Category: Garden Bay

Reading, Planning, Shopping

After returning from our beach break, I went on a reading binge:

I was scared off welding but have embraced woodworking as a practical hobby, while gardening is a life-long pursuit.

Above is my first woodworking project for 2023, a solid workbench for the garage, which will be a great workshop. I decided to follow the design from the book, relying on the experience and wisdom of the author, even after reviewing many alternate designs on YouTube which is a fabulous resource for woodworking ideas, tips, and instruction.

The second project will be to add shelving to the garage walls. Having lots of free time here, I’ve watched many videos on YouTube to help me decide on the design, which although simple there are many options to consider. One goal is to move tool storage from the shed to the garage.

Part of planning these projects is developing material lists so that I can order the lumber for delivery when I get home. Another aspect is considering construction techniques and identifying new tools to purchase. So I have been window shopping on the Amazon, Home Depot, and Lee Valley websites, comparing products, prices, and filling shopping carts ready to hit the buy button.

We return to Garden Bay on March 21 and it will be time to start seeds for the vegetable garden. It is my turn this year to grow food so that has been another project to plan. I will place my seed order soon so that it arrives when we do.

Garden Bed Redevelopment

This is a new planting plan for the original garden bed in the front yard. The bed was created by the previous owners and was filled with great plants. The right half was planted with bearded iris that had stopped flowering and needed to be divided. Given that it meant tearing up the bed I decided that I needed a design.

My first step was to measure the area to create its outline on a drawing. I was surprised by how symmetrical the bed is. The previous owners did an excellent job in its construction. Two years ago I removed some non-performing shrubs on the left side and planted two David Austin own root cuttings that I had made. As this bed is prime rose territory and I continue to propagate my favourite roses, I decided to fill this bed with roses, shown as large white circles above.

I then plotted one foot circles around the roses to mark the spaces for perennial plants. Using the palette of plants I already have I used colours to indicate which plant goes where. The planting is very symmetrical with lots of repetition. Creating the drawing was the easy part.

As August is the recommended time for dividing iris, I dove in even though this is the wrong time to move anything else. I only dug where necessary and tried my best to salvage everything. I ended up with a large number of surplus irises and spread them around the other front beds.

We continue to have hot, dry weather and I am chomping at the bit to continue the replanting, but I know better and impatiently wait for rain. We are flying to Ottawa on October 4 to visit my sister, and to Mexico October 12 for five months. With so much to do in the garden I am feeling the pressure already.