Okay. It's not actually the end of history; just the end of the "History of Iten's Acres" segment of this blog. As you remember (right?), the back of the property had just been bush hogged and now I had to decide what to do with all that space. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Three things had already been decided: a "show stopper" as one entered the "expanse," an orchard, and a wildflower area. Lots of things were still to be decided, and the make up of the area has changed over the years. Things added. Things removed. I'm sure there are still some changes to come. I certainly have a few things I would like to do.
The "show stopper" ended up being a pair of crab apples: one deep red, one pinkish white. The show only goes on in the spring, but as you enter the back through the path through the trees in mid-May usually, the first thing that catches your eye--or at least is designed to catch your eye--are two trees ablaze in color. They catch my eye, of course, but I'm looking for them. They are still young so the color splash should only get bigger as the years pass by.
The orchard is still growing. Katie used to be Thompson helped me get it started that first fall. I guess I should name it after her. Immortalize her. If my memory serves me right, it was a cold even snowy (?) day when we planted those first saplings. But my memory is not to be trusted. The first two trees were two "cherry" trees. Unfortunately, they bloomed and had fruit last summer for the first time, and the fruit looked and tasted an awful lot like pears. I guess I need to add some real cherry trees to the orchard one of these days. Also in the orchard are apple trees, blueberry bushes, raspberry and blackberry bushes, some dying peach trees (Surely, there is a brand of Yankee peach trees somewhere. I love peaches!), and a hazel nut bush. I need another one of those in order for it to produce nuts I think. Only the pear cherry trees have produced so far. I would like to add some peaches that won't die, and I heard that there is a Northern plum tree out there somewhere. When they all mature, I can fight it out with the birds and wildlife for pie making rights.
The wildflower area was easy to do--just don't mow it and let it grow. I do mow paths through it so that I can meander between them and enjoy them up close. And I do mean meander. There's little I enjoy more than a slow trek through the wildflowers. I have, in fact, let the area expand over the years and even added a little wild area detached from the main garden. I may add another one this fall. To be honest, I was stunned by the vast variety of flowers and grasses that just grow naturally in the area. And every year God adds a few new ones. Last year, for example, my gardening angels planted spiderwort and prairie coneflowers in the wildness. I suppose I'm strange but I delight in such surprises. It's a fascinating spot to spend some idle time year around. What? Yep, you caught me. I have added some flowers of my own and usually throw a bag or so of wild flower seed in there every late fall or early winter. You do know that the best time to throw in those seeds is after the first snow? They then go through the natural sequence of cold and wet that they go through in nature. The only unnatural things I've planted in here are hundreds of daffodils and a few hyacinth. The deer and other creatures ignore them, and they are not intimidated by the battle with the natural stuff already out there. Competition does not scare them. I expect that in a few years Wordsworth or one of his disciples will want to come, stand on the top of my hill, and write a poem about them.
I have added two other areas to the back acres in the last few years. One, despite the fear of deer, I put a flower bed in the back. It's made out of old cement blocks I found on the property. I hope all you Better and Homes and Garden folks aren't too aghast at my choice of material. And I did hedge my bets by putting it right up near the tree line--a hop, skip, and a jump from the back of the house. Well, I can't hop, skip, or jump anymore, but you get the picture. Close. I think if I ran at full speed, I could get there in a day or two. Only once have I caught deer starting to nibble, and I fired my .22 in the air and away they fled. Now, they're hop, skip, and jump experts. And a rabbit was chewing on my phlox in there last summer. He is no longer among the living, and it appears he did not pass on the information in the genetic code of his ancestor. He, too, is no longer with us--the tulip muncher has met his end. Nope, not a single regret. It's a lovely bed by the way: daffodils, iris (of course), phlox, coneflowers, lilies, tulips, corydalis, monkshood. Beauty from early spring to frost.
The other new addition is the Rock Pile. It, too, is gorgeous, especially right now in early spring. The thrift and the creeping phlox are spreading like crazy carpeting the area. And there are some daffodils, iris, lilies, balloon flowers, and coneflowers as well as other stuff in here as well. I enjoy it immensely. Even if in the winter it is just a pile of rocks.
The main thing I would like to do back here is add some decent size trees--not many, just a few. I've tried small ones but they don't last long. Dinner for the deer and ground hogs. Thus, the need to get some trees a little more developed than the sapling stage. Time will tell. As for now, I just spend some quiet time sitting on the green throne at the top of the hill, taking in the beauty and the silence, feeling the breeze, and dreaming of what the next few years will add to the History of Iten's Acres.
