Re-thatching a nesting platform, or what to do with spent Hosta stems.
.
Midsummer is a time for trimming the hedge, deadheading flowers, and harvesting vegetables. It is also a good time to re-thatch one's roof - imagine a hearty Julia Child laugh right now.
.
I cut up the stems of the Hosta flowers that I had cut back and use them to re-thatch the roof of the nesting platform I keep as Our Lady's shrine. Then I take the twigs from my hedge pruning, split them in two, and nail them in place to secure the reeds tightly. The photos are self-explanatory.
.
Each winter the birds and Mr. Squirrel pull the dried thatch out, requiring that I repeat the process the next summer. It only takes about 20 minutes to do.
.
(The statue is wood and has been with me for 30 years - always outside in some sort of shrine, this year squirrel is throwing her out so I will replace the figure with another that the critters can not chew on. BTW - that is me in the last photo. You can see my big toe if you look closely.)
No comments:
Post a Comment