I have discovered a new neighbor in our backyard. I have not seen this neighbor yet, but I have seen the signs that they have moved in. A bird has taken up residence in the birdhouse I recently put up. It is always exciting to find these new signs of life in the yard.

I got the birdhouse and a trellis from the woodworker I mentioned earlier this year. You may remember the post:http://www.blogsmonroe.com/backyard/?p=1146 I think I will be seeing him again soon. I hope to add bat houses and maybe a few more bird houses to help combat the mosquitoes. I will have more on that soon.

I am also planning a butterfly house or two this year. I have discussed this with him as well. I can make these myself, and I probably will try a few. I will see the woodworker for a few also because of their quality. His will go in the front yard. My creations may be better suited for the backyard. I will see how things turn out.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

A friend just reminded me that The Backyard Gardener has recently passed its one year anniversary. Where did the time go? I have absolutely enjoyed bringing this to you. It still amazes me that I have received questions and comments from people all over the country.

I am trying my very best to keep things updated as regularly as possible. My new job has made things a little more difficult lately. But how can I complain about doing a job that I enjoy? I am working with plants and trees all day.

Many of my projects are nearly finished. This will allow me much more time to bring things to all of you. I have so many things to share in the upcoming weeks. I hope you will find them interesting and informative.

Thank you all for your continued support. I truly enjoy helping whenever I can.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

The mosquitoes seem to be out in full force already this season. I was amazed at the number of those critters that came after me today.

Now is the time to be certain there is no unnecessary standing water in your yard and garden. Weeds and brush that supply them with areas of cover need to be controlled as well. Bird and bat houses are ways to encourage the natural predators of mosquitoes.

I will be adding more detailed information on this subject very soon.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

What a beautiful weather week we are in the midst of. I am so glad for some nice weather because I have so many things to do. When it has all been completed there will be plenty of both stories and photos.

With all the rain we have received, just keeping the lawn mowed has been a challenge. I have been slowly getting the garden planted and I hope to have it finished soon. I am also working on a planter I created within a dead portion of a tree stump. It is simply waiting for plants to be added. I dug a tree from my landscape that will be moved to a new location. When that has been completed I will bring you the story and photos on that as well.

I am also waiting for drier weather to do some additional pruning of a large tree in the backyard. I want all that work done before I add raised beds in the area. I do not want to risk damage to anything on the ground, so the limbs will come down first.

Another thing on the list is a landscape project on the north side of my garage. I am also planning a gravel area for parking/storage on the west side. A few rain barrels for the area may also be in my plans.

I will probably spend some time working on the pond tonight. I hope to have it finished and going in a day or so.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

This will be the first of what I hope are many reports from my seven-year-old son Jarrett:

We planted morning glories and sweet peas. They are red, white and blue. We planted them next to our trellises.

I got a pine tree from ag day at school. I brought it home that day. The next day we planted the white pine tree.

Today I helped daddy build a bench. I hammered down some nails. I put the boards on logs to build a bench for our fire pit.

I hope you liked this post. Thank you everybody.

I think this is going to be a fun feature. He is daddy’s little helper, and enjoys telling everyone what we are doing.

We’ll see you in the backyard!

I try to make it a point to be chemical free in my yard and garden. Controlling Poison Ivy is where I allow myself some leeway. I just came in from spraying a chemical marketed specifically for controlling this backyard pest.

I expect to have good success with the application. The spray works best on young growth. The growth was still young and tender and will readily absorb the spray. The ivy was growing around a couple of trees in the yard and along the north wall of my garage. I was especially concerned about controlling the growth along the garage because I plan on a landscape project in that area this season.

There was one other spot that was an area of concern. There was some ivy that had sprouted up around my trellis in the front landscape bed. This was a perfect time to control it. The trellis will be supporting Morning Glory and Sweet Pea vines this season. The seeds have been planted and should germinate soon. I allowed the ivy time to show itself so it could be controlled. The seeds have not yet sprouted so they will not be harmed by the spray since it only kills on contact. I expect to see results very soon.

I would love to find an organic control for this pesky adversary. I have not yet found one that offers the results I am looking for. Does anyone have an organic remedy they use with success? Feel free to share with us. Thanks in advance.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Just recently we planted the Morning Glory and Sweet Pea seeds at their locations throughout the yard. This year they are red, white and blue in color. I said “we” because my youngest son helped me with the planting. He is seven and really enjoys being daddy’s helper.

He asked me the following while we were doing the planting. “Is this the Old Glory Mix?” He really enjoys the plants and flowers and absorbs every detail I share with him. He was right. It was the Old Glory Mix. I began wondering how many other seven-year-old kids are as interested as he is in plants.

I also wonder if others would like to read a few thoughts from the eyes of a youngster. I really enjoy hearing his thoughts on our outdoor activities.

What do you think? Would you enjoy the occasional post from a junior backyard gardener?
Please let me know what you think.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I hope you all had a wonderful day.

I accomplished quite a bit this weekend. I added a few new plants to the landscape and removed one from the landscape. There are quite a few projects in various stages of completion right now. They should be finished up soon.

Watch for the posts regarding some of these projects very soon. I will have pictures coming soon as well. Stay tuned.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I have mentioned this before but I think it is worth repeating.

Dryer lint makes a wonderful fire starter. We save the lint in a large zipper bag when cleaning out the dryer lint trap. A handful in the fire pit is all you need to get the kindling started. It works very well and it is free.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

This looks like a lot of fun:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Make-A-Recycled-Kite.aspx

I’ll see you in the backyard!