How it is already the middle of July? Honestly, does time always pass this fast, or this is a Covid-19 phenonium? I am just now getting finished with planting for the summer season- the latest I have ever been. With no garden tours or parties planned I suppose my motivation to do things is tempered. Add to that the exceptionally cool, wet, LONG (wonderful) spring we enjoyed and maybe I have a few viable excuses for being a month late in 2020. Nonetheless I am pleased to have this border planted, so I can feel as though the summer foodscape planting is complete.
Of course, you know as gardeners, there is no such thing as “complete”. With every season, change is inevitable, and this border is no exception. It has transitioned dramatically over the past 10 years.
When I moved here in 2010, the entire back yard was lined with 40’ tall Leyland Cypress planted sometime in the mid 1990’s. There were 32 trees on each side, planted only 8’ apart. These over grown “living fences” were totally out of scale (remember, you only need shrubs to about 14’ to screen yourself from your neighbors!) and were showing signs of decline, but dealing with these giant evergreens was daunting and EXPENSIVE! Instead of doing what needed to be, (aka remove them ALL before we started garden construction) we opted to develop the borders with a large collection of rare trees and shrubs that I had propagated. Planted in 2011 as a long term replacement for those awful Leyland cypress, these “collector borders” started to grow into themselves, and even served as a back drop for my first book cover, The Foodscape Revolution!
For a few years the Leyland really were an ideal green back drop… UNTIL THEY WEREN’T. During a spring thunderstorm in April 2014, the Leyland’s planted on the north side of the property fell, forcing us to deal with the inevitable. As you can see below we were left with a blank slate.
And then, in fall of 2016, courtesy of Hurricane Matthew, the south border of Leyland Cypress fell into our neighbors yard, and even onto their house! Luckily there was no serious structural damage, but we faced the expense and stress of re-defining our backyard, yet again.
Once the trees and stumps were removed, a sandy, blank slate awaited. This south facing border gets FULL SUN ALL DAY and would be in ideal space to foodscape! With dreams of future harvests, we set out to redevelop the border. Step one: move 50 yards of compost to get the bed prepped properly! Step two: build a small section of fence to match the other side and to serve as a backdrop for a parking pad.
In the 4 years since the Leyland Cypress were removed, this space has provided hundreds of pounds of food each season! It also plays an important role in ecosystem development and pollinator habitat. By seamlessly weaving trees, shrubs, perennials, annual flowers, and food crops together this foodscape truly offers year round beauty and bounty.
The 2019 summer planting was magnificent and served as a privacy screen that we could harvest from!
I look forward to sharing updates as this garden grows over the coming months. And remember, its never “too late” to get your garden growing, No matter what the calendar says, there is always an opportunity to grow something. (Especially here in zone 7!)
Great news, the seed sown just 4 days ago is ALREADY GERMINATING!
Soon there will be corn, okra, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini to harvest! I love Foodscaping :)
Here is a foodscape update on Monday 20 July- the hottest day of the year, so far!
Wishing you the best! Stay cool, stay healthy and enjoy your garden to the fullest- Brie