I am so looking forward to gardening in my new space, although I still have a few months to wait. I'm looking at online catalogs and ordering print copies of some; there are so many good choices I don't know how I will decide. I think I will enlist Donald to help me as he is very interested, and he will be taking care of the plants when I can no longer do it. There are SO MANY beautiful plants out there which makes it hard to select just a few.
I also bought some seeds to grow my own herbs - parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, and basil. Those are the ones I use most often, at least I used them back in the day when I cooked! Donald will put them to good use. I've also been reading up on what to plant in order to attract pollinators to the garden. I would love to hear of your experiences - those of you who like to garden. I'm especially eager to find out what I can successfully grow in shade, as my side of the house will be in shade much of the time. Depending on the cost, I may hire a landscaper or gardener to help me plan for what I want to grow. And since there are several excellent garden supply houses in this area, I might be able to get some good advice from one of them.
I have always loved this time of year from the standpoint of garden planning. What didn't work so well the past season can be forgotten and plans made to try something new and different. I always hope for a good year ahead!
And speaking of the new house, I am sorry to say I won't have a fireplace. That is one thing I truly love when the weather gets chilly, and I have enjoyed using the one in my rental. I believe Jeannie & Donald will have one or two fireplaces in their part of the house, and I think there is an outdoor fixture as well for having a fire. As dry as California is this year, and the drought is predicted to go on for at least four more years, I guess it's probably just as well to not have an open flame.
I think I will be very happy to get up into the foothills by the end of this year. It seems the traffic is getting heavier lately, even on my side street which wasn't as heavily traveled when I moved in two years ago. There is a middle school less than a block away, and I think they are building some new classrooms, so the construction vehicles are going by quite often. I just want some peace and quiet, and few if any planes flying overhead, etc. Is there a place like that in the entire country these days?
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Hi Gypsy: Plant a garden that you won't have to take care of so much. Flowers that bloom year round or trees that require little care. I find when we get older it is harder to take care of our home inside and ourselves and a lot less of outside plants and flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe beautiful part of our new neighborhood is that many of the trees are protected oaks, which means they can't be cut down. I have posted several photos on my blog that shows mature trees in the background; in the area next to my side of the house and along the fence to the back of the property. There is also a small stand of trees and land across the street from us, that can't be developed. So it won't look like a newly constructed neighborhood with few or no mature trees.
Deletethey have wonderful electric fireplaces and some even have the crackle sound. When I bought my unit for the TV they had some great ones and now I am kicking myself for not buy one. I do have the little one that looks like a cast iron one and it gives off heat. So do the ones that look like fireplaces.
ReplyDeleteI have great success with basil that I grow indoors. I had a nice rosemary plant outdoors for a few years but something got to I believe maybe a very small spider that made a web around it and it died. My daughter had given me a cute little indooe herb set but everything but the basin has died off.
I have seen the electric fireplaces on the internet but haven't made up my mind to buy one as yet. My fear is that Rocky might accidentally knock it over.
DeleteI have always loved growing basil and have already planted some that I hope I can use while I'm still here. I also did some thyme, rosemary, sage, and one more I can't recall, plus the basil. Just a few seeds for each, and I'll definitely plant more when I move.