My concept for the area between the stream and the fence is that it contains year-round interest, and it never needs mowing. This means focusing on plants that keep their structure throughout the winter, as opposed to most of my garden plants which die back to the ground. I decided to install a mulched garden at the top, and a gravel garden below.

I’m also hoping to reduce the amount of weeding it needs… because holy hell look at this mess:

In one of my all-too-frequent moments of garden despair and frustration, Michele came over to help. For those of you who don’t know Michele, she’s my friend & neighbor, and she’s a powerhouse in the garden. She frequently shares her divided plants, and everything in her care seems to flourish. See for yourself:

It started as just a little. And a little more. And a little later I mentioned that my back had started to ache… and Michele said, ‘Yep - mine too!’ and didn't miss a beat slamming the shovel into the weed pile. She’s a machine. We got the entire thing done in one go.

We decided to use plastic tarps to smother the established grass at the top of the stream.

Then the waiting.

Grass at the top of the slope is adequately smothered, and I’m tired of looking at the ugly tarps. This is where the elbow grease takes over.