We planted three Bay Laurel trees along our backyard fence four years ago. I swear these trees have not grown an inch.

I read that Bay trees were slow growers, but these trees in my backyard are no-growers. If they would have grown just one foot, they would have provided a nice screen from the condos [...]]]>

We planted three Bay Laurel trees along our backyard fence four years ago. I swear these trees have not grown an inch.

I read that Bay trees were slow growers, but these trees in my backyard are no-growers. If they would have grown just one foot, they would have provided a nice screen from the condos across the street from our house. Just one foot.

The neighbor a couple houses down planted the tree in the background of this picture probably about the same time we planted our Bay Laurels. If we would have planted the same trees, we would have so much shade, privacy, and traffic noise reduction right now.

For our next house, I’m planting fast growing trees, and I’ll save the Bay trees for areas where I don’t want something to grow too much.

I placed all my gardening tools on the hood [...]]]> I’m trying a different way to train vines up a fence. Previously, I had screwed hooks into the fence and tied rose branches to them as the rose bushes grew. I’m going to try a new vine training strategy that will hopefully save time and look better.

I placed all my gardening tools on the hood of my husband’s car (shhhhh). I have plant ties (I love this little contraption), gardening wire, eye hooks, scissors, pruners, wire cutters (I used my carpet cutters because I couldn’t find my wire cutters), sidewalk chalk, a tape measurer, and a wrench.

I used the tape measurer and my children’s sidewalk chalk to mark where I wanted my eye hooks. Then, I screwed in the eye hooks, using my bare hands and then a wrench to twist them deeper into the wood. I then cut the gardening wire and inserted the ends into the eye hooks. I twisted the gardening wire on each side to secure it.

I pruned the rose bush and used the garden ties to secure the remaining branches.

Teddy helped oversee the project.


I’m also going to try training some of the branches to be ground cover. I used a plant stake to secure one branch to the ground.

This is how this area looks now in February. We’ll see how it turns out throughout the year!

This is Teddy, our Cavachon puppy (Bichon Frise and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix).