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Tag Archives: winter projects

beware rubus pentalobus

28 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by home, garden, life in DIY, environment, garden, garden projects, garden textures, garden thugs, Lifestyle, sustainable lifestyle

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

DIY, garden, garden thugs, home, life, lifestyle, Virginia, winter projects

This winter will be one to forget. One week following Jonas’ departure, I was stricken with an UR infection that knocked me off my feet and took two antibiotics to cure. Bedridden for most of one full week rendered me weak as a kitten for another ten days; I just now feel remnants of my former self.

During my convalescence, I had plenty of time to gaze out the windows into the barren, winter landscape. This time of year, the bones of garden reveal the structure and textures rarely appreciated during the growing season. Allowing my eye to peruse spaces, I made mental notes of necessary edits to come.

During February, one annual garden chore includes removing the past season’s leaves of many hellebore, or Lenten Roses that happily reside here. P1000347P1040197.JPGA hand and knee or squatting proposition, this chore was a good test of my weakened stamina. Last week’s effort found me trembling after merely one hour of task.

The other necessary garden chore I faced this week was bolstered by an additional week bed rest. In August of 2014, I installed five 3″ pots of Rubus pentalobus, or Creeping Bramble. At the garden center, they appeared innocent enough sporting attractive, compact, deep green, evergreen foliage, small flowers, and tiny raspberry fruits. Additionally the tag boasted the benefit of being drought tolerant. Good candidate for the remaining slopes that tend to erode while providing tasty late fall food for the wee birds…I thought.

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Rubus pentalobus or Creeping Bramble

These plants settled well and then I noticed an aggressive growth pattern within the first year. Clearly this perfect groundcover was becoming a garden thug.

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This is one plant twelve months after installation…from a 3″ pot! The plant tag failed to mention that Rubus suckers…big time!

Following a hearty breakfast, I headed out in sunny 40F temps to begin the task. Armed with a wheelbarrow, digging fork, knee pads, and hatchet, I silently coached myself…I can do this! P1050765

One hour later, breathless, I had the wheelbarrow filled to overflowing. Pliers were necessary to yank out roots that were over a foot long, headed straight down. Where is my garden helper when I need him? P1050754

Rather than exhaust myself completely, I returned my tools to the shed, left the barrow sit, and headed indoors to recuperate. The next day I would return to complete the entire removal.

As it was, the next day was warmer and the winter sun felt delightful on my winter-pale face. 1.5 hours later, I successfully removed the last bits of this plant horridus. Now I must face the remaining three patches of Rubus on the front slope. One day at a time…

In the meantime, my heirloom daffodils are showing up in good stand.P1000299 I added 150 additional heirloom varieties last fall to my old veggie raised beds, and so look forward to my new life as a peony/daffodil/iris farmer! Out with the invasives, garden thugs, and insect infested plants. I will only permit a pleasant garden experience here. Life is too short to invest precious time with energy sucking plant material ~ this revelation has only taken thirty years to formulate…sharing is education.

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A newly acquired heirloom crocus…its tendency to multiply is welcomed here. A delight in this winter garden.

If you would like to see a preview of my spring gardens, please use the search bar in the left-hand column using the words spring or flowers or notice and click on the related posts at the bottom of this post.

Cheers to you and if you read this please click the “like” button, as I am taking a survey as to how many of my followers are actually reading my posts…thanks!

Copyright © 2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

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january home and my 100th post

19 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in color, home ownership, Lifestyle, season, sustainable lifestyle, water conservation, winter

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

home, humor at home, IKEA, Japanaese soaking tub, Jennifer Aniston, P Allen Smith, sustainable living, water conservation, winter projects

This is my one hundredth post—a first for this blogger. For many bloggers, this accomplishment is a yawn. I believe most many bloggers power through topics as if they were swatting a mosquito. I instead, carefully scribe essays to support my mission and I postponed this post hoping for an Epiphany—a topic that would rock your world—an announcement I have anticipated since summer.

My epitaph should read, “kept waiting.” Confederate Cemetery

No word from afar that will send fireworks into the heavens. Rats! I am tired of seeing my Christmas post staring back at me, so here goes—my 100th entry for all of you—my dear, dear followers.

Happy New Year!

Personally, I detest being idle, sans creative juices. During January, the garden sleeps, my life is content, yet projects at home never cease. As I rattle around indoors during cold winter days, the house whispers. All major renovations are complete, following 6.5 years of effort, yet there are the little details that remain, like the itch in the middle of my back—small yet difficult to ignore.

The kitchen’s butcher block counter tops could use a fresh coat of Behandla. The basement workbench is a wretched sight, following years of abuse by former male hobbyists. And for the past two years, I have lusted after some type of soaking tub for my master bath. Are you braced for the outcome?

Tackle #1: Having considered new surfaces for the workbench, I settled on a good coat of paint instead. While shopping at Lowe’s, I happened upon a cart filled with rejected paints. There sat an unopened quart of a high tech pricy paint in just the perfect hue for a basement workbench. Instead of paying $18, I paid merely $2.50 for this sexy liquid. I love finds like this. After a thorough vacuuming, the counter tops were ready for their makeover. A three-inch roller and sponge brush were all that I needed to complete this facelift. The following day, I applied a second coat and voila, a mini transformation that only I will appreciate.

  So goes the masterpiece at casa LaSauce!

Tackle#2: As far as the soaking tub for my master bath—well that is a horse of a different color! I considered a custom Japanese tub made by the Alaskan company who supplied Jennifer Aniston. Yes, a gazillion dollars. Then I found a brilliant copper soaking tub online. P. Allen Smith ordered one of these babies for his summer porch—yup, another gazillion dollars. I then visited Southern States and eyed animal water troughs—too big, too small. Then I showered in my basement’s stall shower all summer. Why is this so hard? The basement is now too cold to visit, especially when naked, so I put this home challenge on my back burner to simmer.

In order to satisfy my winter itch, I invited a pal to take a day trip to IKEA—a two hour drive from home. If nothing else I could check out the kitchen department and finally add Behandla to my inventory. Much to my dismay, IKEA is no longer the fascinating place to shop— they have sold out to China. I now prize my IKEA purchases from 2000, when the made in Sweden stamp prevailed.

Nearly empty-handed, my pal and I approached the end of our IKEA tour when we discovered the clearance department. I found a 4-pack of light bulbs (.99) and then EUREKA! there sat a stack of black, half-priced tubs. My pal nearly fell over laughing when I pulled one down to the floor and stepped in and sat down. An absolutely perfect fit for this gal’s Japanese soaking tub! I was a happy girl! As I raised up to exit the tub, its roller feet began to carry me across the showroom floor, and both my pal and a gasping IKEA employee ran to my rescue.

For a mere $7.50, I finally had my soaking vessel. One more stop to the plumbing department at Lowe’s ($11.45) and a visit to my neighbor for the installation of the spout (a few homemade cookies), and this gal is in business. I actually photographed myself IN the tub, yet will refrain from publishing these images online. What you see below is a sleek, efficient, water saving, up-to my-neck soaking spot. Hurray!If I fill my conventional bath tub, it consumes over 40 gallons of water to reach my chin. This black beauty tub requires merely 10 gallons, as I displace half of the area with my five-foot-five frame. Up to my chin in bubbles and a big smile, I now look for my next project about the house. Stay tuned for the unveiling of my bio-ethanol, free-standing fire burner for the bay window! VERY green.

And I still hold out for the great news to come in February for my next blog. Keep your fingers crossed! Cheers!

PS Please remember to visit my seasonal essays by month. This drop down menu is found in the left margin…the menu by category is located lower left margin. Every essay is packed with information, inspiration, and local photography. One hundred heart-felt posts await your exploration!

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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Essay Titles

  • Thanksgiving…remembering love
  • At last
  • Keto “potatoes”
  • When critters call
  • Keto bread revisited
  • My report on Keto
  • for the love of rock, II
  • give a gardener a cool summer day…
  • Oh July, July
  • Kale, the ultimate chip
  • gone Keto
  • she’s baaaack!
  • Perhaps missed
  • for the love of rock
  • the anatomy of a popover
  • the garden visitor
  • what blooms this week
  • porch envy
  • Summer in Virginia
  • timing is everything
  • pies and peonies
  • words cross centuries
  • zen and now
  • April brings flowers and…chores!
  • Kudos, followers
  • this week’s reading challenge…
  • February dreaming…
  • kitty love
  • the dormant season
  • Soothing, quick comfort food for winter days
  • ahh, November
  • August garden
  • tough love
  • In the mood for shrimp this July 4th?
  • gardening is all about change
  • the May that floats
  • this is why I grow daffs and tulips…
  • the first day of spring 2016
  • garden edits and spring delights
  • beware rubus pentalobus
  • Jonas ~ beauty or the beast
  • ~ strolling through history
  • ~ share the love
  • the morning said “stop!”
  • August begins a time of edits
  • ~ for the love of blueberries
  • the kiss system
  • be cool ~ try some homemade gelato
  • bountiful blueberries
  • Arkansas, an escape like no other

Seasonal Topics by Month

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