In the Garden: Fall an ideal time for a landscaping project

It all started when my wife Loraine said she wanted better access to one of the more congested flower beds in our garden. She didn’t like that there were no stepping stones or a simple little path. And she also said how “scrappy” the border had become, with a hodgepodge of shrubs and mishmash of perennials, all of which were mostly unspectacular specimens. I agreed to take up the challenge and do a complete makeover, re-landscaping the entire border from top to bottom, or rather side to side, since it is 3.5 metres x 12 metres (around 11 feet x 39 feet) and runs perpendicular to the house in a north-south direction. What I wasn’t expecting was to be reminded of just how much hard work landscaping can be. I had forgotten how much heavy lifting you have to do, even on a relatively small project — how much back-breaking digging and raking, dragging and cutting, bending and stretching … and so much kneeling. Autumn is the perfect time to do a landscape project. I always think of it as the second spring — the second major window of opportunity to get trees, shrubs and perennials planted (or lifted and relocated), and also the perfect time to install new foundational structures such as walls and fences, arches and arbours. I started my project at the beginning of September. My first task was to remove the hodgepodge of unwanted perennials, including established clumps of autumn monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii) and Campanula latifolia alba, along with carpets of bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum Bevan’s Variety) and a smattering of euphorbia, viola and astilbe. Some of these plants, such as the hardy geraniums, were recycled elsewhere in the garden. http://vancouversun.com/life/homes/gardening/in-the-garden-fall-an-ideal-time-for-a-landscaping-project