Into the Wild – Weekly Musings on our Yard’s Transformation | April 21st – 27th

Yardwork:

• The week got off to a slow start as Sunday was a much-needed day of relaxation after a long (and tough) day of travel. The windy weather also deterred me from heading outdoors. However, I am eager to catch up on the yard work. While I’ve made a good start, last week really set me back. Thankfully, now that I have a functioning wheelbarrow I can now make quicker progress on some tasks.
• While it is a bit premature to clear out last year’s foliage, I have an extensive to-do list for this year. I’ve began tidying up the lawn, and the flowerbeds in the backyard so I can see what I am working with, and to expose some soil that I’ll need to utilize elsewhere very soon. The pile of foliage is massive!
• I’ve started putting the new wheelbarrow to use and moved the large, heavy rocks that the previous one couldn’t handle. It’s working great, and I’m glad to have finally moved some rocks that had been in the way for a couple of weeks.
• As I began moving blocks from the existing flower garden, I found myself wondering why I was relocating them halfway across the yard only to move them back later. It dawned on me that it would be more practical to focus on clearing the area behind the house first. By leveling out the ground and ensuring a proper grade, I can then proceed to construct a flower garden using the blocks.
• While clearing out old foliage from the back of the house, I tackled a vine that had grown around a trellis. To my surprise, I ended up pulling at least 5 feet of vine from behind the window frame. Note to self, don’t let vines get unruly around structures.
• On Saturday, I was out in the yard by 7:30 AM (if you know me personally, you know that this is absolutely unheard of) Despite not initially planning on doing this project this year, I spent a significant part of the day completing the flower bed on the back of our house. The reason for this project came from the need to relocate well over one hundred cement blocks from the two raised flower beds we are getting rid of to make space for our garden and pond. So, repurposing them elsewhere in the yard became the logical solution. I still have to complete some leveling, and filling the bed. This will also be a great opportunity to make use of some of the gravel in the backyard. I might rework this before filling with soil so the faucet is more easily accessible.

Gardening:

• The plants I started last week are thriving beyond my expectations! It’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown already. Although, I’m starting to think I may have gone overboard with the pumpkin seeds…
• Our eagerly awaited deliveries of more vegetables and plants have arrived. Our Yukon Gold Seed Potatoes, Virginia Creeper, and a Lilac Tree mark just the beginning of our flourishing garden and landscape transformation.
• I recently saw that the last frost date for Edmonton (based on the old City Centre Airport area – which is fairly close to me), is May 15th – I didn’t realize it was that early. I thought it was May long weekend and even then was pushing it – but knowing this now has me stoked! It means I can start planting even sooner, getting a jump on the growing season and enjoying my garden earlier than expected. (Granted my garden is ready in time!)

Flora:

• Earlier this week, I found myself admiring the cute, early-blooming flowers of Siberian and Blue-Striped Squill in my front flower garden, creating a charming sea of blue. However, upon discovering their invasive nature, it became apparent why they seemed to be taking over the entire yard. Contemplating their fate, I made the decision to pull them up (and transplant some into pots to still have them around for the pollinators). While uncertain if they’ll thrive in containers, my priority is halting their spread throughout the yard. Though I anticipate a prolonged battle, I’m determined to keep them from encroaching further. I will be replacing them with Prairie Crocus to ensure early-season sustenance for pollinators. Any suggestions for other early-blooming plants suitable for zones 3/4a would be greatly appreciated!

Fauna:

• Recently, I discovered that House Sparrows are invasive species in my area, posing risks by carrying diseases transmissible to other birds and even humans. On any given day, I have around 8 to 10 House Sparrows frequenting my yard. Additionally, there’s a nest of House Sparrows nestled behind the soffits of our garage roof. Now that I’m aware they aren’t protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, I’m planning to remove the nest and take steps to make our yard less inviting to them. This way, we can attract the bird species we truly desire.
• Early one morning, I was captivated by the sight of a Merlin gripping a sizable bird in its talons, soaring overhead, and landing in a tree on the adjacent street. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get a clear photo of the Merlin enjoying its breakfast, as I wasn’t close enough to capture the moment in detail.
• While working in the backyard on Saturday, I had the delightful surprise of spotting a Ruby-crowned Kinglet—a new lifer for me! Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me to capture the moment. I also spotted a White-crowned Sparrow in my yard earlier this week (another lifer!).

Misc:

• The wheelbarrow saga has finally come to an end. While the colour red is not my favourite, we managed to find a sturdy steel wheelbarrow sans plastic. Despite the less-than-helpful instructions, I managed to assemble it using the product photo as my guide, which took about an hour. Perhaps one day I’ll give it a fresh coat of black paint to better suite my aesthetic preferences.
• In envisioning our patio redesign, I aimed to align the step with our patio door and decorate an arch with a climbing vine over the step. However, I mixed up some details and the arch turned out to be too narrow. Luckily, I can saw off part of the step to make it narrower so the arch can fit. However, I won’t be able to stick the arch or vines on either side into the ground as there is also a substantial cement slab beneath the steps current position. This slab is not only massive, but also an integral part of the sidewalk, rendering removal impossible (unless I hire someone to do it – which I’d rather not do at this time). Fortunately, this setback can be addressed using planters, a solution that not only accommodates the vines more effectively (as they are notorious for being unruly), but also adds to the patio’s aesthetic appeal (especially covering up the visible, asymmetrical cement slab once the step is moved over). However, a new challenge arises when considering overwintering, as plants in planters often struggle to survive during our harsh winters. Despite these challenges, I am confident that I will (eventually) be able to find a solution to ensure that our patio redesign comes together.
• Our firebowl replacement has finally arrived! While there’s plenty to do to prepare the firepit space, I’m eagerly anticipating cozy evenings spent around the fire, enjoying s’mores and the cool summer nights.
• We did a trip to Home Depot to get a bunch of things, and I don’t think I’ve ever shopped with a cart there before. We bought some planters that we were planning on using to secure our arch into, but they ended up to be too small. It’s a bit baffling how a 14 inch wide arch can’t fit into a 16 inch planter, but apparently it happens.

Thanks for reading! Until next time,
Tracey

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