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Cleanup time!

Now that my herbaceous perennials have popped up, it's time to clean up the garden. This starts with chop n' drop.

Chop n' drop is basically what it says on the tin- chopping up unwanted/invasive plants and putting them in the garden beds to build the soil. Usually I let them dry out a few days then I'll add a layer of pine needles on top as mulch. My 'soil' is just sand with chunks of clay, degraded from being used as a pine plantation in the past. Repairing the soil and restoring biodiversity is my upmost concern for my yard, and sure, it would happen eventually by itself, but i prefer to help.

Once the garden beds are mulched, i can figure out what to add. I have a number of species I've added, but there's still a lot of empty space. This year i'm hoping to add milkweed, black-eyed susan, mountain mint, and wild sunflower. (trying to create a small list that is doable) Trees are also a concern, but any added would have to be next fall/winter. It's already too hot to add any now, transplanting in the heat leads to sadness and dispair.