things to do before next year's garden competition

 This coming week-end is the judging week-end for the Calgary garden competition.  I'm thinking that I might be ready to enter parts of the garden next year - just for fun!  Now is the time to step back and analyze which parts of the garden need "a little something" at this time of year.  Some more blooms over there, some contrasting foliage over here... 

But not me.  I have bigger plans!  A lot of major things need to be fixed up before next year.  Here is my project list, in order of priority:

 Finish staining the front steps, then paint the front door, garage door, window box and patio table.  I am still deciding on colour combinations, but am leaning towards more conservative now and am thinking terra cotta for the doors and window box, and brown for the table.  Whaddya think?

Replace this rotten wooden retaining wall with stacking concrete bricks.  This is the major project of the summer then I have some new shrubs in mind to plant in fall, to hide the view of the garbage and recycle bin area.  You can see the stump still leftover from our Christmas tree last year.  I also want to lift the interlocking bricks in the corner because they are directly under a spruce tree which has made the bricks all wonky, and which drops needles and cones which need sweeping up all the time.  I'm just going to put down bark mulch and let the area be natural.  No more sweeping!

This pathway in the kids' adventure garden is going to become a dry stream bed.  I need to dig out some of the dirt, put down landscape fabric and then cover with rocks.  Won't that look nicer than the weeds you see currently?

Once the retaining wall (above) is done, the palettes of bricks in this area will be gone and I can tidy up.  The garbage can has got to go, wouldn't you say?  Hubby has promised to build raised beds for me in this area this fall so that they'll be ready to plant next year.  Also, I'd like a new arbour for the entrance to this area - my husband took the top off the current one because it was too short so it looks pretty bad even though you can't quite tell in this picture.  I want a taller, wider arbour and a focal point (an urn, perhaps?) that you can see through the arbour.

 The tree beside the front steps is coming down this fall (I don't want to do it now because it will smash the front yard garden).  I am sure the plants on both sides of the front steps will grow much better next year once they have one less spruce tree to compete with for water and nutrients (there are still 4 more).

This greenhouse is coming down - I can't wait to get rid of the ugly behemoth!  Look at last year's post to find out why.  I want to use some of the glass to make cold frame tops for the raised beds my husband's going to build (above), and we hope to recycle/give away many of the other materials as well.  I'd really like this to be done by next spring but I'm not holding my breath.

And finally, these "temporary" stairs were put in 4 years ago when we ripped out a deck.  I'd really like to get them replaced by next summer but as this requires hubby's help, again I'm not holding my breath!!  The garden competition is my dream, not his.

Comments

[Ben Thomas]

Looks like you will have a lot of fun with all the projects.

[The Ms. S.]

Wow - you are are going to make some major changes - very exciting!

I bet taking out that rotting retaining wall and replacing it with stones will make all the difference in the world.

[Paula H]

And I thought that I had projects to finish before entering!!