Final frosting leads to garden maintenance

Nearly one month after we started the project clearing garden one we are entering into the maintenance phase. There are still projects we want to do but those can wait until the end of summer or at least the end of Iris bloom time

One thing about working in this garden is learning about plants. This garden not only has Irises but also a Larch, two Birch trees and Cotoneasters ("kə-ˈtō-nē-ˌa-stər"). Many of the plants in Alaska are in acidic soils. The irises, and other plants in this garden, do well in this type of soil. The Larch and Birch are so lovely with the "frosting" laid down and we can now see the rocks scattered throughout the garden

My partner spotted two guys across the street removing gravel from an area; she quickly ran over to ask if we could have the gravel for our garden. God, or the universe, was listening when we were talking about putting down rock near the drain area.

A few minutes later they are laying it down for us. We not only managed to save some money and time for us but also for these fellows. 

The bushes are coming in nicely and the mulch looks awesome. 

Before we laid the mulch down, we had to dig out some stumps. In the fall there may be a few more to remove. 

The final look for the newest rocks but may have to spread them out a little more to blend with the rest of the design. 

A picture commemorating the start of the maintenance phase of the garden.