Every day when the weather has cleared between showers and hail, I have been in my gardens cleaning out the detritus that has collected since autumn: branches, twigs, fir cones and leaves. So far I have removed about 900 lb (408 kg) to be recycled, and I am not yet finished. My 1/4 acre (.10 hectare) lot hosts 12 evergreen trees, 7 deciduous trees, a large stand of holly, at least 85 various shrubs (evergreen, flowering & deciduous) and innumerable ground cover and flowering plants.
This has been a labor of love for the 34 years since we had the house built. My landscape goals have been to create bird friendly grounds with perennial plants that provide a variety of textures and colors. With 8 fir trees in the back yard, I’ve learned all about shade plants! Below are two beauties in bloom right now.
In Lens-Artists post #241, I featured My Messy Garden, that looked like the view above. Here’s how it looks this morning, raindrop on the lens and all!
Spring cleanup is when I assess the health of various plants and determine what needs to be removed, transplanted and where I may want to add a bit of color or light. When that’s complete, I’ll add bark mulch, refresh the pea-gravel paths, pull out the stored outdoor furniture and relax!
Lindy Low LeCoq 
Beautiful photos, beautiful garden. 900lbs! That’s a LOT of detritus. š±š±š±
Thank you, John. Yes – a lot, gathered a bucket at a time. The only reason I know how many pounds is because the place where I recycle charges by the pound. They weigh my pickup when we go in (the beagles are always with me on these jaunts!) then weigh again when we exit. They also provide a small milk bone for each dog when we leave!
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Unbelievable, Lindy! Your garden is a labor of love…and I love that! What a beautiful, peaceful, hospitable environment you’ve created!
Thank you, Patti! Sometimes I think I was ahead of my time when I decided to stay home rather than go on extended vacations to very busy places!
Lovely photos for this week š š
Thank you, Cee!
You have created a beautiul environment, Lindy!
You are really making a contribution to a better world! Living in a less-temperate climate (hot, dry central Texas), my basic contribution is to have xeriscaped the yard. I can’t imagine hauling 900 pounds of debris! You are a superhero!
Not a superhero, Jill – just a garden steward with a conscience!!!
What an inviting environment. Thank your the tour around the yard. Great environment.
Thank you Donna. Not as creative as other posts, however I was working on the yard much more than on the computer!
As you should. I love yard work and have to MAKE myself come in from the yard. There is always something to tidy and bring back to life. And there is always a sense of aha when a little stem pops up even though you know it is supposed to.