the way of planting deer resistant perennials. Also trying to not talk with neighbors while we do it, but some are just chatty by nature.

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  6. That’s one ambitious neighbour with all that planned – he must have lots of money too. My garden corner bower has rotted almost completely away now, helped in its decline by the severe storms we’ve had. My raised bed which I grow some veg in is wood and has completely fallen apart now. I can’t really afford to replace either of them – and my front door is leaking badly and refusing to lock very easily (or, more alarmingly sometimes, unlock!). They’ll all have to queue for money – I suppose the front door is probably going to barge to the front of the queue! Didn’t help my fence blew down twice in the gales in about 2 months over the winter and needed replacing!

    I love deer too and would be averse to not letting them in the garden – we don’t really have them come into the gardens here though. We don’t even get rabbits and I love those too – have hardly seen any for years now :-(

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  7. Ugh, I’m not into chitchat with a neighbour either, unless it’s a quick Hi, how are you. But this sounds like a long drawn out one-sided conversation. Maybe start suggesting a fence, but make it sound really ugly so he will foot the bill for a nice expensive one 😊Maggie

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