We began rehabilitation on the property in 2020. While the land had clearly been loved and well maintained by an avid gardener in the past, it had suffered from neglect for many years and was overrun with invasives.
A very large section of Japanese knotweed is in multiple years of what will likely be a 10 year treatment. We continue to battle buckthorn, privet, and tree of heaven, especially in the wooded area. Weeding is a never ending season here. We have committed to the slow process of remediation of these invasives and replacement with a mix of natives, perennial food-forest, and more traditional English cottage style gardens, and of course, as many flowers as possible for our beehives.
Our one third acre lot includes just about every habitat. Nestled in a valley between hills we have high and dry areas all the way to wetland-like spaces. A small wooded area has required some aggressive stewardship due to the loss of big trees and an invasive takeover. We are in the process of converting it to a Maple/Oak/Hickory food forest with foraging plants as the undergrowth. Much of the property edge is in the early stage of becoming a mixed food hedge. We have various fruit trees and berry bushes producing throughout the growing season and food focused planting interspersed in many of our different growth habitats.
We have worked to build our landscaping as frugally as possible. Relying on “splits and starts” of many plants as well as rescuing end-of season or on-sale plants and trees has required patience and extra care as the plants take years to reach maturity. We have relied extensively on the Buy Nothing Project as well as a “shop your home/property” mindset.
Each year we pick a new section of grass to kill with cardboard and mulch and pick an area to focus on pulling order out of the chaos. We are “lazy gardeners” because we don’t have the time and capacity to do otherwise. We don’t always fully prep the ground the right way for seeds, and sometimes we just see what wants to take root in an area. Some seasons the weeds go to seed. Sometimes plants don’t make it or a garden plan doesn’t take shape, and we start over. Sometimes the bunnies, deer, and pesky woodchuck make fools of the plan, but slowly the roots in the ground are paying off. Perennial groundcover keeps down the weeds or a new bush puts out berries for the first time.
We would love for you to come visit us. There will be kid’s toys all over the yard. There will be areas overrun with weeds, and projects in their early, “ugly” stages. There will also be flowers, bees and butterflies. There will be fruit ripening on the trees and vines, and beautiful areas showcasing what years of love and care can do for a habitat. We’d love to share the beautiful chaos with you.
