Thought I'd give everyone an update on what has been occupying my time, taking me away from quilting. The graphic below is pretty much on target - clearing ivy around small trees - though I'm usually more covered up to protect myself from scrapes and ticks.
I briefly shared this project back in December on a Midweek Makers post, when we purchased a property within an hour's drive for my son to rent from us. Little did I realize how much work this property needed due to all of the ivy and dead trees!
Above is a fig tree covered in ivy.
Here's that fig tree from a few weeks ago and it currently has fruit on it!
We've made impressive progress in clearing our 0.55 acre of ivy, though there's still a lot to go. With all of the vertical ivy, dead trees and about a third of the ground ivy gone, views have opened up, fruit trees are thrilled to see the sun again, and now what's remaining is the rest of the ivy rooted in the ground - ugh!
Below are a couple before and after pictures. I've tried to take them from the same locations for comparison, though I'll say the pictures just don't do the progress justice. It's much more impressive in person!
Hard to believe there was a fence under all of that growth!
That fence continues around into the back of the picture and was completely overgrown. There was no view into the ravine behind it.
The picture below is taken from the side of the ravine, rather than a straight on as above. It gives a better perspective of the clearing involved.
And as of two weeks ago, that entire fence (up on the right) is gone and the ravine is within view from the rest of the yard.
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clearing land is hard work and ivy takes over horribly and you have to constantly take care of it. Will you try to completely remove it? my husband had luck with killing it with brush killer in one area of the land.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I don't have to tell you that completely removing the ivy will be an endless task unless you use a chemical solution. Even then, vigilance is needed to nip new invasions in the bud, so to speak.
ReplyDeletePat
Wow! You've really made a dent in all that overgrowth. You have more energy than I do. Glad to hear you take pains to protect yourself from bugs and such. Here, we have poison oak. Bad stuff.
ReplyDeleteCarry on...., Cynthia
Shew - that is a lot of work!! I like how it is coming together I don't like ticks!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the progress on your hexie quilt. The colors and the contrast make it so striking! You make such wonderful quilts. I can't imagine working so hard outside, we still have such low temperatures and hardly any plant life yet.
ReplyDelete