We’ll settle for a photo of an indoor plant until all the green things coming out of the ground get a bit bigger. And there are so many green things sprouting up here and there and everywhere (including weeds!) I bought some mulch yesterday and this morning, I will start adding it to the big garden bed. I’ve trimmed the boxwoods and cleaned out the debris in the bed in front of the porch. There’s much to do, of course, but every day I get a bit more done.
We got our new wheelbarrow, which helped enormously as we dismantled the raised bed by the kitchen door, which has been there since before we moved here. The sides were made of railroad ties and the wood had rotted so much that they were barely staying in place. Dismantling it meant shoveling out a lot of soil and depositing it up in the woods – several trips with the wheelbarrow. I’m not sure what I’m going to do there now – I’d love to buy some sort of sizable galvanized tub in which I could plant some hollyhocks and lavender – the plants I routinely had in the raised bed. A vintage tub would be even better. But they can be pricey and pricey won’t float this year!
Today – hallelujah! – it’s going to reach 75 degrees and be sunny most of the day. Of course, the obligatory thunderstorms will follow, but the trade-off is worth it. I see tiny leaves on the maples, the hickory and other trees up in the woods. The big bush in the garden bed is in full leaf and the danged brambles are too, which means I have to do some trimming – which is putting it mildly.
All in all, a nice day to work outside.
Happy Tuesday.
glad you have the new wheelbarrow to make work easier.
know you’ll come up with just the right thing to put by your kitchen door. an old tub sounds great!
i know you can appreciate them all, but which season do you prefer the most? i am wondering if it’s spring because you can see green sprouting everywhere and get a chance to do all that gardening work (brambles aside)? or is it summer when almost everything is in full bloom and weeds just need a little tending … or fall when there’s lots to enjoy, it’s not so hot for yardwork and nothing has to be brought in for over-wintering and fills your kitchen table? i am thinking we need to leave winter off that list for you … haha!
happy tuesday!
kathy in iowa
I love spring, but it involves a lot of physical work that isn’t necessarily fun and many of the garden chores are just plain hard work – summer is best because everything is in bloom and I love that.
well, as someone who doesn’t garden, but appreciates the outcomes(vegetables and flowers), thanks for putting in that hard work. you, don and others get the enjoyment … and so do i via your photos!
kathy in iowa
xoxo
My daughter goes to college in Amherst and she texted me this morning very excited because she’s not wearing a coat today!
I was in a t-shirt! It went up to 78 here today. Tomorrow, back down to the 60s but I’m not complaining!
It’s the start of a nice week, weather-wise here, too, Claudia. I’m going to do some garderning (trimming, light pruning, weeding) then meet my college chum for coffee later this afternoon. She’s the only friend I’ve kept in touch with from college days (besides the college friends who started as middle and high school friends), and happily, she lives nearby. Everything outside has exploded, and the Spanish lavender is in full bloom.
The hummingbird babies are growing. I’ll send you a recent photo from this past weekend. We had a really intense and prolonged wind a couple of days ago, and I feared for the nest, but Mama did an excellent job constructing it.
So glad the babies are doing well, Wendy!
What a coincidence; my husband just dismantled a rotting wood raised bed planter over the weekend and got a lot of the bad wood into the garbage collection today, utilizing the dirt elsewhere in the yard; like, you, we too had a lot of rain this past ‘winter’ in SoCalif, such a diff from the previous ten years, and the wet took its toll in our yard on a lot of things.
I hope you’re having a productive outdoor-garden day in the warmer weather; don’t overdo!
These rails have been rotting for a long time – the combination of rain and snow eventually ruins them. Thanks, Vicki.
Sounds like a lot of productive yard work!! We dismantled one of those beds w/ the rr ties last year. So happy we did. That rotted wood is not pretty to look at. Rustic it is not.
Have you tried looking at a Tractor Supply type of store for a tub? I know it would be new and shiny, but there are lots of “recipes” out there to fix that, or after a couple of years it will just happen. They are not too expensive in those stores compared to vintage or antique stores.
We had the rain last night. It is quite cool today but sunny, and then a bit warmer the next few days. Our maples are really budding out. I swear on Sunday we could almost see it happening when it was 80*. The lilacs are bursting, too. Hope you have a fun day!
That is exactly what I was going to suggest.
The only blooming are the pussy willows, but they are delightful!
Rain and the S word for tomorrow. The rain I don’t mind, but the s word I’ve had enough of til next season.
As I said to Chris, I already thought of that and checked yesterday. They’re pretty expensive at Tractor Supply and other farm supply stores.
Thanks, Trudy!
Yep. I looked there yesterday – as well as other supply stores. The price for the size I would like to use is quite high.
I actually think a slightly battered vintage planter might be cheaper.
Thanks, Chris.
We had our 75 yesterday — must be going east! You don’t want what came today!
The tub would be GREAT!
Tomorrow is going to be fine here – but it will be in the 60s. We’ll get some rain tonight. Thanks, Jeanie.
Claudia, can you tell me the name of the plant in your picture in this post? There are two in a container garden I was given and I’m not familiar with it at all. Thanks in advance! So happy you’re finally getting to enjoy some spring weather.
Sherry in Little Rock
It’s a ZZ plant, Sherry. Extremely easy to care for.
Be thoughtful about buying a tub. Many leach zinc into the soil and in the summer they get so hot that the roots of the plants almost cook to death. Just plant your hollyhocks and lavender with your usual amount of love and they will bloom beautifully. I am looking forward to photos of your pretty garden. Your hard work will pay off with a profusion of blooms and butterflies.
I’ve been planting in a galvanized tub that sits on the funky patio for years. No problems. And that area gets a lot of sun. Hollyhocks may go in their own pot. We’ll see. Thanks, Nancy!
Hi Claudia, I had to take apart a disintegrating garden bed and decided the best option for me this year was to gather rocks from the woods and use them instead of wood and I think I am very pleased with the result, and just might keep it this way. I wish I had a big ole stockpile of huge rocks but if I did, they would be of no use to me because I couldn’t lift them. Happy Spring!
I’ve used up my rock quota. Every bed on this property is bordered with rocks I’ve found here. I think I’m all out!!
Wow, you’re really getting lots done. We haven’t hit 75 here yet, but it was warm eough to spend time re-potting several large house plants, including the Peace Lily from dad’s funeral in 2016 which was still in the original plastic pot. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time, so it feels good to have it done. Just being outside feels good.
I need to repot my parents’ snake plant – but that’s a big, big job!
We had nice weather here today too until the rain came later in the afternoon…I got some pots ready to plant…A galvanized tub would be great by your door!
We got a little rain last night. Today is cooler but wonderfully sunny!
Weird weather has been getting too common. Yours has been arduous. I am so very pleased that you are out in your garden. Plants do come out when they want to. Your photographs show how lovely they are
My garden is a place for me to relax and I do enjoy the work. The loss of trees give us a chance to try something new but I dislike seeing a tree die. One fell into our garden and we still have not been able to remove it. We might need to burn it ourselves.
It is good to hear that you and your husband so enjoyed the time you had with your mother. Such a gift!
It is my place to relax, too. I understand! Thanks, Mary.