Ornamental gets a haircut

Oh, we're mental, alright!
Here's a clip about pruning ornamental grass:


Here, here, and here talk about pruning ornamental grass.
I'm not really sure the type we have in our yard. Not sure if it is pampas, or what.
Before in our yard, you can see a lot of dead fronds. I wanted to get rid of those so that new growth could push through:

Pretty much, you just cut it back with whatever you have. My father-in-law used a weed-whacker, then went back over it with some hedge trimmers.

After in our yard:

Baby daylilies

Check out my sumo hairdo!

I just smushed the dirt a bit

We bought two pots for the front of our house way back in the fall. They have been standing empty except for a few weeks when they had pumpkins in them for seasonal decor.

I bought two Leyland Cyprus trees at Lowe's last week. I placed the tree pots right in the decorative pots just to make sure I liked the look.

Then I took each cyprus out of its plastic pot and placed it in the decorative pot. The dirt clump was a little wide for its container so I just "smushed" the dirt a bit to get it to fit snugly in the urn.

I also think these will need to be watered regularly to the dirt doesn't dry out!

Sprinkle a little on top

I think it's appropriate that I named blog Sparkling Clover and I'm starting posting during St. Patrick's week.

I planted our first herb container garden. I'm hoping they grow! We use a lot of fresh herbs in our cooking and I would love it if they were "homemade."

I started with the sunniest place in our yard, because herbs need a lot of sun! Our backyard is bricked in, and right along the brick wall is where the sun lasts the longest.

I used two pots that were filled about halfway with Styrofoam peanuts. Filling the pots partway with peanuts keeps the container lightweight and easier to move later on. Also, it's a great way to use peanuts since they won't decompose for thousands of years.

Then I put some yard waste in the pot as filler. These were bunches of leaves that I had been cleaning out of my beds.

I covered that with Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Soil. Although I love that is was organic, it happened to be the only kind that Kroger was selling.

Next it was time to plant the seeds!

I sprinkled the seeds on a layer on top of the soil, then I layered some more soil on top with my Young Avenue Deli cup.

The one thing I'm a little worried about is I may have provided TOO much drainage. I'm afraid that the soil may dry out because there is such a thin layer of it. I'm going to need to be diligent about watering.

Hopefully I'm start seeing some little sprouts soon!