Monday, April 09, 2012

I have a little list.

It has taken awhile (five years-ish) to accept the reality that I cannot manage our garden by myself.  It's just too big.  I do the mowing, and Shawn usually trims the edges.  But that's not, of course, all there is to it.  We have a weed problem in the back corner of the yard.

I've tried letting it go wild, thinking it would look nice and lush and jungly in contrast to the neatly trimmed grass.  It doesn't.  I've also tried taming it, and ended up covered in bug bites, thorn scratches, and allergy-ridden to the point of being unable to breathe.  (And still not much progress in the taming.)

We have a very large yard, and neither the tools nor the skills to wrangle it effectively.

Today is a day off work for me (hooray for this lazy province that doesn't work on Easter Monday) and I have a landscaper coming to visit and look over the property and give me a few estimates on what it would cost to do some work.  Weeding for sure.  Tree trimming.  But also, I'd like a nice brick bed for my daffodils who are currently trying to slide down the hill in the front of the house.  And it would be nice to have a fire pit on the patio, wouldn't it?  These are the kinds of jobs I'd probably mess up if I did them myself, so it may be worthwhile to pay someone else to do them properly... depending upon the cost.  I've made a list, a very long list, and I am looking forward to seeing what the landscaper thinks he can do with it.



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4 comments:

Nic said...

That sounds fabulous. :-) In my garden I have a felt flower tree. You know that thing I stuck up in the living room? Well, it has come down and is currently residing in the garden. It was meant to be temporary, but it looks quite mad out there, and I like quite mad. I have also put flowers in baked bean cans. I think I need to show you a photo. I will do that. I hope he comes up with a nice plan for you. And a nice cost too.

mischief said...

In Arizona, which was where my parents used to live in the summer, it is most common for people to have rock gardens as opposed to growing grass like we do here in Canada. I think this is because of the water shortage. Some people had very intricate rock gardens with different colours to represent images. It was lovely, and very low maintenance. I was quite envious because no one needs to spend any time pulling weeds. Although I enjoy mowing and being outdoors, weeds make me feel spiteful.

I am looking forward to seeing a picture of your felt flower tree growing outdoors. You might start a trend, you know. Soon all your neighbours will begin copying your style.

Secret Agent Woman said...

I think of gardens and lawns as two different things. Lawns bore me, although of course I have one. Had I unlimited time and money, the entire yard would instead be all garden, with oaths thought it. Some day...

mischief said...

Yes, I think I've used lawn and garden here interchangeably, but I agree with you that they are different. The lawn is easy, and the garden is hard work. I have more garden than I can manage. My hope is that once it's sorted out I can stay on top of the situation and prevent the jungle from growing back.