Monday Garden Blogging

DSCF2592
Originally uploaded by viscountx

Over the weekend, the Viscount and the Chevalier did some yard cleanup. Along with lots of weeding, cleaning, and planting, they did some serious pruning of the bamboo stand that rests on one corner of the estate. Over the recent drought, many of the trunks dried up and died. The rains promoted lots of new growth and the old needed to be removed. They filled up 4 waste baskets full of dead bamboo. The lovely picture here shows some of the refuse they created. The grounds are not quite ready to exhibit to the public, but the Viscount is confident that he is making progress. To date, he and the Chevalier have not had tour buses show up on the paddock, but they know that it will only be days before the summer tourist season brings the throngs.

One of problems that is often a matter of great debate among the family is the whole pesky matter of Spanish moss. This air plant is a favorite of the Viscount. He enjoys how it drips from the live oaks on the estate and it creates a distinctly gothic mood in the environs. Yet, it is also a messy plant. When it is windy, beards of it blow off the trees and land on the lawn to create tufts of grey among the green. But it is also a native plant. It belongs in Florida and the Viscount is completely comfortable picking up the moss when it falls from the trees. However, some of the Chevalier's family find it particularly ugly. They have suggested that the Viscount get one of the grounds keepers to remove all of the moss from the trees. The Viscount compromised and he pulled the moss from the reachable areas, while leaving the moss to sway in the wind in the upper branches.