garden — Page 112

Green

May 2, 2018 at 9:31 am by Claudia

I decided to power through my lack of sleep yesterday. I added top soil to some of the garden beds and I mowed the front lawn (both sides). Goodness, I always forget that the first time is always the hardest! I’m not in my best lawn-mowing-shape yet, but I’ll get there.

The lawn slopes downhill and the land behind the house is on a higher elevation. That means that rainwater flows down hill and the grass gets really long – really quickly. I knew I had to mow soon or I would be dealing with constantly clearing a clogged lawnmower.

I took a break halfway through. I do love seeing a freshly mowed lawn and the spring greens that are popping up all over the property are so lush!

I came in, took a shower and laid low for the rest of the day. Today it will be in the eighties and I’m going to do some plant, topsoil, and mulch shopping.

I slept well last night, so I’m feeling much less ragged this morning.

I found the hyacinth bulbs a few years ago when I was digging a new garden bed on the side of the house. I had no idea what kind of bulb they were. They had been buried deep within the soil. So I took a chance and planted them in the big garden bed. Imagine my delight the first time they came out of the ground and I discovered they were hyacinths! They’re awfully pretty this year.

This is one of the Italian pots we purchased a few weeks ago. I’ve filled it with lavender, which should do well on the very sunny funky patio.

And here are the other two. I’m not sure what I will plant in them, but I’ll figure it out.

The pansies are keeping me going as I wait for my garden plants to grow and flower. They’re so darn cheery!

I hope your weather has changed for the better and that you are able to get outside and do some therapeutic gardening! Speaking for myself, it makes an enormous difference in the quality of my life. After many years without a garden, I started gardening in earnest at our rental in San Diego and then when we first moved out east, I asked my landlord if I could put in a little garden on the side of our rental cottage. Seriously, I now wonder what the heck I did all those years without a garden! Tended my houseplants, I guess. I still do that.

Happy Wednesday.

Buds

April 29, 2018 at 10:11 am by Claudia

Yesterday turned out to be warm and sunny. The thunderstorms and rain came in the evening. So, I got a lot of work done outside, continuing to clear the garden beds, cut back brambles – that sort of thing.

Today is cloudy and much colder. But by mid-week, we’re due for temperatures in the eighties, then back to normal. And so the pendulum swings back and forth. Welcome to Spring.

I was delighted when I saw that the flowering quince is in bud. That, my friends, is a sure sign of spring.

And then I turned to my right to check out the lilac.

Oh boy! With the warmer temps coming this week, these buds will be opening soon.

I’m so much happier when I’m working outside. That needs to be examined, because I should be just as happy when I’m confined to the house or when it’s snowing – again. It’s something I keep working on; finding joy in the everyday and letting go of perceptions and fears that keep me from that.

By the way, one of you suggested BritBox – a streaming service which streams British television shows. The suggestion came because Monty Don has a show that airs on this service called Gardener’s World. So I went for it. It’s a modest amount of money per month and I have been watching his show, catching up on it, and absolutely loving it. It makes me happy, I learn things, and there’s something about it which generates a peaceful feeling in yours truly.

Now, if I could only live in England!

Happy Sunday.

Wrestling with Mother Nature

April 27, 2018 at 9:09 am by Claudia

My journey into the land of poison ivy and brambles is temporarily over. I do have some more brambles to deal with on the other side of the house, but that will have to wait. We have a lot of poison ivy around here, coupled with old trees that have had vines snaking up the bark for years. I bought inexpensive pruners and some gloves and I did my best to snip all of those vines, which resulted in a lot of contorted body positions in order to get to the vines. It won’t eradicate the poison ivy, but it will temporarily stop the growth all the way up the trees. And then I threw the pruners out.

Brambles are a never-ending battle. But I did my best to cut them back where they needed to be cut back. I don’t want to eliminate them entirely as they bloom in the spring and the flowers and scent are heavenly. I wanted to cut them back where they interfere with walking the property and where they send up their shoots and envelop other plants and trees. My hands and legs have several little wounds from my attempts to wrestle with the brambles. To be expected.

All of which made Claudia tuckered out at the end of the day.

Today: rain. Tomorrow: rain.

And I have to recycle today!

A few photos taken in the evening yesterday. These are meant to give you an idea of what is coming up out of the ground. Hostas, day lilies, sedum and coneflowers. Don’t mind the leaves. Since I keep the leaves there all winter, I need more than one pass to get them out of the beds. I haven’t got a chance to do a second pass.

More day lilies and hostas.

This grass is so consistent. Always one of the first plants to come up in the garden, it has spread over the years. That’s a narcissus in the middle of the grass. And the hyacinths are in the distance.

Last night, at the end of a sunny day, I stood at the front door and looked out at the green grass and the gardens, watched the birds flying here and there, caught a glimpse of a groundhog (Henry?) and watched the reflection of the sunset in the waters of the river that is just across the street. Pretty darned lovely.

And Don is coming home on Sunday night. He really misses his home and who can blame him? Especially as winter has departed and spring is here.

Happy Friday.

Green

Buds

Wrestling with Mother Nature

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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