To-Do List: Landscaping
I've divided landscaping into two categories: one that will be done by contractors, and the other by me. The contract work will comprise dropping a few truckloads of dirt to fill in the depressed area along the south side of the house, where the septic system is located. Much of this area has settled and/or eroded, and needs to be raised as much as two feet in places. The stuff I'll do includes fine-tuning the land contours, planting, and gardening. As related in Yard Work, I plan to do a lot of "naturalization," whereby a variety of indigenous plants are incorporated into the landscape in aesthetic ways to create natural, self-sustaining gardens, something along these lines:
Change of Plans
At one time I had elaborate plans for landscaping. I'd thought of filling the space where the camper is parked now with stands of white paper birch—my favorite tree. The property in New Hampshire where I'd spent 20-odd summers was called Birch Knoll for good reason: the cabin was surrounded by hundreds of white birch. It was a stunning sight.
This I fear would no longer be affordable. However, nature dealt a cruel blow the winter of 2018 when the ice storm in March trashed several mountain laurel bushes, along with a couple of small trees, right along the line of sight between my house and the neighbors to the south.
Consequently I'll need to do something, so I think I'll plant a whole bunch of forsythia and let it grow wild. It would be especially nice to have that splash of color in the spring.