Fall Mulching and Boxwood Trimming

We recently spent some time putting down mulch and thinning the base of the the boxwood at Crest Avenue. This area of the front yard was in dire need of attention.  The boxwood suffered this year from my carelessness in putting down ice-melt last winter that was not plant friendly.  As you can see below, this poor boxwood on the end is nothing but dead branches.  Or so it would seem.  I have a few spots along this one hedge that look like this.  To my surprise and delight, there is new growth showing up in these dead patches. So the ice melt did not completely kill the plant.

I sprayed grass killer on this small area of lawn a few weeks ago and it did a very good job of killing the grass.  Then I rolled out weed barrier and put down aromatic cedar mulch, which is the only type of mulch I use at Crest Avenue.  It has a nice aroma.  It is a nice color.  And it is a natural deterrent to creepy crawlers. You can follow my progress on the project below.

A sad looking area in the front yard badly in need of attention.

The grass killer I sprayed a few weeks ago did a very good job of killing the grass.  Of course the fact that we've had hardly any rain this entire summer also helped.  That is a dead boxwood you see on the ground beside the hedge.  Unfortunately it did not make it.  You can see in the upper part of the shot where there is a row of evergreens and it looks like one is missing near the right side.  That is where this poor boxwood was previously planted.  Sometimes you don't know why one plant doesn't make it when others around it, planted at the same time, in the same soil, and having received the same care, do.  The best thing to do is to cut your losses.  Take out the dead plant and replace it and move on.

After we bagged up the dead boxwood and raked up some of the dead weeds we pulled a few days prior, we set about getting the bags of mulch ready to put down.

The boxwood along this hedge had gotten unruly.  It was unkempt.  The lower branches which were at ground level needed to be removed.  This opens the base of this shrub to allow light and air to flow in and around the trunk which is beneficial.  There was also some English Ivy and other weeds and crabgrass which had taken over and needed to be removed.

You see here that I have rolled out the weed barrier.  There is already a layer of weed barrier down in this section of the yard.  With this additional layer, I think we can be assured that the problem of weeds and crabgrass should be kept to a minimum.  You can never completely eradicate them.  If only.  I wish.  Weed and crabgrass control is an ongoing battle.  But whatever you can do to help win the battle is worth it.

A wider view of the same area.  You can see in this shot, further up the hedge are a couple of the areas that are still suffering from the unfriendly ice-melt.  I expect they will come back into green in the spring, provided that the owner of the property doesn't pull another stunt like last year should we have snow and ice!!

Here we are with the new, clean look of this hedge.  It looks so nice with the overgrown branches off the ground.  The mulch  is beautiful.

We wanted to get this hedge cleaned up and the mulch down along the entire length, which we did.  To the right of the mulch bed, you see additional yard which has not been mulched.  We miscalculated by a few bags and did not have enough to finish the entire area as planned.  So, we will be taking a trip to Lowe's to pick up the additional mulch needed to finish the project.

Finally, a Baxter view of the newly trimmed boxwood hedge.  So nice and clean.

For those of you wondering about the timing of pruning boxwood - I spent all kinds of time on the internet researching this before I decided to start this pruning project.  Some say prune in spring.  Some say prune in late spring.  Some say prune in winter.  Some say shear in early spring and prune in late spring.  On and on and on until I was ready to tear my hair out.  So, I made my own decision based on my own thoughts and experience.  I pruned these over this past weekend.  And here is why.  Evergreens will soon go dormant for the winter season.  Pruning now, in the mid-Atlantic, will give the plant time to harden over before freezing cold weather gets here.  We do not usually get winter weather here until January.  January and February can be brutal.  But until then, we have temperatures which are at or above the freezing mark.  If you live above the Mason Dixon line, you should probably wait until late winter/early spring to prune your boxwood.  If you live further south, I would think you have a much larger span of time in which to do your pruning since you do not have to worry with harsh winter weather.

Fall Mulching and Boxwood Trimming

We recently spent some time putting down mulch and thinning the base of the the boxwood at Crest Avenue. This area of the front yard was in dire need of attention.  The boxwood suffered this year from my carelessness in putting down ice-melt last winter that was not plant friendly.  As you can see below, this poor boxwood on the end is nothing but dead branches.  Or so it would seem.  I have a few spots along this one hedge that look like this.  To my surprise and delight, there is new growth showing up in these dead patches. So the ice melt did not completely kill the plant.

I sprayed grass killer on this small area of lawn a few weeks ago and it did a very good job of killing the grass.  Then I rolled out weed barrier and put down aromatic cedar mulch, which is the only type of mulch I use at Crest Avenue.  It has a nice aroma.  It is a nice color.  And it is a natural deterrent to creepy crawlers. You can follow my progress on the project below.

A sad looking area in the front yard badly in need of attention.

The grass killer I sprayed a few weeks ago did a very good job of killing the grass.  Of course the fact that we've had hardly any rain this entire summer also helped.  That is a dead boxwood you see on the ground beside the hedge.  Unfortunately it did not make it.  You can see in the upper part of the shot where there is a row of evergreens and it looks like one is missing near the right side.  That is where this poor boxwood was previously planted.  Sometimes you don't know why one plant doesn't make it when others around it, planted at the same time, in the same soil, and having received the same care, do.  The best thing to do is to cut your losses.  Take out the dead plant and replace it and move on.

After we bagged up the dead boxwood and raked up some of the dead weeds we pulled a few days prior, we set about getting the bags of mulch ready to put down.

The boxwood along this hedge had gotten unruly.  It was unkempt.  The lower branches which were at ground level needed to be removed.  This opens the base of this shrub to allow light and air to flow in and around the trunk which is beneficial.  There was also some English Ivy and other weeds and crabgrass which had taken over and needed to be removed.

You see here that I have rolled out the weed barrier.  There is already a layer of weed barrier down in this section of the yard.  With this additional layer, I think we can be assured that the problem of weeds and crabgrass should be kept to a minimum.  You can never completely eradicate them.  If only.  I wish.  Weed and crabgrass control is an ongoing battle.  But whatever you can do to help win the battle is worth it.

A wider view of the same area.  You can see in this shot, further up the hedge are a couple of the areas that are still suffering from the unfriendly ice-melt.  I expect they will come back into green in the spring, provided that the owner of the property doesn't pull another stunt like last year should we have snow and ice!!

Here we are with the new, clean look of this hedge.  It looks so nice with the overgrown branches off the ground.  The mulch  is beautiful.

We wanted to get this hedge cleaned up and the mulch down along the entire length, which we did.  To the right of the mulch bed, you see additional yard which has not been mulched.  We miscalculated by a few bags and did not have enough to finish the entire area as planned.  So, we will be taking a trip to Lowe's to pick up the additional mulch needed to finish the project.

Finally, a Baxter view of the newly trimmed boxwood hedge.  So nice and clean.

For those of you wondering about the timing of pruning boxwood - I spent all kinds of time on the internet researching this before I decided to start this pruning project.  Some say prune in spring.  Some say prune in late spring.  Some say prune in winter.  Some say shear in early spring and prune in late spring.  On and on and on until I was ready to tear my hair out.  So, I made my own decision based on my own thoughts and experience.  I pruned these over this past weekend.  And here is why.  Evergreens will soon go dormant for the winter season.  Pruning now, in the mid-Atlantic, will give the plant time to harden over before freezing cold weather gets here.  We do not usually get winter weather here until January.  January and February can be brutal.  But until then, we have temperatures which are at or above the freezing mark.  If you live above the Mason Dixon line, you should probably wait until late winter/early spring to prune your boxwood.  If you live further south, I would think you have a much larger span of time in which to do your pruning since you do not have to worry with harsh winter weather.

More Stamps

Now I'm on a roll.  I liked the way the skull boxes turned out so much that I bought an assortment of Halloween stamps.

I found this really cute assortment of stamps at the Paper Source.  Of course.  Actually I stopped in to pick up some embossing powder in different colors.  I needed some in purple and green in addition to the black. When I saw these, I couldn't resist.  So I will experiment and see what I come up with over the weekend.

There is lots on the list to get done this weekend.  Things like 1) photograph back yard for blog post, 2) move boxwood from back garden to front, 3) paint "skid resist" on shed floor, 4) bring outdoor furniture inside for winter, 5) fertilize everything with Miracle-Gro, etc.  We will work toward getting as many of these projects done as possible.  Hopefully I will have some good posts for you next week.

More Stamps

Now I'm on a roll.  I liked the way the skull boxes turned out so much that I bought an assortment of Halloween stamps.

I found this really cute assortment of stamps at the Paper Source.  Of course.  Actually I stopped in to pick up some embossing powder in different colors.  I needed some in purple and green in addition to the black. When I saw these, I couldn't resist.  So I will experiment and see what I come up with over the weekend.

There is lots on the list to get done this weekend.  Things like 1) photograph back yard for blog post, 2) move boxwood from back garden to front, 3) paint "skid resist" on shed floor, 4) bring outdoor furniture inside for winter, 5) fertilize everything with Miracle-Gro, etc.  We will work toward getting as many of these projects done as possible.  Hopefully I will have some good posts for you next week.

Spooky Skull Box

I had an idea for Halloween that I thought would be a lot of fun to put together. They turned out better than I expected.  Spooky Skull Boxes.

These are 2" x 2" x 2" white boxes.  I'm going to make a bunch of them and sell them on Etsy.  I'll let you know when they are available.

Spooky Skull Box

I had an idea for Halloween that I thought would be a lot of fun to put together. They turned out better than I expected.  Spooky Skull Boxes.

These are 2" x 2" x 2" white boxes.  I'm going to make a bunch of them and sell them on Etsy.  I'll let you know when they are available.

I Have Just One Website to Offer - www.Mint-X.com

These bags have been added to my errand list for this week.

I did a search by ZIP code on their website and found that my local Wegman's sells them.  It was not that long ago one evening that Baxter and I heard noises on the deck.  When we went into the kitchen to investigate, we found a very startled raccoon staring back at us through the sliding glass door.  They are really quite spooky looking, especially at night with the glare from the overhead, outdoor light.  After that night, I bought a large outdoor trash can with a locking lid and that has served us well.  However, some weeks we have more trash bags than will fit inside the trash can so we place those bags in open, plastic bins until trash day.  One day this week, I discovered someone was attracted to one of those bags in the open plastic bin.  When I lifted it, there was a hole in the bottom.  As I made my way to the curb to leave the bag for trash pickup I left a trail behind.  Much like Hansel & Gretel did with the bread crumbs on their way into the woods.

You know, Hansel was a smart little boy.  The first time his stepmother took he and his sister in the woods, he used pebbles to leave a trail to get back home.  When they got back home, they were locked inside the house.  When stepmother took them back into the woods a second time to leave them to die, basically, he is not able to gather pebbles to leave a trail.  So he grabs the only thing he can get his hands on before they leave and that is a slice of bread.  Unfortunately, leaving the bread crumb trail didn't work out quite like he expected.  The bread crumbs were eaten up by the birds, so they were unable to follow the trail back home the second time. Eventually Gretel pushes the wicked witch into the oven and they made their way back home to live with their father.  Gretel was a fast thinker too!!  But, you already know this story.  In my case, instead of leaving a trail of pebbles or bread crumbs, I left a trail of various bits of refuse which I then had to go back and clean up.  I am giving these Mint-X bags a try.  I will let you know how they work.

I Have Just One Website to Offer - www.Mint-X.com

These bags have been added to my errand list for this week.

I did a search by ZIP code on their website and found that my local Wegman's sells them.  It was not that long ago one evening that Baxter and I heard noises on the deck.  When we went into the kitchen to investigate, we found a very startled raccoon staring back at us through the sliding glass door.  They are really quite spooky looking, especially at night with the glare from the overhead, outdoor light.  After that night, I bought a large outdoor trash can with a locking lid and that has served us well.  However, some weeks we have more trash bags than will fit inside the trash can so we place those bags in open, plastic bins until trash day.  One day this week, I discovered someone was attracted to one of those bags in the open plastic bin.  When I lifted it, there was a hole in the bottom.  As I made my way to the curb to leave the bag for trash pickup I left a trail behind.  Much like Hansel & Gretel did with the bread crumbs on their way into the woods.

You know, Hansel was a smart little boy.  The first time his stepmother took he and his sister in the woods, he used pebbles to leave a trail to get back home.  When they got back home, they were locked inside the house.  When stepmother took them back into the woods a second time to leave them to die, basically, he is not able to gather pebbles to leave a trail.  So he grabs the only thing he can get his hands on before they leave and that is a slice of bread.  Unfortunately, leaving the bread crumb trail didn't work out quite like he expected.  The bread crumbs were eaten up by the birds, so they were unable to follow the trail back home the second time. Eventually Gretel pushes the wicked witch into the oven and they made their way back home to live with their father.  Gretel was a fast thinker too!!  But, you already know this story.  In my case, instead of leaving a trail of pebbles or bread crumbs, I left a trail of various bits of refuse which I then had to go back and clean up.  I am giving these Mint-X bags a try.  I will let you know how they work.

An Upgrade in the Bath

OK.  No more posts about dirty kitchen faucets and bird seed pails.  We are back in the main bathroom today.  I spent time cleaning and organizing in the bath over the weekend.

Today I want to share with you the upgrade I made to the space saver organizer.  The organizer I had did not provide room for everything I need in the bath.

This cabinet was an impulse buy.  I was in Target and I saw it and thought it would give me some added storage space.  Prior to this being added to the bathroom, I had two small shelves which were overloaded with all things bath related.  So when I removed those and put this in their place, I initially was overwhelmed with all the additional storage space.  The cabinet was not of high quality, but it looked good enough and served its purpose.

Then I decided I wanted to paint it.

You will remember the post where I took everything out of it and took the doors off and attempted to apply paint.  That did not work.  I quickly found out that the panels on the doors, under the glass panes, were cardboard.  They weren't even pressed wood with a laminate veneer.  They were literally cardboard.  The rest of the cabinet would not receive the paint.  It just bubbled up like oil on water.  Needless to say, I decided it was time to find something better suited and that is when I found the new space saver organizer.

The new organizer cabinet not only offers additional storage space, it is also nicer to look at and of much better quality.  I even found an additional picture to add to the decor on the top.  The oval birdcage knobs on the glass paned doors are not original.  I purchased those from Home Depot and added them as an upgrade. The knobs which came with it were a little too basic for me.  The cabinet quality is great, but the knobs left a bit to be desired.  These add just the right flare.

This cabinet has additional storage in a drawer which runs the width of the unit.  I like this drawer rather than having an open space.  It helps to conceal the items you are storing and gives a less cluttered look to the room.  Very nice.  I am using the drawer to store washcloths and hand towels.  The drawer also got an oval birdcage knob upgrade.  These knobs are so beautiful and less expensive than you may think at $2.98 each. They will need to be special ordered through an associate at the store or online.  I ordered them online. Much easier that way.

You are wondering, where did he get this cabinet?  Montgomery Ward!!  Can you believe it?  They have a small catalog they are sending out again.  You will have to be selective.  There are some very nice things, like this Mission Space Saver and then there are items which are a little less pleasing to the eye.  If you are interested, there is a matching Mission Tall Cabinet which is narrower but of the same design and finish.  If I had room, I would have purchased the matching tall cabinet.  The Mission Space Saver you see here is $169.00 and the tall cabinet is $149.00.  Plus shipping and handling, of course.  If you are interested in seeing this or any of the many items they are currently offering, visit www.montgomeryward.com.

An Upgrade in the Bath

OK.  No more posts about dirty kitchen faucets and bird seed pails.  We are back in the main bathroom today.  I spent time cleaning and organizing in the bath over the weekend.

Today I want to share with you the upgrade I made to the space saver organizer.  The organizer I had did not provide room for everything I need in the bath.

This cabinet was an impulse buy.  I was in Target and I saw it and thought it would give me some added storage space.  Prior to this being added to the bathroom, I had two small shelves which were overloaded with all things bath related.  So when I removed those and put this in their place, I initially was overwhelmed with all the additional storage space.  The cabinet was not of high quality, but it looked good enough and served its purpose.

Then I decided I wanted to paint it.

You will remember the post where I took everything out of it and took the doors off and attempted to apply paint.  That did not work.  I quickly found out that the panels on the doors, under the glass panes, were cardboard.  They weren't even pressed wood with a laminate veneer.  They were literally cardboard.  The rest of the cabinet would not receive the paint.  It just bubbled up like oil on water.  Needless to say, I decided it was time to find something better suited and that is when I found the new space saver organizer.

The new organizer cabinet not only offers additional storage space, it is also nicer to look at and of much better quality.  I even found an additional picture to add to the decor on the top.  The oval birdcage knobs on the glass paned doors are not original.  I purchased those from Home Depot and added them as an upgrade. The knobs which came with it were a little too basic for me.  The cabinet quality is great, but the knobs left a bit to be desired.  These add just the right flare.

This cabinet has additional storage in a drawer which runs the width of the unit.  I like this drawer rather than having an open space.  It helps to conceal the items you are storing and gives a less cluttered look to the room.  Very nice.  I am using the drawer to store washcloths and hand towels.  The drawer also got an oval birdcage knob upgrade.  These knobs are so beautiful and less expensive than you may think at $2.98 each. They will need to be special ordered through an associate at the store or online.  I ordered them online. Much easier that way.

You are wondering, where did he get this cabinet?  Montgomery Ward!!  Can you believe it?  They have a small catalog they are sending out again.  You will have to be selective.  There are some very nice things, like this Mission Space Saver and then there are items which are a little less pleasing to the eye.  If you are interested, there is a matching Mission Tall Cabinet which is narrower but of the same design and finish.  If I had room, I would have purchased the matching tall cabinet.  The Mission Space Saver you see here is $169.00 and the tall cabinet is $149.00.  Plus shipping and handling, of course.  If you are interested in seeing this or any of the many items they are currently offering, visit www.montgomeryward.com.

Let's Make a Plan, Stan

Guess what I came upon recently that many of you will remember, but some of my younger readers may not find familiar.

Address books.  Actual, real, tangible, man-made address books which you can hold in your hand and write in with a blue ink pen (or a black ink pen, but I only use blue ink pens.)  I hardly know a soul who still carries these little books with them in a purse or breast pocket.  Names and phone numbers and addresses are all kept in the contacts list on your iPhone or Android or tablet or laptop.  Or desktop, for dinosaurs like me, who still have such a beast on their desk.

How wonderful to see those neatly lined little pages staring back at you, just waiting for you to fill them up with information.

Here, in the larger of the two books, you have considerably more room to write down even more information.

I also found this Day Planner.  The cover states that it is for 2014 but it actually runs from July 2013 through December 2014.

And there are your calendar pages on which you can make notes and reminders of upcoming events.  I need a real calendar on my desk during the day.  Sometimes I need to see ahead to the next month or possibly two months.  This day planner is nice to have for just that purpose.  Much easier than clicking out of email and into my calendar and then flipping back and forth between the months to see which day of the week October 17 falls on, etc.  The Day Planner and the small address book can be kept in my messenger bag, which is with me at all times.  The larger address book will go in the drawer in my nightstand.

I have tried to become more "with it," for lack of a better description.  I have tried using my android phone to keep myself organized.  But it just doesn't work for me.  It may be a generational thing.  It may be that I am too stubborn to take the time to make it work for me.  It may be that using these old-fashioned ways to keep myself organized are what I know and what I am comfortable with, so I find it easier to actually take pen to paper to keep my life on track rather than typing all of my appointments and projects into a tiny keyboard with my two thumbs.  Whatever the case, am glad to have found these and I cannot wait to start using them.  

Let's Make a Plan, Stan

Guess what I came upon recently that many of you will remember, but some of my younger readers may not find familiar.

Address books.  Actual, real, tangible, man-made address books which you can hold in your hand and write in with a blue ink pen (or a black ink pen, but I only use blue ink pens.)  I hardly know a soul who still carries these little books with them in a purse or breast pocket.  Names and phone numbers and addresses are all kept in the contacts list on your iPhone or Android or tablet or laptop.  Or desktop, for dinosaurs like me, who still have such a beast on their desk.

How wonderful to see those neatly lined little pages staring back at you, just waiting for you to fill them up with information.

Here, in the larger of the two books, you have considerably more room to write down even more information.

I also found this Day Planner.  The cover states that it is for 2014 but it actually runs from July 2013 through December 2014.

And there are your calendar pages on which you can make notes and reminders of upcoming events.  I need a real calendar on my desk during the day.  Sometimes I need to see ahead to the next month or possibly two months.  This day planner is nice to have for just that purpose.  Much easier than clicking out of email and into my calendar and then flipping back and forth between the months to see which day of the week October 17 falls on, etc.  The Day Planner and the small address book can be kept in my messenger bag, which is with me at all times.  The larger address book will go in the drawer in my nightstand.

I have tried to become more "with it," for lack of a better description.  I have tried using my android phone to keep myself organized.  But it just doesn't work for me.  It may be a generational thing.  It may be that I am too stubborn to take the time to make it work for me.  It may be that using these old-fashioned ways to keep myself organized are what I know and what I am comfortable with, so I find it easier to actually take pen to paper to keep my life on track rather than typing all of my appointments and projects into a tiny keyboard with my two thumbs.  Whatever the case, am glad to have found these and I cannot wait to start using them.  

A Clean Pail to Store Bird Seed

On our continuing quest to clean out and bring order to the garden shed, we recently cleaned out the bird seed pails.  These pails were purchased at one of the big box home improvement stores some years ago.   Somehow, water made its way into the pails which were filled with bird seed.  I did not know about that until I removed the lid and found fermenting bird seed.  Not a pleasant find.  So I emptied the content of the pails into a plastic bag and placed those bag at the curb for trash pickup.  It was time to get busy cleaning the pails in preparation for new seed.

Here was the pail after the seed was removed and it was left to sit in the sunshine for few days to dry. It would not have been a good idea to just add fresh bird seed to this pail with the remnants of what was previously contained.  This could have contaminated the fresh seed.  So I rinsed it out with some water from the garden hose and once it dried, I took a sanding sponge to it.

You have seen these sanding sponges.  They are in the paint aisle.  What you have is a sheet of some degree of grit that has been affixed to a sponge which allows the grit to mold to whatever surface you are sanding. This was the perfect tool to clean out these pails.  I did not introduce any chemicals into the cleaning process. I did not use a spray cleaner or even soap and water.  I just wanted to make sure I got the old remnants of seed out as completely as possible.

 

And here we have a freshly cleaned pail ready to be filled with bird seed.  This past Sunday was the first day of Autumn (Yeah!!).  Now is a good time to stock up on seed and suet for the winter for those of our feathered friends who do not fly south for the winter.

We use this Black Oil Sunflower Seed at Crest Avenue.  All of my feeders are designed to hold this larger style seed.

And here we have a clean pail with fresh seed.  I love taking care of the birds all year round.  We put out seed and suet in the summer months as well as the winter.  It is very soothing to watch the different species of birds who come for a meal once you fill your feeders.  So get yourself some seed and a feeder and join the wonderful world of bird watching.

A Clean Pail to Store Bird Seed

On our continuing quest to clean out and bring order to the garden shed, we recently cleaned out the bird seed pails.  These pails were purchased at one of the big box home improvement stores some years ago.   Somehow, water made its way into the pails which were filled with bird seed.  I did not know about that until I removed the lid and found fermenting bird seed.  Not a pleasant find.  So I emptied the content of the pails into a plastic bag and placed those bag at the curb for trash pickup.  It was time to get busy cleaning the pails in preparation for new seed.

Here was the pail after the seed was removed and it was left to sit in the sunshine for few days to dry. It would not have been a good idea to just add fresh bird seed to this pail with the remnants of what was previously contained.  This could have contaminated the fresh seed.  So I rinsed it out with some water from the garden hose and once it dried, I took a sanding sponge to it.

You have seen these sanding sponges.  They are in the paint aisle.  What you have is a sheet of some degree of grit that has been affixed to a sponge which allows the grit to mold to whatever surface you are sanding. This was the perfect tool to clean out these pails.  I did not introduce any chemicals into the cleaning process. I did not use a spray cleaner or even soap and water.  I just wanted to make sure I got the old remnants of seed out as completely as possible.

 

And here we have a freshly cleaned pail ready to be filled with bird seed.  This past Sunday was the first day of Autumn (Yeah!!).  Now is a good time to stock up on seed and suet for the winter for those of our feathered friends who do not fly south for the winter.

We use this Black Oil Sunflower Seed at Crest Avenue.  All of my feeders are designed to hold this larger style seed.

And here we have a clean pail with fresh seed.  I love taking care of the birds all year round.  We put out seed and suet in the summer months as well as the winter.  It is very soothing to watch the different species of birds who come for a meal once you fill your feeders.  So get yourself some seed and a feeder and join the wonderful world of bird watching.