Gardening Today – Mount Eagle Place (revised)

Good Morning my fellow gardeners,

Yesterday we began our transformation over on Mount Eagle Place. Our   homeowner is a fascinating lady. Her garden is her sanctuary and she just completed having a quite large and beautiful “Travertina” patio installed. It is gorgeous. She is so excited after many years of living at her spot with a paver style patio – so many weeds and a constant sloping of the area. This new patio, a rather large investment, has been leveled and it’s about eight inches thick. It is set very tight, so no more room for weeds to push up. it’s really beautiful. (later today we will post a pic)

We started yesterday cleaning a bed that borders the side of the house and leading up to the front door. Photinia bushes provide a privacy hedge of sorts. Parkfairfax installed these bushes three years ago. But they are generously populated with leaves towards the top 12 inches, but from there down, very thinly populated leaf growth. Our plan is to dig out this bed around the bushes, and abate the soil with fresh organic soil and new fertilizer. We are hopeful this will stimulate new fresh leaf growth. We are planning to give it one season. If this does not produce new growth, the plan is to request their removal and plant new “Laurel” bushes next spring. We are giving it a chance  And also in this bed we are also dividing plants and removing the larger stones bordering the bed by providing a generous deep edge around the perimeter. Time for a more finished and upgraded look. We put in three (3) hours on Tuesday.

Today we are back to complete this bed and move to the other bed towards the front of the property where there is a fairly steep slope,  that does have a flat leveled area at the bottom. Here we will install a flowering ground cover. (4 ) hours today.

A lovely weather day ahead. Looking forward to more transformation.
Its a “good thing.”

“Contessa”

BEFORE

Today we completed more weed removal, finished removing dying and dead debris from in and around the bushes, and finally laid six bags of new garden soil on the front sides the bed. Once the patio installer finishes on Friday, we will add more soil to the back side of the bushes and this bed will be ready for mulch. We are going to now remove all the bordering stones. Our homeowner has decided it looks much better and more finished without them. We totally agree. And she is thinking about purchasing two or three new blooming perennials for this bed, as there is plenty of room now to add a few plantings, which she may ask that we do for her. 

It certainly looks fresh and very cleaned up, and we are very convinced and hopeful these bushes will thrive, now that they are being fed with fresh – everything. 

As of this afternoon we have completed seven (7) hours. Much yet to accomplish, but it’s coming along

Today’s Progress

Final steps to begin on Friday.  We are confidant this work will improve the growth of these Photinia Bushes and that was our primary goal.

“Contessa”

Birds and Blooms, April/May

Just Arrived…….

This  publication is a useful reference guide to help you identify birds, it provides useful gardening tips, and it’s a one evening read. But what it really does is get you excited about spring, with its wonderful, all color photography.  It’s a great resource for identifying plants and it’s a super bird identifier as well. This particular issue has articles on Mealworms, new plants for 2021, gardening for a greener earth, amphibian I.d., which birds are just beginning to show up in your garden spaces, food/water/shelter for birds, and debunked garden myths.

The Garden Contessa recommends this magazine if you like learning new things about birds and plants  It’s a mini crash course on both topics, and it’s simple but informative.

We love it when it arrives. It means we have an evening ahead of relaxing reading that brings new knowledge, beauty and simplicity into our mind.

Today’s Gardening Consultation (revised)

Winter for sure. But this home has a very excited new homeowner. We are meeting with her today at 11:30 for her complimentary first time gardening consultation. She has some great ideas already about what she wishes to accomplish. We are looking forward to hearing her thoughts and hopefully – signing with her to complete her project. This could be so much fun. We love to create new spaces (garden design) and don’t often find this kind of project. Very exciting indeed.

Later…….
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Yesterday we completed our site visit. Our homeowner has much to accomplish before we can begin any plantings work on her property. The scene is very sparse in terms of plantings. In some ways this is fantastic because she will be able to create her own look. We have advised her to use the Parkfairfax module/resource called “Buildium.”  Best to set out in the right foot to get PFF’s blessings fir her garden renovation

Permissions will be required to add new bushes around the perimeter of her property. Her yard is basically a “start from scratch”  project. Rare in PFF as most yards here are heavily populated with plantings. Our homeowner will go with us to visit Merrifield Garden Center to select bushes, once permissions are approved by the PFF “board.” This is the process for all residents.

I have quoted a flat rate for the summer gardening season. To begin now, we can proceed edge her empty bordering beds, establish a new flowering bed outside her front door and assist with trimming back some overgrown Forsythia bushes right outside her back door, and bordering the patio. And most important – the cement stoop outside the back door needs attention.  It is sloping and for safety it needs to be addressed

We have been honest and realistic with her to say that it will be a couple seasons before we can create an outdoor space for her that will make her yard feel like home. She is ready to get started. It’s going to be fun and rewarding for her,  and we look forward to helping her achieve her ideas and goals. Stay tuned as this project unfolds.

Hello Gardeners………

… so thrilled to hear from several of you already after posting on our blog yesterday. Isn’t it wonderful that we are feeling spring is on it’s way into our lives. We have all been through a lot over this last year. But now, hope springs eternal. Gardening is only a few weeks away. 

We are looking forward to getting out there and meeting and greeting you and providing our reputable and FREE first time gardening consultation. Even if you are not a gardener yourself, it’s a good idea to have us take a look at your area and offer free suggestions. Your wonderful neighbors who are gardeners, will apprecuate your taking an interest, and we can and are happy to do work for you, or teach and advise. We did a fair amount of this last year. It can be fun……you may be surprised.

Looking forward to a beautiful “spring.” Thank you!

Penny, The Garden Contessa

Tufted Titmouse

Plentiful in nature, the Tufted Titmouse can be seen everywhere. They often gather food from the ground and from tree branches. They eat berries, nuts, insects, small fruit, snails, and seeds. They eat Caterpillars during the summer. The titmouse will often be curious and you can see them perched on your window ledge. They seem to peak into your windows and into your house. They are regular visitors around bird feeders. Usually they “scout” out a feeder. They will come when it’s not occupied, make a grab, and then fly back to their spot to eat. Titmice will store food for later use.

Titmice are tiny, a pretty colorful bird and their song will sound like the song of a whistled peter-peter-peter.  They are a favorite and easy to spy. They move quickly so are very tricky to photograph. 

Birds and Blooms…..a little gardening too

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Tips and Tricks

We have taken a new interest in birds. Today our January 2021 issue of Birds and Blooms arrived. Very few Ads, plenty of colorful photographs of birds, plants, berry bushes and trees with berries. Articles and great descriptions of the birds and their habits. We are very pleased at first glance. Tonight this will be our reading material. Featured on the cover is the Carolina Chickadee. They are tiny, quick, noisy,  but so cute.

We were also out gardening a bit today. Lovely out. We accomplished some bed clean up at one of our clients houses. It felt so good to be out and working. Our fall season was so long this year, our customer wanted to leave their Lantana blooming. We finally dug it up today and added a little bed edging to complete the job. The earth is nice and moist for working it. The Lantana bloomed past Thanksgiving. It is such a resilient flowering plant.  So thrifty too.

We did see a few folks “out and about” and waved “Hi” as we drove by.   We are just arriving back home. It was a really good day…..thankful!!

“Contessa”