Our Work is Cut Out for Us

As usual, a return to Georgia means lots of yard work.  We have great neighbors who mow the lawns, but we realize every year when we return that we have WAY TOO MANY flower beds and way too little appreciation of the southern vines and their ambition.

Before

The fig tree totally collapsed this year from either the weight of figs or the weight of vines using it as a trellis.  Yesterday and today in the morning when it was relatively cool, we worked on clearing this out.

After

We finally realized this flower bed can be shortened by about half.  So we cleared out all the weeds, trees, and debris and planted the front half into lawn.  I didn't move the bird bath or flower pot, so you can see how much we eliminated.  It should be a lot easier to mow now also.

This flower bed between our houses is the next project - but it has to wait until tomorrow - too hot, too tired and too many gnats to work any more on it today.  I did get about four feet of it done before I had to give up.

Mom's flower beds are next - I think I even noticed some good flowers in this mess of trees. 

Meanwhile, Ron has the Kubota out and is mowing the road and the other lots.  They had weeds about 6' high throughout, but he's making some progress every day.

Georgia Flowerbeds Getting Some Love

This is what it looked like when we first got here October 6.

After a day or two of serious weeding, things are looking up.

Before look at Mom's front flower boxes

After  - the weeds are in a pile in front waiting for Ron to take them away.  Surprising how many hardy plants survived with little water and lots of competition for air and water from the weeds.

Best plants to thrive on neglect:  dianthus, creeping thyme, Gerber daisy, snapdragon and mums.

Honeysuckle vine on the edge of Mom's flower box is still in bloom and smelling wonderful.

Back in Georgia

The lake is really low.  It is about 6' below where it was on the dock before we left in April.

Does this look like a flower bed to you?  It looks like a ton of work to me!

We take the good with the bad - the Satsuma tree is loaded with fruit this year, so it must thrive on neglect and stingy water.

Mom's "dry creek bed" is more of a Sumac forest.  It will be beautiful when the leaves turn red if we don't get to it with the chainsaw before then. 

The house in the background is ours.  The cotton fields are in bloom, cotton bolls just beginning to form.  It will look like snow in a few weeks.