BY SKEETER
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| JUNE 13, 2013 |
A year ago, I brought home a beautiful Oleander plant from the "Giant Plant Sale" (GPS) at nearby McCorkles Nursery.
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| June 24, 2013 |
I planted the beauty in my GEORGIA GARDENS and she gave me plenty of pink blooms.
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| Feb. 13, 2014 |
Then that awful Ice Storm hit us in February. The Saint is standing in the "Iced Over" garden of the Oleander. And that "Arched" tree remains in that position as of today! We'll get to it at some point if Mother Nature does not first.
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| June 10, 2014 |
I feared the Oleander was a goner. Sigh... But I hung in there and let her be all Spring long.
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| June 10, 2014 |
By NOT rushing to pull her out of the ground, I now have a new Oleander popping up from below! I did not loose her after all. But how many of you would have let this plant be that long without pulling it from the ground? Not me until this year. With that strange Ice Storm, nothing has been on track this year so I just ignored the dead plant and looking at it on June 10th, I found new growth below! I am still holding out hope for my Banana Trees as they have not shown as of today. But that hope is less and less each day.
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| June 26, 2012 |
I put this mailbox into place some time ago in hopes a bird would make a home in it.
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| Oct. 24, 2013 |
So far, no bird has nested in it and Not either of the 2 Clematis I have planted by it have taken root.
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| Feb. 17, 2014 |
I am sad to say, the Ice Storm took down a large Pine Limb which landed on top of the mailbox. Yes, that was one brutal Ice Storm to my gardens as well as our woods and trees.
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| June 6, 2014 |
But, we always bounce back. I hammered out the dents and put a fresh coat of paint on the mailbox and changed it up a bit in the process. It is now Blue with Clouds and sporting some Bees instead of the butterfly.
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| June 6, 2014 |
White Yarrow has taken off below the Mailbox, a Lily and few other things have been added to the area as well this year. |
| June 6, 2014 |
I am still on the lookout for a Clematis or some other type vine to climb up that Mailbox.
I have made a Positive from the Ice Storm. Here you see my Vitex flourishing by a new planter.
I took a few of the logs from the many downed trees we had from the Ice Storm and made a new Planter! By the time the logs rot, the Fringe Bush should be large enough to hold this area on its own. But for now, I shall enjoy my Red and White Petunia by the Vitex or Blue Bush as my parents call it.
Another Positive, the huge stump from the downed Willow Oak had not shifted at all since Feb.
And we were able to get it back into its upright position! It shall remain "as is" until we feel it is becoming a threat to our driveway.
The Saint had worked on this stump a bit as it was doing damage to the driveway. He removed a lot of the dirt from the root ball and also cut a lot of the root ball. We had some issues with this stump from the get go.
Our awesome neighbor and his tractor came to assist us with the stumps.
And after a bit of work, this stump was back in place as well. We shall have to do a bit of work on this part of the driveway. Hopefully we will be able to open up this side of our circular driveway soon.
This past Saturday, The Saint rented a log Splitter and he and I went to work.
He split the logs while I loaded, hauled and stacked the wood into the wood shed. Wow, that was hard work with high humidity. We put in about 7 hours if not longer.
On Sunday, a neighbor/friend came and split some wood for his wood shed. The Saint assisted him while I rested my achy bones. We still have some logs remaining and shall offer them to another good neighbor of ours.
Loosing all those trees was sad but they needed to come down or Mother Nature would not have dropped them for us. So I planted a new tree in their honor. Remember me talking about my "Yard Sale" finds a few weeks ago? Well, here was a bargain, a Maple Tree for $5.00! I planted it in the Semi-Formal Garden and hope she will shine some day.
It has taken us some time but we are slowly getting our Yard and Gardens back to normal. That was one Ice Storm that not only us but many are still talking about today. I do not want any MORE ICE DAMAGE, In the Garden...
Note: I am attending the GPS at McCorkle's Nursery today and have won a gift certificate! Hopefully, I can find something to go under the mailbox.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
You have been very busy! Good job and I am amazed you guys can do so much work in all that humidity down there. Have fun at the sale today!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking mighty good to me. That is a lot of wood chopping. I have several Japanese Maples popping up in the garden this summer. I am going to let them grow so I will have a few more. Fun to see how your garden is growing. Those huge stumps are interesting. Are you going to have them carved? I hope you get some rest.
ReplyDeleteevertyhing changes....so good so bad but the garde always has hope
ReplyDeleteI got tired just reading about all the work you've had to do since the ice storm! But it looks like you've recovered beautifully and now have some newcomers in your garden to watch over. I love the brighter colors on your mailbox - so pretty to look at! The garden is looking wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWow, you and the Saint have been one busy couple! Ice storms can do so much damage. It's easy to see the downed limbs right afterwards, but the longterm effects are not always apparent immediately, as you have found out. Glad your oleander recovered! I know someone else who would have waited to pull it out--me:) I had the same experience with two new azaleas I planted last year. I was positive they were dead, but I just hadn't gotten around to pulling them out. Lo and behold, a week ago they started sprouting new leaves! Sometimes it pays to be a procrastinator:) I love your mailbox!
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing the before and after layout of photos. Some things damaged but much coming back!
ReplyDelete