Native Habitat Landscaping Project

I cut these slices of logs with the intention of cutting a hollow in the middle, making a ring to go around my fragile saplings. However, this oakwood is freaking hard. Even with a baby chainsaw, it was taking a lot of time and effort just to slice. Then I remembered that several of my logs are hollow. I cut a few slices much more easily of those. After I got the rings in place, though, I realized that the hollowness might be due to a disease that I am now passing on to my American plums and my button bush. I really hope not. I hope it was oak specific.

When I sprayed a grass selective herbicide Clethodim earlier, I missed a few spots. I also purposely avoided the area that was inside the dog fence at the time. I am going to go back and tidy up the missed spots when I spray the areas that had been obscured by logs and branches. But I think I will leave this patch of turf grass for Sophie. She really does like nice soft grass to roll around in. I just mowed it and it took less than 5 minutes. There won't be any spraying for at least the next 4 days, since we are still having thunderstorms. It needs to be reasonably dry without a chance of rain within the next hour or two after spraying.

I went outside to do a little mowing and weed eating instead of moving my daily 5 logs. But I got aesthetically distracted and wound up moving many more than 5 logs. And not doing either of the other things. Why do logs look so much better standing up than lying down? Anyway, I straightened up the Little Free Library area, giving it more structure. The plan is to put vining or screening plants alongside the tall stump to help screen this area from the house. Some LFL patrons have reported feeling like they are being watched from the host's house and I don't want that. People should take all the time they want choosing a book. People should be free to sit down and read awhile. Two of the logs are about right for sitting on. They lean, though, so I've placed them to lean together. I may want to more firmly attach them, but so far they don't even wiggle.

I think of these as hedge skeletons. When I started pulling the Asian plants out of the yard, I wasn't able to remove the hedges. At the time I didn't have any saws equal to the task. So I pruned them down as far as I could with the yard tools I had. And that left skeletons. I rather like them. They're creepy. A few of them continue to sprout so I have to keep pruning the new leaves off. But most of them are truly dead now.

The yard grows gradually tidier as I continue moving five logs per day. I thought this log was crooked enough to not roll down the grade along the side of the house. I was wrong. Fortunately there is enough debris that I could wedge something under it. Rainwater pouring off my roof likes to dig gouges in the ground. Yet another job for logs.

It's common for people to confuse invasive with aggressive. It makes sense: if something is assaulting your landscaping and just taking it right over, It feels like an invasion. But an invasive plant is a one that's from an entirely different ecosystem. An aggressive plant is one that takes over and outcompetes its neighbors. This is spotted spurge. It's entirely native, but it's also wildly aggressive, and I want to be able to grow other things. So I'll be putting this into the weed classification and removing it from the landscaping.