Birdbath

Setting the scenes around the studio was another step. My inherited birdbath served well as a model for some eventual paintings not to mention a good respite for my bird friends. Rolling the pedestal and heaving the basin was a major ordeal. Who knew birdbaths were so heavy? Not me!

The path

I moved these pavers more times than I would have liked to but we finally got them settled in their good spots. We all loved the curve the path took. Fitting the nine bricks into the gap between the pavers gave me great admiration for brick workers.

The fence at the end of the drive

The other thing I was able to do now that the trucks were gone was to close off the end of the drive for privacy in the front of the studio. The fence posts were set. I picked up 3 more panels at Lowe's and was able to tip them out of the back of the pick up on my own. The pickup? Stay tuned for tomorrow's post



One of the handymen and I attached two of the panels with some lattice at the top to match the rest of the fencing. I left enough space to drive a car through between the house and the edge of the fence just in case.

The third panel went to a single section for privacy behind the shed portion of the studio. That will show up in an eventual post.

Shrubs

You can't make a building without considering the site. Hence, these bits about the grounds.

I had been waiting to plant a hedge until all of the trucks were through. So the trucks were gone and my shrub stash was ready to take possession of their new home. I wanted an evergreen foundation that would grow quickly and thrive and act as a natural fencing element. Elaeagnus is non-native and invasive but it's a good retreat for wildlife, produces berries for birds and fragrant blooms several times a year. Because I wanted a more wild, less cultivated look, and because I was planting in a straight line, I thought that by varying the plants I might creat more interest. I planted several elaeagnus, then a red-tipped photinia and then several wax-leaf privet (which have fragrant blooms at different times than the elaeagnus).

Anchored by leyland cyprus at far corner that will soon become a giant.

The view from the studio is surprisingly expansive for the neighborhood. I wanted to keep the view but needed protection and privacy so chose to use wire fence to supplement the young shrubs. It's virtually invisible but keeps strangers from strolling through the yard as a short cut (or for more nefarious reasons) and was definitely in keeping with my shoestring budget.

Weeds and Seeds

Not a pretty sight, eh? I admit it. I became obsessed with crabgrass. After all of the clover seed I spread (and I spread a lot of it) I could not, for the life of me , figure out how this crabgrass entered the scene. Later I learned, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, that the weed seed came in with the hay. Hey!

I like to let things run on the wild-ish side and a weed is only a plant that you'd rather not have in the place where it takes root but I battled this crabgrass like my Aunt Nancy used to battle her squirrels. What I learned is that crabgrass is an extremely intelligent plant and I am not kidding. It was as if it knew when I was going to try to dig it up and propagated itself as I approached. In any event, I was finally reminded by some biodynamic landscapers that the crabgrass is just a sign of the earth healing itself. So I let that obsession go and turned my attention to the beginnings of my perennial beds.

These modest beginnings have yielded some sturdy returns and I've learned what's good for these parts and what is least likely to survive. Any sort of salvia takes off with a fertile vengeance for life. The anise hyssop makes a great party for a wide variety of bees and other colorful, happy flying bugs. You can see what I've cut back after the second summer on yesterday's My Great Day blog.

Meanwhile, in the lower 40...

I was up early and often with the rake and trusty wheel barrow. The light was so beautiful this particular morning. Hard labor but enjoyable.

Now, a word about hay. Don't use it unless you know the parents and its family background. I'm not kidding. This particular batch of hay (and the hay my next door neighbor used about this time for his own project) was teeming with weed seeds. Crabgrass varieties to be more exact. Not a good thing. Just seed at the right time of year before a rain and let nature take its course.

Snowstorm

Snow fell like a blessing. Or a painting by Sisley.