Bunny damage

It's a bunny buffet! Bunnies are enjoying my garden. My neighbors tell me that this year there are more than usual. I saw four adults in the back the other day. We know what happens when adult bunnies get together. The techniques I used in the woods don't work here. I gave a family member a haircut, and sprinkled the hair around. No matter! They bit through string that the peas were growing on.  I'm going to have to invest in a fence. 

Native Shrubs

I took a while to decide which shrubs to plant. I decided on Viburnum trilobum, American Highbush Cranberry, because they have a pretty spring flower for pollinators (and humans), fruit for wildlife, and fall color. The before photo below shows where I put a stake, helping me see that the shrubs would receive enough sunlight in the back yard. I will mulch around these shrubs soon, using the same shredded mulch that I've used in the front yard.

Below--Update July 

New native rose

This is a one gallon Rosa Blanda, planted to strategically hide the electric box. There was nothing there before but bad lawn. Nothing really grows in this area because the soil is a bit gravelly and compacted. The rose will be in full sun, so I'm hopeful!

Converting a rock feature

Here's a case where the "before" (below) looks better than the "after." The large rock in the front lawn was surrounded by "bricks," which enclosed a garden of flowers. And it's a pretty nice looking rock! I've planted some low-growing and mow-able clover around the rock, moving the plants that are worth saving. 

Native Pollinator Garden

For a native pollinator garden, I divided my front yard into sections around a bee lawn. The photo above is a DURING photo, showing the mulch covering the bare dirt until I plant my plugs. Below are the BEFORE photos.

The native rose will be planted near (but not too near) the electric box.

Clover will surround the sharing library, now an official Little Free Library.

In front of the lilac shrub, I'll have some plants.

These two corners will be filled with a variety of plants. I dug the dip out, filling it with rocks and covering with mulch so that we capture some of the water taht would normally head down the storm drain.

Here's a DURING photo. My darling dear of a husband helped me dig. 

These AFTER photos are unimpressive now. The plant plugs are about the size of the four packs of annuals from a greenhouse. In this bed, I have blanket flower and butterfly weed (orange color palette), along with alyssum and transplanted lilies from the rock.

This is the biggest garden by far with a purple palette: purple coneflower, prairie smoke, wild lupine, prairie phlox, silky aster, annual salvia, and alyssum. I've also planted some sunflower seeds (Velvet Queen). I'm hoping they bloom the same as the orange plants to tie all this together. The aster was munched the first night by rabbits, so I've sprinkled cayenne pepper around the plants now. 

This is a small corner with plants from the rock and one prairie smoke plug. I'll update when the plants start filling out and (hopefully this year) blooming. 

Baby steps of new gardens

I said I'd put the steps of adding gardens to our new residence. It's tough to get motivated to put this online. I see people who are living through the internet, and I can't blame them. It's pretty much the only way to stay connected with multiple people. I'm more of a hermit. And I'm happier when I'm not on the internet, where people are getting political and the news is scary. But I find that I'm enjoying books and articles (yes, some online) about gardening and wishing that there were more gardening shows, so I'll honor those who need a little gardening in their lives by showing mine. Let me just say that I'm not intending to brag or tell you what you "should" do. And my joy is just that...delight in the process. This has been a lot of hard work, digging and lifting, sore muscles and calluses. And I have lots more to do! So, yes, there are mistakes and failures but also new flowers and less lawn. I'm just happier playing in the dirt...and reading a book outside overlooking all the work I did. (Photo above: new pots  of flowers soaking in today's rain)

Prepping for a bee lawn

To prepare for a bee lawn, I followed the directions given to me by the folks who promote the Lawns to Legumes grant program. I mowed the lawn, picking up the clippings, as low as the mower would go. Then I raked up dead grass, roughing up any bare dirt visible. Next I sprinkled bags of compost around. In hind sight, I probably should have used more compost. I'm trying to honor the stay at home order, so normally I would run to the store, but this time I'll make do. The I sprinkled a layer of seed, which is a combination of fescue with some white clover, creeping thyme, and self-heal. I bought it pre-packaged. I added some additional white clover around the large rocks to create a short border of ground cover so that when I do have to mow, I can skip that area. I have watered deeply and will water again every other day, unless we get rain. Soon I will add some native plants, but it's too cold for that yet! Yes, this is a boring photo, but it's "before." Stay tuned...and Happy Earth Day!