Garden Progress

Every 7 - 10 days I walk around the garden and take pictures so I'll have a record of what's where and bloom times. After a year with very little time in the garden I've found that while I still could identify most of my plants there were a few that I wasn't certain of and older pictures helped. The old pictures also solved a couple of cases of how did that get there!?

I've started to make some progress in taming the weeds. Some beds are looking better than others. In a couple of instances I've had to dig out everything to get the weeds out. I've separated out the roots and replanted the plants I was able to save. I will be doing lots more of this :(

I took 90+ pictures yesterday but I'll spare you and share just a few.

This bed is weeded, a couple of plants moved and just awaiting mulch.

This end of the bed is going to take time and lots of digging and moving things around. The sweet woodruff and lungwart want to take over and the hostas are starting to crowd each other. I'd like to move some of the giant solomon's seal further down the bed - it hides the ugly block skirt rather well.

I've made a good start on this corner but I'd like to have something colorful here right now. What shall I move?

These iris are pretty and just past the corner so I think I'll move them when they're done blooming.

I've barely started weeding here but this area is currently my most colorful and therefor favorite spot. Just to the right of the picture is my screen room.

Butterflies are always a happy sight! The humming birds and bees also love the rhododendrons.

Shooting Stars

 

A tiny plant with tiny flowers that makes me smile.

I spent several hours in the garden and hauled many buckets of weeds to the compost pile. I will sleep well tonight!

Let's Party

Yesterday we saw everyone for the first time since we got home. Alex had his birthday party at the bowling alley. The kids seemed just as happy to see us as we were them, some just weren't as happy to see my camera ;-)

After the party we drove down and had a nice visit with Mom. Lots of chores there that I need to get to but today it was nice to just sit and visit.

It's a Jungle Out There

Our last few weeks in Florida were both boring and wonderful. The weather was perfect with sunshine and warm temperatures. I pushed to get more painting done and what's not done will be waiting for me in the fall. We decided to wait for the Shuttle launch and we were disappointed with a cloudy morning so we weren't able to see it from the house. We left on Tuesday and have never seen so little traffic.

After having spent so much time the last few months sprucing up the new place I was shocked at how dingy this place looked. We've been here almost seven years, which is the longest we've ever stayed in one place and fresh paint is needed! After being laid up much of last year it needs a good spring cleaning too.

The garden is looking both great and terrible. I lost several plants but others have really taken off. There is little definition as to where the lawn ends and the garden beds begin. I wasn't able to do anything last summer and didn't have the energy in the fall.

The iris are beautiful and this bed is in the best shape of any. The rhododendron has lots of blooms considering that this plant has been just barely hanging on for years.

This is a view of the entire bed. The other rhododendron has really taken off and the one in the middle is finally coming into it's own. Both clematis look good and the lamium is starting to fill in.

Around the corner the azalea is pretty but it insists on growing out rather than up. The bed is overrun with weeds and the daisies and lilies don't not want to play nice with each other. That won't matter if I don't do something about the black-eyed susans and coneflowers which seem determined to take over.

This is the other side of the walkway. I'm thrilled with the delphiniums. Everything else needs to be thinned or moved. The white azalea bush also spread out, with no upward growth which I might be happy about if it had more than a couple of flower buds.

This corner is just ugly. I've never been able to find the balance I want here and of course this is the bed you walk by from the driveway to either door.

I think I will love this bed after some thinning and edging. In two years it's gone from looking empty to jam packed.

The entire bed. It doesn't look too bad from a distance. The ferns should fill in more and the hosta near the step needs to be moved.

Always one of my spring favorites, this bleeding heart never disappoints!