Just a girl with a hammer
Blog URL:
http://justagirlwithahammer.com
My 1938 pre-war ranch was a foreclosure I bought in 2009. It had been vacant for four years and neglected for at least ten. There was half a garage door, a non-functional sink in the bathroom, a mildewing basement, the original furnace (which no longer functioned), a new roof but no gutters, and a cracked kitchen floor.
I'm fixing almost everything myself but my real passion is gardening.
Mo' beds, mo' problems.
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- Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Authors: Heather
Last summer Loree gifted me the retaining blocks she removed from her yard during the great Bishops Weed expurgation. They sat in a pile in various areas of the yard, collecting spiders and looking terrible. My ultimate goal is to replace all of the retaining stones in the backyard with the same stone I used on the new shade bed but...
I finally achieved what most gardeners can do in their sleep
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- Published on Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Authors: Heather
At last, my clematis bloomed. People in the northwest have clematis vines that are threatening to eat their houses. They are incredibly easy to grow, unless you are me.I have no idea what kind it is, as I planted it almost four years ago. I moved it a few times, then finally settled it next to my 'Moonlight' climbing hydrangea....
I'm done with High Country Gardens
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- Published on Monday, 20 May 2013
Authors: Heather
I placed an order with High Country Gardens back in March. The plants are intended to go in the entrance to my yard, which is currently a weedy, awful mess.They charged my card at the time of the order, which is fairly unusual for mail order nurseries (in my experience). I should have received my plants the week of April 15th. That...
I want an oompa loompa NOW.
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- Published on Friday, 17 May 2013
Authors: Heather
I have a number of projects that I want to take care of this summer. A lot of them hinge on other projects, like bumping out the fence on the west side of the house. This area, which I call "the lab," has been taunting me.
I'm planning on removing the sod here, possibly edging the plants in stone, then replacing the sod with cedar...
Garden bloggers' bloom day May 2013
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- Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Authors: Heather
My garden is awash in purples, blues, and pinks right now.
Salvia nemerosa 'Caradonna'
Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies'
Rhazya orientalis
Parahebe perfoliata
Allium christophiiAllium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation' and Syringa pubescens spp. patula 'Miss Kim'
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Senecio stellata 'Giovanna's Select'
Echium candicans 'Star...
Cliches and lawn care
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- Published on Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Authors: Heather
I don't believe in the adage that "everything happens for a reason" but I do really believe that entropy tends toward the good and there will always be something good that comes out of bad. I really wanted to level the back lawn this fall after hearing Maurice talk about it at the Yard Garden &Patio show. I was totally ready to...
Good fences make angry neighbors
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- Published on Monday, 13 May 2013
Authors: Heather
It was really hot this weekend, so rather than enjoy our deliciously cool house, we decided it would be a good time to put in the fence posts on the west side. There's nothing like digging really deep holes and struggling with bags of concrete when you're concerned about heat stroke.We're bringing the fence forward just enough to...
Happy accidents
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- Published on Friday, 10 May 2013
Authors: Heather
Last fall I planted two types of Camassia in the rain garden, one blue and one white. I thought they would bloom together but the blues popped out in April and the whites are just now opening up.Thank goodness for these kinds of misunderstandings. It's so much nicer to enjoy them individually.
Also filing under things-I-didn't-know,...
Waiting on butterflies
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- Published on Monday, 06 May 2013
Authors: Heather
I've planted what feels like a thousand butterfly nectar plants in my yard but I only seem to see cabbage whites and skippers. I've got milkweed and agastache, allium, aquilegia, sidalcea, mahonia, and solidago. I've got arctostaphylos and ceanothus, ribes and spirea.I've got basking sites, in the form of the large flat...
Bad ideas
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- Published on Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Authors: Heather
Do you read Hayefield? I came late to discovering Nan Ondra's site so I've had the pleasure of losing myself for hours in the archives. She's been doing a series on annual events, which have been nothing short of inspiring. Like any normal person, I sometimes become irrationally obsessed with a plant and I need to have it. This has...
