We have less than no money for buying plants, yet are still trying to get a privacy hedge going strong for some covert chicken action someday, so what's a girl to do? I went shopping in my own yard! I was lucky in that the kids were back to school on Monday, but hubby had an extra day off for Easter, so we were able to get some real work done.
Two years ago, I was lucky enough to find someone else willing to give me about a dozen Rose of Sharon twigs. They can be invasive and were coming up all over her property, so she dug a bunch of "sticks" up and gave them to me, as invasive sounded pretty good to me at the time. We couldn't afford to replace our hurricane damaged fence with more wood panels so we had opted for wire fencing, but had the problem of privacy. I placed these "sticks" in the ground and within 2 years, I had bushes that were over 5 feet tall after pruning them. Normally I'm not a fan of Rose of Sharon, but free is free, and they are doing the trick! Last summer I planted Manhattan Euonymous between them, and by the end of summer they too were tall and bushy. Now look at the photo below, see the Rose of Sharon "trees"? They obviously were quickly becoming unnecessary when combined with the fast growing euonymous.
Enter hubby and his mad digging skillz! He proceeded to dig up 4 of them for me and put them on the other side of the yard that still has no hedging, and other than a hungry husband to cook for, they were free!
Below is with the Rose of Sharon shrubs removed, can barely even tell where they were! This is going to be a long process filling it all in on the cheap, but we are about halfway there, since the back of the yard portion of the fence is becoming full with naturally occurring Virginia Creeper, invasive here, but beautiful and wild!
He didn't stop there. I told him that our hammock situation needed help. We hadn't even had the chance to enjoy it but already couldn't use it since the temps went from highs in the 50's to highs of 90 within a week or so, it's too hot to be pleasant without any shade.
Some of you may remember that the kids had one of those ugly blue above ground pools a couple of years ago, and in an effort to make it nicer to look at, I surrounded it with a thatch "skirt" and old landscape timbers and gravel robbed from the kids' playset.
I know you are laughing now... yes I hate those pools that much!
Well, when the pool went away, I rolled up and kept the thatch, knowing there would be a day when we would need it again. Hubby took the roll and constructed a little thatch roof for the hammock, and the area was instantly cooled down and lovely for relaxing! It may be a little redneck, but that's kind of what I like about it at the same time :)
Here's what I see from under it, I get to look at my garden plus smell the huge rosemary shrub that's next to the hammock.
The dogs approved, too! Black fur and sunshine don't mix well :)
After all that work, I allowed him to kick back and relax for a bit!
Big points for hubby this week so far!
wow you guys are so creative ---I like the thatch roof. I AM WAITING FOR MY SON TO BUILD ME A FIRE PIT OUT BACK [ FOR FUN AND GET RID OF JUNK ]
ReplyDeleteErin, you do such a good job of teaching us that you don't have to spend a gazillion dollars to get something you want! That's the way it used to be when people were willing to put a little of their own sweat into a project rather than handing over big bucks to someone else to do it. You're an inspiration to us all. You really, really are! (So where's the cold one your hubby should have in his hands in the hammock??)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Marley and Sprocket are no dumb dogs!
I'm LOL at your pool! We have one of those pools but bigger and I hate it too. I keep trying to convince the husband not to put it up this year.
ReplyDeleteWe use cedar trees for hedging here as they are cheap, local and grow really fast but I doubt they'd grow in your hot climate.
I'm still waiting for my husband to put up our sunshade. At least he has the table and chairs out there but other than that it's a wasteland in our yard. Only one lonely lilac bush and no shade.
All your dog pictures and videos is making me really want a dog! ACK!
That is so clever! I want to do that in my back yard too. Here I am dreaming of a beach weekend and you have it right there in your back yard.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great job. I too have some free rose of sharon, maybe I will move a few of my sticks around too.
ReplyDeleteCOOL! In more ways than one ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am stymied, stunned, and stultified (is that a word?!) by your GREEN! These are current pictures? Not last summer? INSANE!!! I am totally blown away!
ReplyDeleteJudy (2), I'll have to do a post on our recycled firepit build!
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Mama Pea, I'm learning right along with everyone else, but once you start doing it, it's kind of addictive and it comes easier. Hubby however, can't always see what's pictured in my mind when I have plans for "junk", but he trusts me and just does it LOL
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Sparkless, definitely no cedar trees here LOL, and I wouldn't have any sun for a garden! Part of being a good pet "person" is knowing when is and isn't the right time for one. They can be darned expensive so I commend you for waiting until you are ready!
Tami, hi! Well, we don't have the pool anymore, it was creating a lot of stress with me having neighborhood kids over and their parents were never around to help watch them, but we do have the real beach just about 2 miles away (of course we never go LOL)
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Hi Becky! Is it invasive where you are at? It seems the stuff can be like bamboo here IF left to its own devices. I have found that if you only have one central trunk instead of letting it go shrubby it won't spread (yet)!
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Gran, it's amazing how soon we were in dire need of shade this year!
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Chicken Mama! Yes, all those photos were taken Monday, with the exception of the pool photo. The past few days have been about 89 and humid, yuck! I'm trying to tell the warm front to head your way :)
I love your creative thinking. My wife's the same way, and believe me, she keeps me busy too.
ReplyDeleteThat is great... I have lots of "free" shrubs too... I have an ugly black water tank (2500 gallons) that I draped in fencing and then planted wisteria and honeysuckle around it that was growing in my momma's yard. And I love the hammock cover! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI love the Rose of Sharon-but haven't been able to grow it--the deer love it too. You're so darn creative...........that grass "skirt" around the pool is hilarious-and BRILLIANT over the hammock.
ReplyDeleteDang, I wanna come over and hang in your yard!
ReplyDeleteI like the thatch, people pay good money to fly to an island for that effect. :)
ReplyDeleteWe get the free plants all the time! I have a 15 foot contorted willow that I grew from a STICK from someone else's tree. And nearly all of our plants we get when they are marking them down super cheap. I had a beautiful lilac at the old house that I had gotten, half dead, for 25 cents at WalMart. I also have a penchant for picking off pieces of sedum that don't belong to me and sticking that in the ground. But that's hereditary. My 85 yo grandma has a walking stick with a spade at the end and a plastic bag in her back pocket. She, literally, will dig stuff up out of people's yards! No one has ever stopped her, and she's met some folks along the way.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dude! your hammock cover is so not Redneck - It's totally Gilligan's Island!
Recycling at it's best. Love it! You now have a tropical paradise.
ReplyDeleteWay to be resourceful! And I absolutely love the thatch, in both applications!
ReplyDeleteJody, my hubby isn't much for helping with the seedlings or harvest, but I don't know what I'd do without him when it comes to all my building ideas!
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Ruth, that honeysuckle and wisteria is so beautiful, sadly here it's invasive like kudzu!
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Sue, good thing we don't have deer :)
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Kelly, too bad nobody will pay to come here LOL
Melissa, I would love your grandma! That's just awesome, LOL! I like the Gilligan's Island take on it :)
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Lorie & Kaytee, it's amazing how tight finances can inspire creativity!
Your hammock area is awesome! Pass me a pina colada!
ReplyDeleteMoving those bushes must have been a tough job. You military folk sure are hard working!