Monday, April 19, 2021

My 'Garden Boy' --------


Yesterday was not a day of rest by any means. . . . . . we, and hired help, 
worked together in the garden. In fact we worked outside the entire weekend, 
and included a trip to buy landscape items including wall building stones, 
netting to keep the dastardly squirrels off my newly sown seeds, potting
 soil. . . . . . and of course I managed to sneak in some plants - two pots
 of beautiful Shasta daisies for the now more elegant back bed along
 the fence.


No pool so no 'Pool Boy' required around here!!!
But here you can meet my 'Garden Boy', good 'ole Bob.

He gave up the business suits and polished shoes (other than when the
 occasional wedding or funeral comes along) with retirement, many years
 ago, and now pulls on those old faded jeans and worn out running shoes
 and becomes a version of a Master Gardener!
Thank you Bob for digging holes, trimming branches, mowing grass, 
blowing leaves and on occasion, like yesterday, clambering flat out under
 the Japanese maple to pull out those pesky weeds such as pokeberry
 and Boston ivy.

I have to add though that pokeberry is not all bad as despite the berries
being poisonous to humans, but loved by birds, the plant appears to
 have a good side. . . . . .

Today, pokeberry is being researched as a possible treatment for cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, a chemical found in pokeberry juice has been used to successfully treat cancerous tumors in laboratory mice. The chemical is also being tested to determine if it can protect cells from HIV and AIDS.
Georgia Wildlife Resources

Here Bob is actually in our neighbor's yard as it's easier access under the tree
as we have a wall on our side.  


Side yard of our house where, as you can see, these azaleas and
 the acer have encroached over the split rail fence into our neighbor's 
yard. . . . . . .thankfully he doesn't mind one bit.


Our handyman 'solutions' guy and his assistant are a great pair and
after doing such a super job on the deck restoration, we had them
back to build the low wall along the back bed. They dug out the old
fallen over scalloped edging and placed it in back, then built a simple
low wall. Once the daffodil greenery dies back and can be cut off, we
 will add more soil and compost and replant with a couple more
climbing roses, perennials and hang new bird houses.

Hope your week is off to a good start.
Our temps have dropped quite a bit after the recent
 'heatwave', and I'm not minding at all.



28 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Penny, you know only too well how much work it is though, especially in this part of NC where it get too hot/humid for so many plants to survive come summer!

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  2. Dearest Mary,
    Oh, that garden is an ever-demanding thing here in the South!
    Things grow and develop so very fast...
    We too accomplished a lot of chores last week and hauled off old black potting pots and other things waiting for another use. Time to tidy up as we wanted to get rid of our cute trailer. Which we DID. Got sold and picked up on Saturday.
    Feeling great. Now we need the tree guy to come again for taking down huge limbs. Oh, do those trees grow fast and TALL.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    PS your azaleas are still at their prime time... ours are gone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the azaleas crop this year is just awesome - but Wed. night may deal them a blow when the temp. will crash down near freezing!!! So late for such a chill - Nature never stops trying to send unexpected weather it seems!
      Good luck with the tree felling - such a nerve wracking and expensive undertaking always - my least favorite thing regarding gardening in heavily treed landscapes.

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  3. I've said it many times but I'll say it again: your garden is absolutely lovely. I have tried to grow some things from seed this year but don't seem to be having much success. Maybe it's still too cool for the plants. I'm not complaining of course as I don't like the heat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you again Loree. I don't always have success with growing flowers from seed, but my herbs do well thankfully - I use so much basil for pesto etc. that I grow a lot - in pots though, not our heavy clay soil. Herb enjoy the heat and we, like you, certainly get plenty here in summer.

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  4. Beautiful photos - and beautiful garden too. The fields here are just like the one in your photo of Devon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you Mark. I know just what you mean about the 'brilliant quilted fields' of home - and I really do miss them at this time of year. We have to cancel our May visit due to COVID restrictions but hopefully will get back in autumn.

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  5. What a fab setting! It’s looks glorious!
    I could certainly do with a ‘Bob’ right now, as my other half is busy decorating inside.
    😁

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    Replies
    1. I could probably hire him out but people feel better with a garden BOY than an old man, bless him, hahahahahaha!!!!

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  6. The colour in your Spring garden is lovely Mary.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Pat - this year is especially pretty right now with so much blooming. It certainly cheers one to look out on nature's glory!

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  7. Dear Mary,
    At least Bob's sneakers look like they have seen some serious garden work. The rest of him, in all blue, looks like he has never seen a pile of dirt or a clump of weeds. It's all paying off. Your garden looks beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You would not believe how many times those 'garden clothes' go in the laundry - every day this time of year!!! I can't dig deep or crawl about on my knees any longer - he's so good doing those things out in the mud!
      It does all look pretty though.
      Thanks dear - Mary

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  8. Wow, you have been busy! And by the looks of it, all that gardening keeps Bob in great shape.
    Your garden is beautiful (I know I say that almost every time I comment on a post of yours with garden photos). Why was it necessary to "sneak in" the two pots of plants? Were you not supposed to buy them, or did you nick them? ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Oh no, I didn't nick them Meike, lol!!!!! It's just that every time we are near a garden center when the plants are on display, Bob says asks that I don't buy anymore because we have no space for them! Of course I beg to differ, I can always find a little corner to tuck in something new!!!
      Mary -

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  9. Good on Bob for turning your dreams into reality! Every garden needs a Garden Boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .......yes, definitely, and I do have a great one whom hopefully will keep going quite a bit longer.
      Hope all well with you dear.

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  10. I've tried crawling under a bush rather than do gardening!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Come on now John, I would imagine you being a good gardener because you enjoy nature so much and have a great eye when taking photos on your hikes. . . . . and you're English! I think gardening is in the genes of every Englishman/woman!
      Mary -

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  11. I hope you both enjoyed a nice glass of wine after all of your hard work. Everything looks so nice. If your neighbor minded sharing those beautiful azaleas with you I would have to wonder about him :). I think your new stone wall looks really nice. I love the natural look of stone in a garden.

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes we did, on the front porch as it was warm. I love seeing stone in a garden too - if it wasn't so cumbersome to move about, and I could afford more professional help building, I would probably have stone walls like an English castle - well at least a country house walled garden......they are always so beautiful!
      Kim, it turned chilly again didn't it - NC weather and her tricks, grrrrrr!

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  12. We alll need a 'Bob' in our garden, I think!

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    Replies
    1. ......and he would help you if only we could live in your village and be neighbors dear Barbara - I'm dreaming again of living back in the southwest!!!!!!

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  13. As Elizabeth says above, we all need a Bob. I have no doubt that the degree of happiness he derives from what he is doing now far exceeds any satisfaction he gained from working. I had a full and productive career but since retirement I have not missed it even for a minute.

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  14. We are fortunate to have "garden boys". Bob is doing a beautiful job.
    Fascinating about the pokeberry. I keep telling my "garden boy" to leave the dandelions as they have many medicinal properties too.

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  15. Cottage was a late nineteenth-century ideal to return to the simple cottages of the country. They were planted with hardy bulbs, flowers, fruit bushes and herbs and vegetables. They were geometric, colours were harmonised and luxurious as plants grew well as they were heavily manured regularly. instalación y mantenimiento de jardines y zonas verdes

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