Butterfly

Trellis Header Up and Rafters In Progress

Trellis construction has been slow, but steady. With every additional element the structure looks better and better. The header boards are completed, the posts have been cut to length, and it looks like the structure balances well with the size and scale of the retaining wall below.

We left the posts to either side of the stairs taller than the rest, and we bought a pair of matching bird houses to mount on each of them. I love these bird houses which I found on BestNest.com. It was really hard to make a decision on which one to get because their selection was huge. I settled on these rooster bird houses since they fit with our rustic country feel, and I think their size, they are roughly a foot square and 19″ tall, should be about right for the space.

The next step in the trellis construction is the rafters. Ron has all the rafter pieces cut and he has started to mount them. They look great, and when we get the 1″ square purlins mounted above them the structure will be complete! Then the planting can begin.

The first flowers of spring are starting their show here now, even though our mornings are still occasionally below freezing. The Carolina Jessamines are covered in lemon yellow flowers that never fail to attract the first butterflies of spring. These pipevine swallowtails are here every day in force, providing me with a beautiful and lively view from my office window.

These pink Laura Bush petunias are lovely. They are more on the pink side than the more common purple variety, and their foliage is bigger and a much deeper green as well. I sowed these seeds almost a year ago, and they did not germinate until December. What a pleasant surprise it was when they finally came up. They should now reseed themselves every year.

Another pleasant surprise is the blooming of the mountain laurels in the courtyard. I have had these plants for over a decade and they have never had more than a couple of blooms on them at any one time. Well, this year they are covered in buds and if all goes well they will be full of gorgeous, fragrant purple blooms in the next few weeks. Amazing what a little drip irrigation will do.

Ciao for now.

© 2009 Lost Valley Gardens.