The Constant Gardener: Current Project

It is quickly approaching the one year mark since the forsythia bed had become priority #1.

To be fair to CG, regular chores and obligations also consume his time- but did the extra emphasis on this area of the landscape have an impact? Yes and no. The forsythia bed is in good shape- all of the bushes survived the brutal summer, with even some newly propagated ones. There are few weeds and no burrowing pests (knocking on wood). The disappointment begins and ends with the fullness of the forsythia bushes -they're still on the 'puny' side. They are fertilized every spring and fall, but the soil (clay-heavy) is much to their disliking. In November, CG experimented with 3 different ways to win the war against bad soil.

            1. Forsythia A:
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
                used 5ft of 6" edging material to form above-ground circular planter
                filled planter with premium home-made dirt
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched (edging is hidden by mulch)

            2. Forsythia B:
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
removed 4ft diameter circle of cay/dirt (4" deep)
                back-filled with 5" of premium home-made dirt
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched

            3. Forsythia C:
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
back-filled hole with top soil
packed 3" of premium home-made dirt on top of back-filled hole
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched

Each forsythia was marked with its corresponding letter. Hopefully by the end of March, the best approach towards winning the war against bad soil can be identified and implemented before the Summer's scorching heat begins.

This Spring (MAR-MAY 2010), CG will be finishing the forsythia bed. It needs about 150 pounds of rock to complete the raised portion. The backdrop of the bed is a wood privacy fence. CG's plan is to feature weather resistant local artwork on the fence.

Reality Check: Added 80 lbs of rock (remainder to be added this Fall). Local artwork for the fence is still in the planning phase (maybe installed by Spring '11).

Around the second week of May, the yellow/yellow daffodils from the farm bed will be added to the ~300 that are already established. Hopefully, at least 30 daffodils can be transplanted from the farm bed. With continued growth of the forsythia, the bed should be 100% by March 2011.

Reality Check: Unfortunately, there were other pressing priorities that needed to be completed before the onslaught of the humid Summer weather. None of the farmbed daffodils were transplanted. It will only give CG an excuse to buy bulbs for planting this Fall.
The forsythia are doing well, and had a burst of Spring growth, but there won't be an established mature naturalized mass for another few years (not sure what CG was thinking when he blogged '100% by March 2011).

March 2010: