We had spring weather this weekend, and it felt downright balmy in North Carolina! It was in the 60's and sunny both Saturday and Sunday. So naturally, we spent a good bit of time in the garden. Michael came over on Saturday to help John take out the last 4 holly trees in the back of the yard. And, John and I began the cleanup of the back beds on Sunday. Lots of work to do since the weather has been so cold and wet this winter!
Boy, does our back yard look naked! We can see the neighbors and the neighbors can see us! No more privacy. But, we now have great sunlight in the back, for both the yard and the daylily gardens. It had gotten to the point that most of the yard was shade. The plants were straining to get a taste of the sunshine and growing in the most bizarre twisting manner.
We are excited about re-designing and expanding the garden. We have a huge blank canvas to work with, and John already has some ideas simmering in his brain. We will probably let the bulbs and azaleas bloom in March and April undisturbed. Then we'll see where we need to move things around and how we will fill in with new plants and trees.
It should take about 2 years for the hollies to grow to a mature screen across the back fence. So this is definitely a work in progress, and it will be for a while. That's good news for John. He's always in need of a project, and the outdoor ones are his favorites.
Here's a picture of the "before." Stay tuned. I'll be posting pics of the progress at Dragon Gardens throughout the spring and summer.
