Two major events occurred yesterday. We took advantage of fine weather to tackle a project that had been on our minds for months. We cleaned out the utility room. Doesn't that sound like fun? No, I know it doesn't, but we are feeling a certain sense of accomplishment.
The utility room — home to the boiler, freezer, a shower stall where we bathe the dog and big houseplants, the laundry sink, a washer/dryer set, two indoor clotheslines, and a lot of storage shelves and cabinets — is also where the back door out to the garden is located. Callie loves to hang out down there by the back door in the summertime. She can hear what is going on upstairs and still be free to run outside when she pleases. It's usually cooler down there.
In other words, more than a little bit of dog hair and sand accumulates down there, along with a lot of other stuff (walking shoes, coats, dog towels, cleaning products, spider webs, and on and on). The best way to clean the room is to haul everything out, including rugs and various pieces of furniture. To do that, we need a day when we're pretty sure it won't rain. Yesterday was that day. Two vacuum cleaners and some cleaning rags got a real workout.
The second big thing that happened is that Walt ordered our new greenhouse. It was on sale for 20% off the regular price. Our landscape contractor, the one who trims the big long hedge and all the trees that need it every few years, is putting together a two-man crew to put the thing together, install a base for it to sit on, and set it up in September. It will be attached to the back of the house, and it will cover the back doorway. Exit from the utility room will then be through the greenhouse.
I'm not sure what will happen to the little greenhouse tent we bought and set up last spring. It saved our necks where the garden was concerned, because we had steady rain for nearly a month at the beginning of the growing season. Our seedlings stayed in the tent until nearly the middle of June. The new greenhouse will serve the same purpose, among others, and will be four or five times larger than the tent. The awning or marquise over the back door will have to come down.
The last two photos here show you the view looking out the back door. Nice weather has revived some of our roses. The trees are really green still, despite the recent spell of dry weather. The lavender is in full bloom and full of butterflies and bees all day long. You can kind of glimpse the vegetable garden farther out in the yard.
I can relate. Must do things. Don't want to.
ReplyDeleteMaybe after summer is over.....
Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. I think Benjamin Franklin said that.
DeleteMorning Ken...
ReplyDeleteI would suggest returning your little greenhouse to the spot by the potager.
It is a perfect transition point for hardening off seedlings...
Raise them in the new greenhouse...
but harden them off by taking them over to the mini one...
where it will be a lot simpler to begin the process by leaving the door rolled up...
and when you get to the "trays out during the day" stage...
you won't be tripping over them all over the the area by the back door!!
I can now see why you wanted such a, to me anyway, narrow one....
You would have had to do some major groundwork to fit a larger one in...you'll be able to let your whisty ramble gently over the top....
Good ideas, Tim. I hadn't thought about the light shade that the wisteria vine might provide. We probably will put the greenhouse tent back out my the jardin potager, where it will continue to be useful. And you are right, we don't have room or really the need for a larger greenhouse over the back door. We want to keep it in scale with the house, and leave space for walking around it on the gravel.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Ken and envious of you great weather. We must be on similar latitudes as we also have snow where our house is being built. The size of Trentham reminds us of our visits to the smaller rural villages of France, particularly the Loire. You have our very favourite season on the way -your area is magical in autumn (fall!!!). Keep well to you both - Leon and Sue
ReplyDeleteTrentham (pop. 1400) is about the size of Mareuil, our village. Saint-Aignan and Montrichard are bigger at between 3500 and 4000. Trentham is at 37º of latitude, and we are at 47º! But we have the Gulf Stream to moderate our climate. And we are at 150 or so meters of elevation, while Trentham is at 700 meters. That's a big difference. By the way, we Americans use the terms "fall" as in "fall colors" and "autumn" as in "autumn leaves" interchangeably. Best to you both.
DeleteThe new greenhouse looks ideal. In addition to sheltering plants, it will be a warm place to sit on cold days. Does that side of the house face east?
ReplyDeleteNo, that side faces west. We'll have to deal with heat issues inside the greenhouse, but I think we can work it out. It's not like we have long strings of sunny, hot days.
DeleteAwww, it's nice to imagine Callie hanging out down there, and running in and out when she wants to :) It's a great space -- cool to be able to see it.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for you about the new greenhouse!
Can't wait to get the greenhouse all set up. It might turn our to be a great feature during the winter.
DeleteWill you keep the wooden back door between the utility room and the green house or will you remove it, so that the door of the greenhouse becomes the new and only back door?
ReplyDeleteWe will keep the wooden back door because we can bolt and lock it. The greenhouse door can't be locked, as far as I know. We'll also keep the shutters that close over the back door, for added security.
DeleteGood decision. I would have done the same thing (hence my question)! Looking forward to photos of the 'construction' and final result. I'm sure it'll look splendid and that it will give you a lot of joy.
DeleteThe wisteria looks like it has grown quite a bit and your roses look lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe wisteria needs trimming, for sure. The roses have been a pleasant surprise this month.
DeleteA wisteria story. The house we bought in NY State had been home previously to 2 Master Gardners. You know, prizes won, flowers planted ... everywhere. So we had an ordinary house on a parklike acre . truly, there was wisteria climbing and every season and all except the worst of winter, there was something new blooming and brightening things up.
ReplyDeleteThe wisteria was a monster. I had gone in all directions. We discovered tendrils coming up in the Front yard !! the original plant/tree was in the back yard, with the house in between !
My husband would joke that we would wake with vines curling around us.. in our bed.
They are so beautiful though, even in winter when the twisted branches are bare.
Wisteria is one of those plants, like hydrangeas and roses and bay laurel hedges, that you have to prune back every year or even more frequently.
DeleteI love your idea of the green house entryway downstairs. You have the best idea!
ReplyDeleteI do think it's going to be nice and functional too. It will make our utility room warmer and less stark. Most of the year, we won't need to keep the back door closed during the day. A lot of our plants will be happy to spend the winter out there, getting the afternoon daylight and some sun.
Delete