Labor Day Yard Work

We worked together in our front yard today, Labor Day holiday in the United States.

In the photo series below you can see that when we moved to our house twenty years ago this year, in 1989, the front lawn was everywhere. We wanted some flowers, so we had 15-tons of top-soil delivered, and made an irregular-shaped mound, or berm, on which we planted flowers. We slowly gathered rocks when we saw them in the mountains, and created a rock garden berm. It was nice for several years, then several of the plants began to take over. First the Gold Dollar monopolized the area, so we ripped most of it out. Then the Vinca Vine expanded, and thickened, until it almost choked out all other vegetation. Where tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocuses, many irises, rose bushes, columbine, and several plants that we've forgotten had once thrived, Vinca Vine totally reigned.

We were quite disgusted by it, so today we attacked it!

This is the miserable condition of our rock garden / flower berm that existed this summer. There were almost no flowers growing, as most everything was choked out by the very prolific vinca vine. Here is the scene of Jason, Beth, Emily, and Janet as they began their attack on the mound.

We removed the rocks, the few Belladonna Lilies (aka Naked Ladies), Creeping Charlie, Gold Dollar, Lily of the Valley, Hen and Chicks that we want to replant. We used the loppers, the string trimmer, and lawn mower, and our hands to destroy our flower mound! I then sprayed it thoroughly with Poison Ivy / Kudzu Vine killer.

We plan to add several inches of good, fertile soil, and plant many fall bulbs. In the spring, if the federal government will allow it, we'll add perennials to make a beautiful corner in our yard once again!

Update: 15-SEP-2009

On Friday Sept. 11 (yes, 9/11) Rowen got off of work, and he and Jason went to get some special soil for our re-do flower garden. We got about 4 cubic yards, and Janet, Beth, and Emily helped us unload it.

Janet purchased 100 Red Tulip bulbs and 100 Yellow / White Daffodils that we need to plant this week...so our flower berm may be colorful next May!