Game of Thorns

It's springtime, so Kathy and I have started hitting the garden centers.

We started with the sprinkler system... a year ago. Our old drip sprinklers leaked, and we got hit with big water bills every time we turned it on. So we ripped out that old system and dug trenches to install new 3/4-inch PVC sprinkler pipe. Like most projects, we made some progress, stopped for a while, made some more progress, etc.

So far, three sides of the house have new sprinklers. We just need to finish the backyard. That's enough irrigation that we felt safe planting new plants. So, out with the old, in with the new.

We planted purple campanula along the front, hoping that it will drape itself over the front retaining wall. They're kind of small and straggly now, but they should spread out and cover the front planting area before long.

Next to the house we put in a half-dozen gardenias, artfully surrounded by bark dust. Next to them there's one lone begonia, mostly just because I liked it.

Along the side we put in two small hydrangeas and two privets. Our hope is that they'll all grow big and tall and create a barrier between our yard and our neighbor's. Guests staying next door at the B&B have a bad habit of stepping across into our yard, apparently believing we're part of the inn (or because they just don't care). A flower barrier should fix that problem without erecting a big fence.

Finally, we planted two pink jasmine vines on the trellis over our newly built gate. Within a year or so they should grow to cover the entire trellis. We'd thought about climbing roses there, but thorns on a gateway seemed like a bad idea.

It took a good three days before the deer came and ate our flowers. One of the hydrangeas was decapitated, and the orange begonia is missing a lot of its flowers, too. At the same time we bought the flowers we also got a big ol' jug of deer repellant, but of course, we haven't spread it around yet. Good thing we didn't buy bigger plants.