Early Spring Pruning--February at A Thousand Hills Farm

Hey Y'All! During my last stay at home in between trips to help my Mother-in-Law with her battle with lung CA, there was a LOT to do around our place!...It was time to prune all of those plants that were still dormant while I had time:) The variegated privet along the pool fence was WAY overgrown!...Several feet above the fence top and into the deck area! I went ahead and pruned it back fairly severely, as they can take it pretty well, and figured I wouldn't have to fuss with them for the rest of the year. The deck will need to be pressure-washed this year, as the wood hasn't been weatherproofed in the last few years, and unsightly mildew has grown on it as well as the white vinyl lattice which forms the walls. That is a project for a sunny, warm day in the not-so-distant future, maybe this next trip home? Also, the crepe myrtles around the property, (I haven't counted how many we have...roughly about 25...) needed to be trimmed back. I used some of the nearly 10ft. long spires to form the pole bean tee pee in the previous post...Just to the right of the above photo would be the gate entrance to what I call my "secret garden". The tree in the foreground is a redbud, and I am hoping to see it in full purple/pink bloom when I return for this next week. This is the tree that I hang my hummingbird feeder from. There are delicate, yellow,Japanese(?) irises along the picket, along with butterfly bush, assorted lillies, rose of Sharon, nandina, and several other grasses and plants that I am still unsure of!! The previous owners of the property who planted all of these wonderful things spent 20yrs creating all of this!! They don't live too far from us, and came by after we moved in to show us some pictures of the house and property through the years...It was so neat!! She was very happy that someone bought the place who appreciated it :) It was sort of likeI imagine the Isrealites felt going into the Promised Land as I kept/keep discovering new things that they had planted...Literally eating of the crops that we had not planted...Drinking from cisterns that we had not dug. Thank you God for allowing us to find/purchase this little corner of Your green earth :) I often walk the property, or just find a place on the upper portion, and look out and dream of the new earth when all things will be made right and Jesus will be our King among us forever!