Make Over #2 - The Holly Bed Corner

The Holly Bed Corner is another make over in the garden that was spread out over three months or so. Yes, I told you I was slow. We had this gigantic American Holly that was the Darth Vader of the garden. You say you don't remember seeing it?? That is because it was a male, meaning that it didn't bear any of the lovely red fruits for seasonal color and bird feasting. It just stood there like the giant light sucking, space hogging, House Sparrow Condo that it became.  While I love House Sparrows I don't like it when a couple of hundred of them congregate in my garden. They make more mess than they are of help...oops I digress.

I can tell that I didn't especially like this corner of the garden because I don't have a head on picture of this corner. Always photos around the edges of this brute such as below.

I just didn't like the way it loomed over the plantings.

Back in the deepest part of this corner was a Pussy Willow that got so tall reaching for the sky that I couldn't reach stems in the spring to bring in and force. 

So this summer was the time to take back this corner. I was going to call someone to take it out but my DB likes a challenge from time to time.

 So we limbed up this brute.

 With the six foot step ladder standing there you can tell how tall the holly was.

 Then like magic, three truck loads of limbs to the limb pile later, it was down.

It wasn't easy getting the stump out. At this point my DB was sorry he didn't hire this done.

 But being the bulldog that he can be he got it out.

Now it was up to me to clear out all the plants I didn't want, that didn't like the lack of light and basically start anew. There were some plants I wanted to save. They were rearranged, thinned out or moved to another site.

 So here it is in all it's glory. A Silverbell (Halesia carolina 'Rosy Ridge') tree was placed as the center piece. I can't wait to see it blooming next spring. An Oakleaf Hydrangea that a gardening friend of mine gave me. A new to the garden daylily, Winter Vision. I planted a little Alberta Spruce that had been in a pot several years here for some winter interest. We should have some color here year round.

As you can see the path goes all around this garden I will give you the full 5¢ tour.

 Above is how I see it when I come toward it from the house. Looking at it from the West I will call it.

 This is from the South side.

 East side.

And finally the North.

            Even the pitaful Pussy willow in the corner that got a severe cut back is looking quite happy with more light. I think everything in this corner is looking happier with more light except the poor hostas that were on the inside along the fence. Next year they will look better after getting used to more light. I can't wait until everything recovers and fills in.
Now that the Holly is gone. Another name hasn't been given to this bed/corner. I guess I will have to wait to see what sticks in my mind. Our apple tree has been gone for a couple of years and I still call that bed the Apple Tree bed. Does anything come to mind to you?

        

        

Willow Catkins

I had this nice little bouquet of Pussy Willow with a few forsythia stems in a vase and I was trying to get a picture of the Willow catkins with no luck. Then I read Mr McGregors Daughters blog and she had a good idea of using a colored paper as a background.

Well, I tried it and I did pretty good. I think these little catkins are the cats meow.

Feeder Count

Now I wonder why there aren't any birds at the feeder today. I was wanting to count them. It must be the wind. We are having a wind advisory today. Yes, the wind must be the problem.

This is the only cat that I have invited into my garden. Pussy Willow is the best kitty outside. It doesn't frighten or worse yet KILL the birds in our garden. It just sits there looking all come hither with its fuzzy wuzzy showing.

More promises

Before work today I went on my morning walk about with Luna. It has been warm these past few days, record warm. I am seeing more promises of spring. The hellebores have new growth. The Pussy Willow is one of the early harbinger of spring and they aren't disappointing. The buds are swollen and are about ready to display their fuzzy catkins.

I know these little brown lumps don't mean much to some of you but to me they are promises of the tall green Ostrich ferns that inhabit this area of the garden.The closer to time to go to work the darker the sky. It rained this entire day. The tips of the Magnolia are all budded out. I am afraid that they will all be frozen off soon. I know this record warmth won't last long. Until the cold returns I am enjoying the promises of spring.