the edge

I'm working on two main things in the yard right now. One is to re-straighten all bricks that edge my garden beds, which have started leaning. I did one side of bed 1, and it looks so much better! and then to press stones with flat edges into the soil between them, to start 'paving' the paths (tired of trimming grass and pulling weeds there). This is a long-term project because I'm stubborn with my repurposing- it was costly enough just to buy those bricks and prep them for the beds edging, I'm fine to wait until I get hold of pavers and bricks that are leftovers of others' projects, or rock castoffs from my husband's collecting forays, to make the paths. It will be all mismatched but I don't care. More pics on that later. 

The other, is to clean up and tidy the outline of the perennial bed that is main side of the back lawn. There's still large bumpy roots that come out from the old tree stump, that I have to maneuver the lawn mower over/around, which is a pain. Grass and weeds creep in, and bugleweed (ajuga) creeps out, so the edge gets indistinct. So I've been painstakingly pulling out grass from between the bugleweed, and pulling some bugleweed out of the lawn to replant into the bed. And breaking up/removing the roots which are exposed, to make it flat lawn area, and edging the whole thing with irregular rocks. Not done- I'm going to realign that edge so it's got a nicer even curve, or is straight, undecided still. But this is about halfway there.

I can't quite remember the name of this little shrub. I think it's a dwarf cypress? I planted it at the request of my older kid- who's gone off to college now. I wasn't too fond of it when we first got it- but now it's kind of growing on me.

Yesterday I did a bit more transplanting- dug all the catmint out of bed 8. Put the smallest ones in pots, and replanted the larger ones around the yard. Three went to the left of that yellowish dwarf shrub, in a row in front of the pannicle hydrangea that's gotten so eaten back by the deer this year. I'm not sure if the scent of the catmint will keep the deer from approaching- but it's worth a try!

The others went onto the larger sunny sideyard, in a row on the outside edge at the top of the bed, and then curving around behind the patch of gladiolas. Which look nice and straight, btw- even though the ones on the smaller sideyard are flopping all over (I tied a ropeline to prop them up a bit). I don't have any pictures because my camera battery died at that point.