Front Porch Bed - Mid-Summer View - July 2024
The view from the curb of our front porch bed has changed SO MUCH in just a years time. That photo above shows what you see as you view the front of our house and includes a few big changes that I'm seeing grow into their mature forms in a very short period of time. The tree - a Triumph Elm tree that was planted in Fall 2022 is the biggest change; as it replaced a much-larger Norway Maple. That large Norway Maple with A MASSIVE MAT of surface roots was out-competing just about everything up there. That meant...boxwoods that were in the shade and being starved out. Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas that were undersized and losing the battle. And, a pretty inhospitable environment in terms of soil. I suppose that's the starting point - the soil. In Fall of 2021, I documented the root mat and hydrophobic soil that supported no plantlife . I tried to build a remedy over time - including adding nitrogen via Alfalfa cubes and planting annuals that I hoped would open up the soi