Garden Clean Up

I decided awhile ago that this fall, I would have to tear everything out of the garden and start over fresh. New soil, plant food, and some crucial plant dividing and re-arrangement.

I divided my daylilies and irises, which took a bit of work. I moved the peonies into the sun, the hydrangea out of the sun, rhubarb into the sun, and daylilies out of the sun because, let's be honest - who cares if they even bloom? Not me! They aren't my favorite among the flower species that make their home in my yard.

(L-R): lilac in the back, daylilies in front, tons (!!!) of irises, balloon flower, more daylilies, and an azalea that isn't in the picture.

Rhubarb on top and daylilies in front, along with my random little "tomato that could." I just couldn't rip him out yet.

(L-R): daylilies, hydrangea, rose, irises (100?!?!), rose, peonies, lilies of the valley, and lilac.

This all took me about 8 hours. I can't move my body.



Fall Garden Plan

We have big garden plans. I'm hoping to complete some of them before the end of September. Here is what I want to do:

This will involve a day in which we take everything out of the garden, split and divide as necessary, till the soil, add new soil, compost, plant food, and then rearrange everything into their new homes. My peonies need more sun, my hydrangea needs less sun, I don't care if the day lillies get enough sun, and so everything will be moving. We're hoping to re-edge the garden and straighten it which will give me more planting space, and also a higher edge so that it can be a little more raised than it is. Hopfully this will allow the soil to hold more water and nutrients and less run off into the lawn.

In front we'll eventually have retaining wall, but for now we'll raise the bed that sits under our crab apple and move some irises and day lillies there. I hope they get enough sun to not die, although I don't care too much if they actually bloom there or not. Anything will look better than a dried out pile of mulch, yuck!

Sigh, I can't wait for next spring to see how my re-arranged plants do in their shiny new flower beds!

Blooms!

I figured this spring that if even one of my flowers started from seed actually bloomed, I will have had a successful summer. Although my garden still needs a major overhaul this fall, I did actually get some things to bloom!

And finally, my little garden friend the squirrel. I'd like to break off the base since I'm not 90 years old, and just have the squirrel.



Blooms!

Nothing that I've planted yet, hopefully the squirrels haven't eaten all my seeds.

Here's what's blooming in my yard:

Spring Things!

I started some plants indoors: all the better to grow really really tall sunflowers faster! I've started the sunflowers, marigolds, phlox, sweet peas, and cantaloupe! There's already a teeny sweet pea and a teeny cantaloupe peeking out, hopefully more show up this week!

Every spring I like to find a new nail polish for summer. This year I grabbed a glittery one called "Rock Star Pink". I've never seen Andy so excited over a cosmetic item. "Can you buy me a bottle? Pleeeaasse?" He wants to make fishing lures.

2 Years Married!

Since we were both just back from traveling, we didn't do much to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Andy, however, redeemed himself by bringing home the most beautiful roses that I've ever received: