I wasn’t going to make any flowerbeds today because it rained last night, but I didn’t feel like sanding, painting, or making windowpanes, so I decided to clip some bush honeysuckle. When you can’t decide what to do, grab your pruning shears and walk around the yard–it’s worked for me for years!

I started just clipping off some overhanging stuff, but the more I clipped and the closer I got to the corner where I want a little shade garden, the more I cut. In the end, I spent 5.5 hours cutting, chopping (machete FTW!), and digging that goddamned stuff. I cleared out my corner; I think I’ll put jewelweed, foxglove and maybe Astilbe back there. Dunno yet. It’s close to the creek and shaded, so it’s about perfect for jewelweed, and dappled shade will be fine for both that and foxglove.

I dragged the brush I cut over to the road side of the woods, and literally stuffed it in at the edges. I kind of made a “freeform brush fence”, and then decided to dig up some of the goddamned bush honeysuckle that’s encroaching upon our property. That shit is tough…but so am I! I dug out a bunch, and found lots of worms. The soil is actually pretty good there, so I decided to throw the seeds I’d collected last fall from the orange trumpet vine onto the ground. They weren’t cold stratified, and I didn’t supplement the soil beyond breaking it up and turning it with a garden fork, but I once read this about Campsis radicans: “If you can’t grow this, you need to give up gardening.” I spread a couple hundred seeds in clumps on the ground, soaked them and threw dead leaves on top so they won’t blow away. If they grow, great. If they don’t, fuck it–the seeds were free, and the dirt and leaves came with the house. I don’t think they’ll get enough sun there to really do well, but if anything can compete with bush honeysuckle, it’s trumpet vine, and if it’s aggressive, it’s at least native!

Here’s the corner I cleared for my shade garden.

Look out–mama’s got a machete!

My “fuck it–it’s free” bed for trumpet vine.

Just threw the seeds atop the turned earth and spread leaves over them. They’ll grow or they won’t!

Random view of back yard with my shade corner visible. I’ve been digging weeds here and there whenever I have a little spare time. Fuck crabgrass of all varieties!

Anyway, I’m tired…might just sit around tonight. We’ll see.

EDIT: I’m a machine! I also finished sanding and painted a chair, and vacuumed the carpet. Now, I’m exhausted and intend to smoke, shower and go to BED!