Let’s see, it may depend on the season. The raised beds make weeding in them easy, but the margins around the garden always seem to need more work than I can get to. That’s one substantial area that always needs work. My attempt to mulch the paths with a straw last summer was a colossal failure. It looked awful, the dog loved it for the worst reasons ( you can guess!), and it was very messy. This year, I may go back to pine bark mulch – it looks good and decomposes into nice compost.
Second on the list? The Pond. It’s a big scenery focus for the woodland garden, and during successful years, it’s a haven for dozens of frogs. The birds love to drink and even bathe in the waterfall, but making it a success requires periodic attention to the pump. Being that it’s in a woodland, that means clearing out leaf detritus before an irridecesent sheen develops, or the fish complain. Every year I work on establishing more plants on the borders and small marsh areas to naturally filter the pond, but I’m not as efficient as nature, and it’s an ongoing task.
Of course, here it is February, and I’m describing the upcoming tasks of summer. Might I complain about the February issues, too much snow and ice? Of course. But I’d rather look forward to spring than turn my gaze to the covered garden or frozen pond.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!
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My neighbors and I had a wealth of pine trees around our property, but they all came down during our various hurricanes. The pine straw was a great mulch, but it was way too slippery. I use pine bark nuggets in my beds now. It looks pretty and no slips and falls!
Yeah, pine needles are fine, but are slippery, and they don’t break easily.
OI meant breakdown easily
That’s fair. Gardens do seem to provide more than their share of unfinished “to dos”
True, but there is all the pleasure too, so it sort of balances out.
My entire garden is a to do list.
That’s good at this time of year.
Ponds take a lot of work!! When I had one at my last house, I still found it worth the effort, because of the wildlife it brought in. And the weeds… never ever get done. It’s maddening how many weeds need to be pulled, and then pulled again. Right now, my main chore that never gets done is my quest to rid our lawn of moles. We have one that is extremely destructive and I simply have not managed to trap, poison, or frustrate it away. Grrrrrr.
Around here, it’s voles, same sort of thing, but small. They eat everything, destroy everything, and borrow. Luckily, lots of predators like to eat them.