Paradise is hard work

Marsh marigolds in our pond this spring

“Make your yard a vacation paradise” ads are everywhere this spring. If you do it yourself though, (vs hiring a landscape contractor), paradise is hard work. 

The pagoda

This year, we are preparing for the replacement of our detached garage. We were able to put off replacing it for quite awhile—we painted it and it looked pretty good—from the front. From the side, it's a different story. Our elderly Asian neighbor commented "you garage look like pagoda! Need fix!" At that point it really was too late to fix however, and when we changed insurance companies, the ultimatum came from them—the pagoda must come down.



Piles of oily rags and unfortunate tree-cutting accidents were considered. But then those ads about insurance fraud convinced us that was probably a bad thing to do (are those the most ridiculous ads or what?). So we went through the bidding and permit process, and a new garage will begin to be built in August.

To prepare, we had to have a pine tree removed, as the roots were entangled in the area where the new garage will be built. At the same time, there were other trees along our property line that were dying due to neighborly abuse (long story).

Removing the four 80-year-old pine trees has completely changed the garden exposure from semi shade to sunny. It also necessitated tree replacement—smaller of course—so we purchased five arborvitae and three mini pines—Serbian, white pine, and blue spruce—that will take 20 years to reach their maximum height of 10 feet. No more worries about pine branches falling on power lines. Clearing each area of other plants, breaking up the hard, dry soil, digging the holes, then planting the new stuff took the entire weekend. 

Some of the new plantings. Sure doesn't look like much now (May 18)

While I planted trees, Larry pulled up roots—not easy. They were invading the garage and breaking up the driveway. Many of the roots were a diameter of a foot or more, embedded in asphalt and concrete, so this was no easy task. It took an entire day for Larry to get one root out.

Vacation? Not.

The following weekend we took some extra time off. It was supposed to be a break from work as well as a chance to celebrate our 17th!! anniversary. Instead, Larry patched and sealed the back portion of the driveway where the roots had destroyed it, and I worked on staining and varnishing the new bay window in our kitchen. Unfortunately, the weather was ideal for this work—sunny and 70s. I got pretty grumpy from all the fumes. 

In between varnish coats, I planted new plants we bought at the public market and the Rochester Civic Garden Center sales. That was kind of fun, but still a lot of work. I made a new addition to my native plant collection: fragrant sumac (see White Oak Nursery for a picture and purchase info). I also added some new basils and herbs of all sorts. I like to nestle them in with the decorative plants for a natural look—I'm not crazy about edibles lined up in a row. 

We had intended to relax the last day of vacation, Tuesday. But I got called into work for an emergency project and needed to attend calling hours for my co-worker's Dad. We'd both shared a lot about our parents' health challenges, so her Dad's passing from cancer really hit home. She's my age and has now lost both her parents. 

In the end, I went back to work more tired than I was before vacation! Well, there is always July (next time I'll be taking off).

Now ... those bushes seem to need a trim ... and the fence needs painting ... more pics soon.