ahh, November

Tags

environment, fall garden, garden, garden chores, home, November, Virginia

My central Virginia gardens endured one of the hottest, driest summers in recent history.

Since most of the fifteen-year-old landscape is well established, only the few new installations required weekly monitoring. The basement dehumidifier supplied a consistent 2-gallon supply of free water daily, greatly reducing the labor intensive task of hose dragging.

Let me introduce you to Black Diamond crape myrtle, added to my front garden this summer. Notice the wonderful deep leaf hue and pleasant color of the flowers…this plant blooms multiple times per year and reaches 12′ high. I look forward to many years with this new variety…

I gave up raising home vegetables in 2014. Too many persistent insects prayed on tender leaves, leaving undesirable remnants. I fully support organic growing methods, yet for the effort involved, I would rather spend my time tending the heirloom daffodils, peonies, and lilies that reside here. These spring beauties bring endless joy to me and my market customers come April/May, and by the time June heat and humidity build, I am spending only minimal time outdoors.

abundant peony harvest 2015

Early spring brings abundance

dazzling organic peppers grown by young farmers. There is no need for me to fight veggie insects in my gardens…when I can support local efforts.

Gardening during cool temps from November-March soothes my soul. The tempo is slow. The air is crisp and clean. I add to my perennial collections, as fall is planting season. And above all, the dastardly biting insects are absent and I once again enjoy the outdoors.

terrace wall refurbished with Muhly grass showing off on the other side…September is mighty showy here.

This month the arborist arrives with his bucket truck and helper. He annually sheers the 135 Leyland Cypress that border my property. This year I am tasking him with drastically reducing the elevation of the rows…tough love. Over the years, they slowly crept up to twenty feet, a height I no longer desire. Soon entire row at the back will be totally eliminated by the power company, as maintaining it is now unsustainable and my splendid privacy fence doing a fine job.

photo of stained privacy fence. After a contractor’s estimate of 12 hours and $400 labor, I knew it was up to me to complete this job. Six hours over two days delivered one handsome fence to Swallowtail Cottage.

I am in love with this chipper…perfect for the job at hand…

As of today the house and shed are washed/painted/caulked where needed. The roof chimney and vents are caulked and painted. The patio furniture has a fresh coat of paint (yes that DTM paint project two years ago was a miserable failure.) The windows are washed inside and out. 23′ of deer fencing is installed in the lower corner of the garden to close a gap. Three arborvitae and a Kousa dogwood will replace an ancient dogwood (Cornus florida) and an unimpressive japanese maple. Eventually this new installation will screen the deer wire.

THEN, on the fifteenth of November, I shall have knee surgery…just a repair for a torn meniscus.

Baby 5 was my perfect companion during this gravel project. She held steadfast, despite my concerns that I would break her.

Yes, gardening does take a toll. Perhaps last November’s foundation planting did in my knee. That two tons of river rock did not seem that difficult, yet perhaps it was the eleven hours it took to prep/plant the seventeen shrubs. Ahh, November.

A time to complete chores, reflect, relax, and bask in the glow of a dreamy winter ahead.

this is the view from my back door, over the herb garden during winter 2015

Copyright ©2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

the first day of spring 2016

Tags

Charlottesville, first day of spring, garden, garden design, home, lifestyle, raised beds, spring flowers, Virginia

Despite the 40F temperatures and overcast sky this morning at Swallowtail Cottage, here’s a glimpse of what is blooming in my half-acre gardens…enjoy!

PJM rhododendrons show their stuff this chilly spring morning.

O’Neal blueberry flowers…provide edible, delectable fruit come May, with the help of local pollinators.

Two years ago, I collected 2000 heirloom daffodils, crocus, and lilies from around the property and added them to a 30′ ditch. A powerful early spring statement…with more blooms to follow in weeks to come.

One deep rear shrub border is home to Japanese maples, hellebores, daffs, an adopted clump of old variety spirea, Green Velvet boxwood (raised from cuttings), assorted lilies, chindo viburnum, oakleaf hydrangea, one floribunda rose ‘Tiny’, hostas, phlox Davidii, clematis, red hot pokers, miscari, and three tuteurs.

Buxus Green Mountain boxwoods never fail to impress. Easy care and sprinkled with tiny, delicate blossoms in late March. Have I confessed I adore this variety of boxwood?

This herbaceous Euphorbia or garden spurge has survived fifteen years in the same northerly spot at the front door. Cut to the ground after bloom time, this plant is bullet proof, bouncing back year after year. Highly regarded for their brilliant chartreuse bracts, textural foliage, and elegant growth habit, places them among the elite plants with significant garden significance. Note: all euphorbias ooze a milky white sap, latex, when cut or broken, so wear gloves when pruning and avoid skin contact.

The hellebores are stunning this time of year. Over twelve inches tall, they brighten the landscape. A winter/spring garden favorite…

When the sapsuckers girdle my dogwoods or maple trunks, I dangle shiny CD disks from inner branches. Highly effective.

Hard working raised bed area produced various veggies and herbs for over a decade. Now they are dedicated to heirloom daffodils and tulips.

A new addition to my 2016 gardens…a mason bee or “solitary bee house” as the UK designers describe…was sent to me as a birthday present this month. Thanks again Barry!

The resident Eastern bluebird pair chose my nestbox during late winter, and today the wee female adds finishing touches to her nest…built one pine needle at a time, in three days.

Has this post inspired your first day of spring? And please check out the related spring post links below…

Copyright © 2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

in with the new ~

Tags

fence design, garden, home, home improvement, in the winter garden, life, privacy fence

The landscape is forever evolving here at Swallowtail Cottage.
I moved here fourteen years ago, (brother how time flies) and have lived to see the initial plantscape mature to the point of necessary major editing. Last summer numerous spent shrubs were removed, leaving considerable voids to fill. This winter, the back row of cypress had declined to the point of intervention. At least with board fencing, this problem will have an instant solution. Not so in the front garden, where I must wait five years for the new shrubs to mature.

the rear row of Leyland Cypress branches began to die from too much shade, exposing my property to light pollution, road noise, wild critter invasion, and nosey neighbors

with a little elevation pruning by me, the rear row of cypress became the backdrop for the new fence

fabulous Joe Phillips crew at work — day one

nothing like the right team with the right tools…

L.O.V.E a perfectly dug hole. These professionals made digging look effortless!

promising piles of things to come

progress

ahhh, the good stuff

Joe Phillips is the MAN for fencing projects in central Virginia

everything in its place. Two 16′ boards at a time, each crew member carried material (on their shoulder) to the rear of the property, carefully avoiding dormant perennials. All supplies were hand-carried to the project area. What a considerate crew!

ready, set, go…notice the amateurish built fence by my neighbor a few years back. Rotting boards (not pressure treated) will soon fall down. Perhaps they will hire a professional fence builder next time…my fence will outlive me.

thirteen 4X6 posts placed, leveled, and tamped. Varying heights were necessary to comply with the terrain

placement of the boards begins…

finished fence…11′ tall at low-end and 7′ tall at high-end…pine needles make a nice mulch in this area, raked from the school grounds around the corner

view from the lawn side of the deep shrub border

back side of 90′ long fence with room to return with solid stain later in the year. Weeds should remain at bay too.

time to take the gloves off and enjoy another completed project. Winter is a great time for such outdoor schemes, sans ticks and other biting insects that plague central Virginia nine months of the year. Bracing morning air was invigorating too, keeping me from hibernation mode.

this morning’s view from the rear terrace, across the turf. The shrubs really pop even when dormant and have improved light and air for their growing seasons ahead

Another successful home improvement project is under my belt.
Since 2001, projects here, both indoors and out, require my full attention — the reality of owning an older home with a needy landscape.
Applying my design and communication skills, employing a sense of humor, and being somewhat tolerant of budget overruns, keep me honed and motivated for the next solution/design project. Furthermore, as the designated primer/painter here at Swallowtail Cottage, this homeowner stays in shape too.

Next up, the much awaited pergola at the rear terrace. Now that will be a much welcomed addition. Will I ever say UNCLE??

Stay tuned…

Copyright © 2015 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

 

three men and a truck

Tags

carport design, contemporary carport design, home construction, MiraTek, Ondura, vision to structure

I confess, I have always lusted for a garage or carport for my sweet autos. For my entire adult life, I promised every auto a roof. Once I managed a fabric car cover for my Miata at the condo. This week changed that angst.

In July, I updated my fourteen-year-old Mazda MPV for this cutie, a Mazda 5. Still considered a Happy Van, Baby 5 is more compact and efficient, yet she can still haul bagged mulch and market tables with style and gusto.

newer wheels for the key lime pie maker…

Since this four-wheeled jewel was a splurge, I decided to pull out all the stops and design/build a proper carport — here and now. I have owned/renovated this house for thirteen years and was more than ready to splurge again.

The design had challenges, as it had to fit between a driveway wall and an HVAC unit. The house has a hip roof, and I did not want the overall height to exceed the height of the gutter, a mere 9’6″. Fortunately, I know an ego-light builder, who accepted my budget and had three subs available for this three-day project. The overall footprint was 12’W X 14’L with a two foot overhang.

Following a few weeks of design clarification with the builder, ahem, we struck a chord. He has built houses for twenty-five years, has an entourage of talented/polite subs, as I am merely a former interior designer with a vision. This collaboration was a success.

how exciting hand-dug, rocked holes can be

end of first day ~ posts set

view from the very hot, sunny driveway

beginning of day two ~ calculations, calculations. This is where I glazed over…

nothing like young muscle strength…Travis was a Rock Star! Polite, talented, and a true professional who was kind to answer my occasional questions. Nothing like a good man with the right tool!

precise, critical cuts made by Jimmy, Travis’ dad.

rafters in place

this is where I step in as primer/painter…although posts were damp, I primed post sides where attachments were to be made. In six months, painter will return to finish priming/painting remaining boards and posts. I am a broad-stroke woman. Father and son are attaching OSB sheeting and 30lb. roof felt in this photo.

ooh, yea. All these MiraTEC boards must receive one coat of finish before being applied, said I. There are twenty-four, sixteen feet long. Yup, a challenge for this gal. Ante up!

Staging is critical. When the dew point cooperated, each board was lugged into place, just far enough apart to set my foot. My goal was to stay one step ahead of the builders’ needs. Giddy up!

Since MiraTEC had to be attached 24″OC, framing was added between posts. This side receives hot western sun year round.

The roofing was my find…Ondura. A green building product made from recycled materials and SO practical. Made right here in Virginia.

MiraTEC slats applied to posts and framing, one inch apart. These guys made building look easy…and pre-priming makes my job much easier down the road…Notice how precisely the new roof meets the existing gutter. Awesome!!!

primer coats were never-ending. This beadboard sucked up primer like a thirsty elephant.

prep for the ceiling installation. Never-ending measuring and cutting. This family stayed on course the entire time ~ total dedication to the task at hand.

nearly completed carport project. The third and final day, I kept up with the men as they attached the slats, applying the first finish coat. Smooth sailing! I must return with a second coat, yet I can take a wee break today. Baby 5 in her new apartment…Rack has yet to be primed/painted…ahhh.

my design vision placed a minimal, free standing structure at the end of this hip roof, leaning toward contemporary. I think it hit the mark. If this structure was in Iowa, folks would swear I designed a corn crib…

not bad for three guys and a truck and a gal with a vision…

The builders need to tweak one small detail at the rear fascia, yet I am breathless, humbled, and grateful to have collaborated on this project with such wonderful people. Now to re-think, re-do this front bed…a mass planting of lavender would be nice.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved