Last fall, we had extensive tree work done on our property and kept the woodchips for our flower beds. The same company returned 2 weeks ago with more free woodchips which I’ve been spreading around the yard. I took advantage of the windfall to start a rain garden. But first, a brief tour of my new daffodil bulbs.
By the way, I’m already seeing success from my soil-rebuilding efforts last year. Every time, I dig a hole, I find at least one healthy earthworm. Last year, I put down a layer of purchased compost and covered it with the woodchips in the fall. This year, I plan on putting down a layer of purchased leaf mulch and using my homemade compost around plants and to build beds.
Last August and September, I bought lots of daffodils and other bulbs from Breck’s and Costco. The ones pictured above came from Breck’s. In April, I’ll be ordering more bulbs for fall planting. I’ve been told that ordering that early gives me access to more unusual bulbs. Since I’m always mindful of living on the main road in our development, my goal is to make our yard look spectacular in the fall.
These bulbs came from Costco or our previous home in PA. I have a feeling it’s the latter given how thick the clump is. I could divide them after the leaves die back, however, I’m going to leave them alone for a few years and focus on filling in around them.
I think this beauty is also from Breck’s. I love the green, yellow, and white combination. I just learned that daffodils are completely poisonous, and the ancient Romans used them to mark where loved ones were buried.
Given I have a huge pile of woodchips in my driveway without a plan for using them, I thought I’d get started on my rain garden. I have no problem saying I’m making this up as I go along because if it doesn’t work, no harm no foul. All my lasagna gardening efforts will help to create beautiful soil for growing things. It’s a good thing.
Basically, I took a few limbs from the River Birch we had removed last fall and laid them on the left. The rest of the limbs come from our yard and woods. I backfilled the river birch logs with small branches. Then I put down a layer of paper (I’ve been collecting it for months for a worm bin) covered by a layer of homemade compost, and then a layer of woodchips.
In the middle of this picture is a drain for our rain gutters. Looking up the hill, you can see the impact of poorly maintained rain gutters, poor landscape design, and poor grading. Over the years, any topsoil in this area was washed downhill, all the way down to the street. Not good.
My husband fixed the rain gutter issue. We removed the river birch that was at the front corner of the house. Once he digs out the roots, we will add 2 terraces to the bed which the tree was. Then we’ll tackle the lawn and redirecting the water. In the meantime, I’m going to dig a shallow depression (already started) in front of the drain, line it with landscape fabric (salvaged from the crape myrtle bed), cover it with round river stones, and plant rain garden perennials in the wood chipped area.
With rain expected this upcoming weekend, we’ll have a chance to see how this new area works. And, I’ll be able to easily dig out the soil afterward, always a plus with the Virginia clay.
2 dogs and a house 