From desert in 2018 to a sprawling jungle. Removed some pines and spindly live oaks, leaving just one giant beautiful one in the back, and chopping back some wax Myrtle’s on the west side of the house which is a jungle from the “empty lot” nextdoor which I love and we want to buy to just keep it wild.
Still a work in progress, likely to never be finished, but I love a transformation so figured I’d share our little yard
Many years ago I cut the majority of ash trees out of my back property to make way for a general veg garden. I left nothing but the oaks in the back and planted peach pear and apples along with some kiwi and, my favorite, some figs. The front area was left mostly alone with oak, sugar maple, hickory, and ash trees. There are several native dogwoods that are stunning in the spring as are the various fruit trees we cultivate. Otherwise, the only trees I will have in our back yard are those that produce fruit.
I have been trying to figure out my next new thing…and i think im going to grow carrots for pollinators in my pollinator garden. I finally got chicory going… Cleome- Its like a prehistoric flower that smells like marijuana in the heat of the summer… and bees love it…so do butterflies and hummingbirds. Maybe called Rocky Mountain Bee plant/stink weed/skunk weed etc etc.
Here is what interests me about carrot.
i have a patch of chicory under my Jeanne gooseberries its spreads a little every year.
We have big grandfather and water oaks on the property, so I don’t usually plant landscaping trees. Technically the loquat I have is a landscaping one (basically just not a name cultivar). In the future, we might line the driveway with crepe myrtles, and we have two Magnolias that are too close to the house that I want to move out.
we have two big 120+year old ponderosa that I adore. a honey locust that I put up with for the yellow leaves. a juniper that had to be topped but it’s still a big tree. and a sweet birch or two.
there’s black locust all along the side of the south part of the house I plan to have removed. they scratch at the paint and roof and were planted too close for my taste.
I’ve also got lilac, mock orange and a bridal veil that are also almost as old as the house, I love them for looks.
forgot there’s also a small white oak off in a corner, my stepson chose it for looks and if it survives long enough it’ll shade a lot of the hottest garden areas in summer. would be nice.