Lavender Expansion

I doubled the size of Lizard's little lavendar farm over the long weekend. I'd planted 9 lavendar for our anniversary during the summer. One of the 9 died. When I looked for a replacement plant, I found more mature plants and decided, especially with how much Lizard loved what I'd done, to buy enough to plant another segment of lavender.

However, I also learned lavender should be planted in the fall. So the new plants have been hardening on the porch while waiting for cooler weather. (Two died on the porch, probably due to heat, and I've now replaced them with yet more fresh plants. Just can't get enough lavender!!!) Saturday was the first cooler day we've had in what feels like forever, so time to plant had arrived!

I had already dug up a ton (no, I didn't weigh it) of clay and put down a healthy layer of top soil in preparation for the second segment. In fact, I dug up that big mountain of clay during the Tough Mudder (which I did not attend). I felt as if I had completed my very own tough mudder!!!

The first time I did this, back in July, I put down a tarp before the layer of mulch to attempt to control weeds. It works okay, but I still get bindweed, among other annoying seedlings, including alfalfa, salsify and assorted thistles, as well as prairie grass. This time, I put a good layer of cardboard down below the tarp. If this works, I'll be redoing a lot of the groundcover I've already put in!

I even occassionally get the breakthrough poppy or chamomile. Can't say that's a bad thing. I usually let them bloom before pulling them.

I had enough mulch left from last weekend's truckload to finish covering the other side of the first lavender segment all the way to the fence. I'm sure the neighbors will appreciate the mulch more than the weeds and sheep grass we've had growing in those rocks the past few years!

I'm not quite halfway done with what I call the upper deck. I'd really like to put a firepit with brick seating in the next segment, and I'm torn between more lavender and a bed for giant sunflowers for the final two segments. I also need to build a stairway so Lizard can access his little lavender farm. Right now, there is no way at all for him to get up there.

We get another week to ten days of soaring temperatures and possible wildfire smoke now, so I have a bit of time to decide which segment I would like to try to finish next and what I can afford to do to improve what's already there. I started trying to dig terraces earlier in the year, before it got so hot, and the weeds have really taken advantage of the fresh soil I dug up for them. More than half our backyard is really just an eye sore now!

In spite of how long this project is taking, it really does look better than it did, and when it's done, it will be our own little slice of paradise.

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