Mission Accomplished!

 My priority for this year, was to cut down each & every one of the horrible, Autumn Olive.  The thorns are nasty, branches sucker almost quicker than they can be cut & the fruit spreads seed via the birds.  I love shade, but after walking the south side of the marsh, I counted more than ten separate shrubs, overwhelming the entire area.  Getting them cut down & treated, would at least stop their rampant growth.

The marsh - looking west~

 When I cut the last of them - I let out a big Yippee!  I'm thankful that they didn't get started in the timber or anywhere else along our section of the creek.  The marsh runs from east to west, laying between the hill that drops down from the south fence of the backyard & the rise before Tinkle Branch Creek.  I'm moving pieces of broken concrete (dumped years ago) & placing them as stepping stones.  The Cottonwood, who's large trunk you can see on the left, grows on the edge of the creek bank.    It didn't seem as though we had much rain this summer, but the ground is still wet in the marsh & the timber too.

Looking west - piles of slash~

 May, my Mother's Day present is in the photo below. A Ryobi reciprocating saw is the perfect tool for cutting all the branches.  As you can probably tell, it's already gone through a few blades & a whole lot of brush!

My saw/zall~

 Way faster than hand pruning it cuts through just about anything except the really big stuff.  When it does bind up, the vibration is no fun.

Opening views~

 The open view from the deck - makes the work worthwhile. The Cottonwood is already loosing leaves...  I'd taken down the honeysuckle along the fence earlier this spring.  The marigolds love getting more sun & the Zinnia's are now taller than I am!  Linus suggested that I plant Zinnia the length of the fence next year. In the middle, where I'd seeded behind the marigolds, they completely hide the fence.

Edible Elderberry!

 The Elderberry have done surprisingly well!  The berries are much smaller than the non-edible varieties of Western WA, but very sweet!  The birds are quicker to get them than I am.  Next year I'll be ready for making jam. 

Flower garden at the Timber's edge~

Another on-going project to remove the honeysuckle from the timber - is starting to show progress too.  I moved two huge piles of dry branches cut in March, down the hill.  Now, from the front yard, the view through to the timber is open.  My red Pelargonium's have bloomed non-stop & are resistant to Japanese Beetles.  They're bigger, thicker & doing the best they've ever done! I'll be bringing them in before long.

From a roller coaster ride of hot to cooler days in August, we're now experiencing a wave of heat & humidity.  86 degrees yesterday with the humidity at 72%  was no fun at all!  Next week we're forecast to be in the 90's again.  I'm Really looking forward to fall!