yard work as therapy

[joycenalex]

when i find that dealing with humans and their behaviors is getting to me, working in my yard is very theraputic. today i raked some leaves, and no matter how through i am in the fall, there are always more leaves from who-knows-where in the spring. i trimmed the ornamental grasses back and pruned the shrubs a bit. while there are hours of work ahead, just doing those 3 hours makes me feel more relaxed and reconnected to life. i'm starting year 4 of the five year backyard remake plan and some of the fruits of the second and third year are coming up nicely. i work at a hospital and seeing what one human can do to another can get me down somedays. this afternoon i discovered alex laying on a patch of sunny dry grass on his back, just enjoying the moment and peanut, the new dog likes to dig, just a bit...(hmm gotta remember not to let her see me transplant anything, she might need to help. :D ). we went for a walk after the main work was finished, both dogs are now snoring, i've had a nice bowl of homemade chicken veggie soup, and tomorrow i can go back, restored by the warm weather, and the promise of more yard work :) and flowers.

[lizbud]

Working around the yard is very good therapy for life's troubles.
It really works for me too. It's excellent therapy. :)

[joycenalex]

i bagged the 8 ft high ornamental grass for the recycle pick up on friday, and propped the bag against the house under the carport. it's leaning against my bedroom window, as i went to close the blinds, it shifted and i jumped a foot. silly me! ;)

[lv4dogs]

I love yard work, especially gardening. I also think it is a huge stress reliever, for me at least.

[kimboe]

ugh, i don't like yard work to much. Like cleaning it from poop.
But, i do accionally like setting up flowers to make it abit prettier. :)

[buttercup132]

I agree well not working but just playing in the yard with the dogs makes every thing better like even in the winter it just makes your troubles go and clears your mind. I did that yesterday when I found out about something stressful and I was so much happier after.

[joycenalex]

...so i'll be going out in a few minutes to do more raking. it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so i'm telling myself, this is the right thing to do..warm breezes, the dogs laying in the sun, yeah a real hardship.. :D

[joycenalex]

just 5 hours of work, and the yard looks 1000% better. and i'm sore and stiff, hot bath and tylenol here i come ;)

[Cataholic]

Oh, YEAH? Get in your car, drive 96 miles south, and I have a whole yard of therapy for you!!! :D

[emily_the_spoiled]

I am the same way with yard work, it can be very therapeutic. Over the last couple of years when I have been stressed at work I have worked in the yard. I have rented a chainsaw and cut down diseased trees, dug up tree roots, hauled in top soil and compost, plants lots of flowers, strawberries, raspberries, and other things.

I feel better and the yard definitely looks alot better

[JenBKR]

Oh, YEAH? Get in your car, drive 96 miles south, and I have a whole yard of therapy for you!!! :D

LOL I'll second that! I like to have a nice yard, but I don't really like doing the work. Some of it I don't mind, but when I look at everything that I want to do in the yard every spring I get overwhelmed and end up doing about half of what I planned to do :o I am hoping that I'll get better at it with time, but I'm not holding out much hope!

[Randi]

It sounds like a perfect day. :) I agree, it's very soothing to work in the garden, you get tired the right way - wish I had one right outside! OK, I do have a little allotment, but it takes half an hour to get there.

[Logan]

For me, working in the yard is the BEST therapy, ever, especially when my dogs and cats are with me. :)

[joycenalex]

Oh, YEAH? Get in your car, drive 96 miles south, and I have a whole yard of therapy for you!!! :D
these actions do have consequences...my low back and tush muscles, specifically the ones that are used when i sit are unhappy. today we're planning on planting the weeping cherry in the hole in the front yard. there was a 45 yr old old sugar maple where the hole was (tree removed, stump ground out) and i think the weeping cherry will look great there. i'm planning on some snow drops and lipstick red tulips around the base for fall planting. the remaining maple will be getting some sweet william (aka mayflowers, a ground cover that likes shade) around the base. the overly large prennial bed along the back fence will get 4 elijah blue fescue (ornamental grasses) planted in front of the bed, next to the yarrow ...which better take off this year or out it goes....so johanna, i'm pretty well 'therapizied' here...come north, bring jonah and you can help :) lunch and iced tea provided, and tylenol too ;)

[poofy]

I would love to have a yard to work in, I have lived here on my brother prop on the desert for over 10 years, now im moving to a small space in a trailer park and still no yard..aww even a few floweres would be nice..sigh...

[joycenalex]

here i go, one lavender plant for the front side bed, one flat of sweet williams for the shade bed alongside the patio, two flats of white impatiens for the back-of-house-next to the astible. on the first saturday of the month, for this year i'm planning on getting pictures from the same spot, so i can keep track of what is doing where and when. i discovered that garden gate magazine defined my obedient plants (pink sun lovers about 3 ft high) as garden 'thugs' 'cuz it can spread, so far no problems with them crowding the butterfly bush or the fountain grass. and i've got tylenol for later...hey johanna, you and your little cutie pie wanna come up? :)

[joycenalex]

lavendar planted, flat of sweets planted, serious pruning on pea shrub done, yard mowed, weeds wacked. i'm too tired for impatiens, off to hot bath and bed..nity night

[Miss Meow]

Have you been taking any before and after photos? What you're doing sounds just beautiful :).

We have a very long, hot summer which caused a fair bit of damage to the backyard plants. We've had some rain now coming into autumn and have been ripping out dead things and pruning alive things and seeing where the gaps lay ... just need more cash now to fill the gaps!

[joycenalex]

thanks! i'm planning on snapping photos on sat am. i'm going to join photobucket, so i'll post aprils and mays shots. i'm going to take them each month so i can keep track of what does well, and what needs replaced.
i want a yard where i can sit in the shade and relax with an iced tea, book and watch the dogs in the sun. :D

[Cataholic]

Joycenalex...I was thinking of you last night :eek:

I HAD, emphasis on the word HAD!, two overgrown, straggly foresthyia (sic) bushes in the back yard. My stepmom asked if I wanted her to 'trim' (emphasis on the word trim) them. Sure, I said. O.M.G. They were given a haircut like the military would do..he he he. It does look much nicer, and they were out of control, but, the left over branches? Yikes. It took me two hours each bush to separate, tie and put to the curb.

I was thinking, "now, isn't there someone in Columbus that might enjoy this"? he he he

[joycenalex]

..snicker..i'm dangerous with pruners. tonight, i'm cutting the grass, and hauling my yard waste to the curb for pick up in the am. ya know...you and jonah can come up here, he can chase the indoor cats, play with the dogs, we can drink ice teas (of both types ;) ) and plot the next yard jobs..

[sirrahbed]

I am enjoying this garden thread :)

I especially enjoy gardening in the spring while the weather is still nice and cool. I get out for awhile each morning and work on mine - yesterday I put out some lavender and more quarts of pinks. My clematis don't look very good - I never have much luck with them. I call my gardens "cottage gardens" because they are just a mixture of everything I like - with little attention to arrangement by colors or size :) Today I need to get out there, pull weeds and get some Preen down. Do you mulch in the spring to keep down little weeds?

I agree with Randi that gardening gives a good kind of tired.

I am located pretty much in between cataholic and joycenalex - is nice to know I have PT folks fairly nearby - too bad not close enough to share coffee and tylenol ;)

I will look forward to garden pictures!

[pitc9]

I love it too!!
I have a few rather large flower beds and they keep me busy all summer long!
The dogs also keep me busy keeping them out of the beds!!

[joycenalex]

i'm having knee surgery in july. i'm kind of on a time rush to get as much done as i can before july. i'll be sitting alot them, and admiring my work....gerber daisys may be going in the very back corner, but i'm also going to a garden sale tomorrow, so there might be changes

[joycenalex]

today, after i cut the front yard and 2/3 of the back, i planted some phlox and sedum. i'm getting excited, in a few weeks my pernnial beds will be finished!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

This is exactly why my hubby spends so much time in his garden! He has a very demanding and hectic job. That garden is perfect to make him relax!!!

[joycenalex]

with the major planting in the back yard. over the last week, with some help, i've planted coneflowers, ferns, hostas, astibiles, impatiens, bleeding hearts, coralbells, and the last five plants today- elijah blue fescue, an ornamental grass. when i bought this house i dreamed of perennial flowerbeds, so i'd have less grass to cut (HA!). the majority of the work is done, there will likely be some minor additions, but the biggest part is done! woohoo! time for an iced tea and a tylenol.

[lizbud]

with the major planting in the back yard. over the last week, with some help, i've planted coneflowers, ferns, hostas, astibiles, impatiens, bleeding hearts, coralbells, and the last five plants today- elijah blue fescue, an ornamental grass. when i bought this house i dreamed of perennial flowerbeds, so i'd have less grass to cut (HA!). the majority of the work is done, there will likely be some minor additions, but the biggest part is done! woohoo! time for an iced tea and a tylenol.

Congrats on finishing the job. :) Looks like your timing is right on target.
Good luck with your surgery.

[joycenalex]

i cannot go into any more plant nurseries, home depot or lowes. i've just spent another $20 on blue delphimen and miracle-grow. i need plants anonymous :p

[Logan]

LOL!! Joyce, I'm glad this thread was brought back up. Where are the pictures???

In March, I started "nagging" a little bit about needing to rent a tiller to get the garden tilled and make new beds in the backyard, once we got rid of the downed pine trees (ice storm damage), finished repairing the deck (where the pine trees crushed it) and had the fence mended. Well, I kept hinting that we needed to dedicate a Saturday, rent a heavy duty tiller and just do it. I think he got the hint! He and my daughter went to Lowe's to buy the supplies to rebuild the inside of her closet and drove up with a brand new rear tine tiller for me! Woo Hoo! He said "get to it"! And I did!!! I'm filling my new beds with perennials, too. I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I have a flat of coneflowers waiting on me right now and 16 pots of daylilies that this lady gave me, as well as numerous other things that my mom has given me. Next year, it ought to be in good shape!

Logan

[joycenalex]

*bump*