Path, weeds, moles

Even though I've just recently done this, it's time for another collection of mini-topics.

Starting with a simple solution to a problem I've lived with for at least two years.

***

Although this path from the driveway down to the backyard is steep, it's the easiest way to get down there. So I use it a lot, the grass doesn't grow here, and I'm left with a muddy path when it's wet outside.

While working on the pond I got tired of the mud (and almost slipping, even with my hiking boots on), so I mulched it.

I would have done this a long time ago, but I thought the mulch would actually give less traction than the bare grass or soil. I was wrong -- the path feels much safer now with the mulch.

I like the way it looks too. It doesn't extend all the way down to the pond, just to the point at which something starts growing (a mixture of grass and alternate lawn plants). I'm pretty sure now that I want this path to stay clear of grass, it will kick into high gear and do its best to cover the path.


Speaking of mulch, I filled the trench around the bamboo finally:

Well, partially. I ran out of mulch.

One thing I definitely have not run out of is this weed:

It's all over the back part of my yard, and in my neighbor's empty vegetable beds too I noticed. After some amount of Internet research, I finally found that this is bittercress, and the ripe seed pods explode and fling the seeds a pretty substantial distance (hence its other names: pepperweed, shotweed, snapweed). After reading this I remembered that I pointed this amazing ability out to my neighbor in his veggie beds last summer, touching several pods as we both watched them explode. Fun at the time...

We're both going to have to keep these from going to seed again or this will be the most common plant either of us will be growing for the next year or two.


Finally, an example of how quickly moles can undo work in the garden:

These flagstones were in place for just one night before a mole plowed through the area, and ended up outlining several of the stones and uprooting one of the small sedges I planted. This will be much more of a problem after I plant around the stones next year, but now it's just slightly annoying. No real harm done.

With not much else going on outside now this is a good time of year to focus on catching some moles, and I think there are a couple loose in my yard right now.


So there you have a few unrelated topics. Hopefully I'll regain my focus tomorrow.

.