I Must Have Done Something Right

Almost all of our homestead is a work in progress. This stems from the fact that we bought an 1851 farmhouse 'as is' and still want to do so much of the work ourselves; we love gardening, woodworking, crafting things from hand and having complete creative control. When it comes to hauling cubic yards of gravel or stripping paint, I am happy to hire out, but it is hard - shockingly so - to find a skilled and honest worker to do these things.
A few years ago, I got annoyed at the overgrown hosta in our front yard and also with mowing over the roots of the massive tree in our front yard. I fixed the problem by creating a ringed bed of hosta around the base of the tree. I did it as Roger Cook recommended, and it is now growing gloriously and only requires an hour of tending once a year. If anyone is curious how to make this happen, jet me an email, as the simple yet effective manner of creating a new bed is - I can attest - foolproof. I have used it in several spots since in our yard, and they are all successful. And so, behold. My hosta ring.

I intend to do it around each big tree in the yard, as it is easy to mow up to and needs no tending.



This is in contrast with the front garden beds - the ones seen from the street that will someday soon be tidy in a country farmhouse kind of way. They are still overgrown and wild in the annoying way. By next summer, the kids will tolerate playing alongside me while I dig it all out and make it beautiful.

In all that tangle, I found a purple version of the silver dollar plant. I have never noticed one with purple stems and discs. I am really pleased, and we'll definitely keep this weed growing in the new plan.