Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Not the straight and narrow


OK, here's the thing about me that you should know. My mind keeps thinking. And thinking. And thinking. So I let some pot plants go crazy with flower stalks like the coleus and the basil. So I planted a lot of zinnias around the driveway and way back in the asparagus bed. But the big thing (and by big I mean almost 6000 sq/ft) was leaving all that clover to bloom all summer amidst a manicured neighborhood. It did look a little, well, frowzy.

I used to have someone mow my lawn for me but to save $ this year I bought a used riding mower and was mowing the 1.25 acre lawn myself. So my idea was.... hey! You! Yes, you in the back, I heard you snicker! I know what you're thinking... no way should she be allowed near heavy equipment. That's probably true. But this is America and any gal with the price of gas can mow her own lawn. So for the first few weeks, I followed the routes of the lawnmower guy. One week front to back. One week, side to side. Switch off. *yawn*

Eventually, to keep myself from falling asleep at the wheel, I got kinda creative. Oh, I did the front lawn per the status quo. But the side and back lawns... wooohaha! By the end of July I'd tried lots of ways, never the same way twice. How creative! (And the fact that I couldn't always remember how the last week went.... ;-)) Eventually I created a really REALLY big permanent lawn design in the back yard. A huge oval that was 100+ feet long and 70+ feet wide. While I was free to do all the 'zen' mowing I wanted the rest of the property, the oval remained week to week. I'd let it go really long, then mow it, but with a spiral or concentric circles using the height adjustment on the blades. It certainly made a statement and guesses as to what I was up to varied from skydiving target to crop circle!

By the end of September I had grown used to having 'something' way in the back (see pic). At first it had seemed huge, but after a couple months, it wasn't so intimidating. And it was different. I like different! I am different! (Oh, admit it, this is no surprise to you. ;-)) So I've decided to make the feature a permanent fixture in the landscape. This Fall my bee-friendly neighbor, Craig, has agreed to roto-till the outer edge of the oval (285 linear feet
) and when he has tilled it, I will put in some daff bulbs right away. Next Spring I will start planting the ring with bee forage plants, probably just zinnias and contributions from friends (did I mention a really limited budget?) to start with. So the plan for this Winter will be to research the best forage plants for this area and prowl the web for more info and ideas.

Oh, and I'd better get the blades sharpened on the mower and adjust the steering. Y'see I've also decided to give those internet satellite cameras something really different to photo... *snark*

More garden buzz soon.

4 comments:

  1. This is kind of outta date... but I just want to really praise you, my friend! You're such a resourceful person, you know how to do many things I wish I could!
    Congrats to you.
    And... don't you feel good that you don't have to mow the lawn in Winter? hihihi/1

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  2. Oh, Xuan you are making me blush! :-) As for 'being resourceful' well the saying goes that necessity is the mother of invention. And boy I'm glad it's not a necessity to mow the lawn in winter! Now, about that snow shoveling.... LOL

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  3. I push-mow our yard, and I always try to wait for the bees to get the heck out of my way, but sometimes those little buggers just don't want to move!

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  4. USMC - they ARE a little dense sometimes, that's for sure! But cute little dickens!

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