Friday, July 12, 2013

DOES BUILDING A FENCE COUNT AS GARDENING?

NO! It does not!
But after 7 long years of the renters next door
patching up the holes caused by their 5 dogs, I finally decided to do it myself.
The rent house next door is now vacant and scheduled to be torn down.
***
To be honest,
I'd rather have no fence at all so that I could enjoy the beautiful eastern sunlight.
Most gardeners LOVE early morning sunlight since it is the best for plants and less intense than western sunshine. At least here in Texas.
But if I don't build a fence, I will have all sorts of problems with the property line
and with the builders.
Robert Frost, the famous poet, once wrote "Good fences make good neighbors."
The summer project and part of the tropical garden

One of my friends at church told me that during the darkest days of England and the attacks by Hitler,
Winston Churchill would go out and have his work staff teach him how to lay bricks for a brick wall
they were building. He did this day after day. He said it was the best therapy he could imagine.
I have to agree. I've solved a lot of mental problems while building this fence.
Fences also represent a visual symbol of progress. You can see day by day
what's been accomplished. 
Plus, I've finally figured out what to do with the space behind the storage shed.
I'm going to make it into a covered potting area with a work table, organized pottery, containers for compost and potting soil, and an area for my tools.
The perfect example of a narrow potting shed is at my friend Lucy's garden.
It's covered with a clear, plastic greenhouse roof so that there's plenty of light
and so that everything stays dry.
A beautiful picket fence in Chappell Hill, Texas

So, maybe fences do count as gardening after all!
At least it's got me dreaming about that potting shed.
That's it for today.
Thanks for stopping by!
David/:0)








4 comments:

  1. That's a tough job in a Houston summer. The fence looks nice and you are getting some good garden ideas like the potting bench area. I'd love to have a space like that.

    Fun story about Winston Churchill I did not know.

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  2. I agree with Robert Frost on fences. They tend to solve a lot of problems. 5 dogs?! The renters must be dog lovers. Or able to keep their sanity.

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  3. Yes, fence building does count. Gardening includes softscaping (the plants) and hardscaping (such as fences). (My husband says I can rationalize anything.) Glad you quoted one of my favorite stories about my hero, Winston Churchill. P. x

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  4. Yep, it does count as gardening. Nice work there!

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I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana