When I first wrote this goal, I had some work to do, but I just needed to add a few features. When the geothermal grid was installed, the back became almost a barren wasteland. The grass is gone, some of my perennials were driven over, crushed, or dug up, and the sand under the swing set was completely covered with clay and mud.
So, I need to?/get to? start all over. I had 30 yards of top soil brought in and 10 yards of sand. The playhouse is going to be moved to a more practical spot – since the U/G sprinkler system was damaged, I can now put it where I wanted it in the first place! I am waiting for sod, and there is even a spot for a vegetable garden.
I have grapes, raspberries, strawberries, a blueberry plant, a hazelnut bush, a wolfberry plant and asparagus to plant, as well as fox gloves, delphiniums, hollyhocks, liatris, lupins, hostas, and an astilbe for flowers. I also need to work on the lily bed and expand the herb garden.
I would also like to add apple, plum, and cherry trees – but to do that I need to remove the Manchurian elms that are already there. They are not extremely nice specimens – they were planted too close together and were not well cared for, so I won’t be sad to see them go, but it won’t be easy to remove them.
I like practical plants – like veggies, fruit and herbs. It is my way of feeding my family better while saving money doing so, reducing our ecological footprint. It is also a good way of gently forcing myself to spend lots of time outside with the kids in the summer, and setting a good example for them.
