Vince has been working so hard getting rid of plants we don’t want and getting the beds ready so we can plant natives. I’ve said forever that if it doesn’t bloom really pretty flowers or flowers that attract pollinators or we can’t eat it . . we don’t grow it!
This house is 18 or 19 years old and almost everything that was planted has been here since the beginning. Most of it was planted way too close to the house and most of it is overgrown and worse, doesn’t bloom really pretty flowers, doesn’t attract pollinators and we can’t eat it so . . it’s outta here!
There was a shrub that grew like crazy and even as a small plant, it was probably planted 6″ from the house. The roots were massive. Vince dig and chopped around them to loosen it as much as he could, then pulled it out with his pickup. This was on the front of the house where the basement is there so we knew the roots were not under the foundation. He pulled that out, dug out a couple of little boxy type green shrubs, filled it all in with four or five wheel barrows of dirt. Just a little more prep work and we can replant there.
These are the Jerusalem artichokes I planted last year. Vince and I were talking and if that’s as tall as they end up getting, we’ll leave them in front of the window. They make pretty sunflower looking flowers, the bees love them and the tubers are great roasted. Vince still has to pull all the rest of the shrubs out of there and we’ll plant more native blooming plants in that bed.
Here’s the rhubarb I planted last year. Once Vince gets all the other plants out of there (we’re not taking everything out, I may move some of the rhubarb I planted from other places into this bed. What’s still in the picture probably stays. I have one coneflower you might can see behind the rhubarb. We have a few more than I’m going to plant in that bed. I ordered a bunch of wildflower seeds, which have arrrived but I’m waiting for the native plant guy to tell me what goes where.
We’re slowly making it all what we want it to be. Vince and I were talking and we know the next owner will probably tear out everything we’ve planted and redo it all. Who would plant rhubarb in the front flower bed? Who thought it was a good idea to plant Jerusalem artichokes?? That’s ok . . we’re planting for us . . not for future owners.
Nelle Coursey says
Coneflowers are good for medicinal purposes!
Dottie says
I miss the coneflowers we had in WV – they attracted a LOT of goldfinches and surprisingly, hummingbirds.
Nancy H says
I have rhubarb in the front flower beds. And even closer to the street where all the sun is I have corn planted. We also have some potatoes planted out there. Now if we can only keep the rabbit from eating all the tops of the potato plants. We are planting food producing plants where ever we can. We may lose some of the produce that is to close to the street to walkers. Last year we had tomatoes out there and we had so many that my husband encouraged people to help themselves. We only had a few takers because most people wanted us to pick them for them and were unwilling to pick their own. If people get hungry this year that might change.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I know what you mean. My little garden is visible from the street and I wonder if I’ll be sharing with people passing by.