leder legends

Memorial day Memorial day was memorable...but just for me.  I was bone tired at 6:00 PM and was fortunate to be able to take a short nap before R and C came over to sit on the deck and relax.  It was only yesterday and I am having a lot of trouble remembering exactly what I did.  That I can't remember is more upsetting than doing all that work.  I know for certain that I was up by 7:00 I ran to Lowes to get a cheap roller cover and paintbrush and then proceeded to put a second coat of paint on the deck. It is looking pretty good. I went to visit a lady from church-we get together every Monday at 10:30. Even though it was a holiday, I felt I needed to stop by (45 min) because I am leaving on Friday for Ft Worth.  I'll be back July 2. We had a nice visit. Then the heavy work started. I weeded, planted, transplanted, watered and watered (because the promise of rain did not materialize).  I put away all the garden tools and pails, pots and buckets. Genera...

A few more blooms in the yard before I start showing the July day lilies. Columbine,  baptisia, meadow sweet and the first peony. 

I just took a walk around the yard with my camera to capture the irises in bloom. There four or five more that haven't bloomed yet.

Supreme scrounger of plants. Tonight I scrounged around a church garden for seedlings-  petunias, salvias, snapdragons, alyssum.  They are tiny tiny but they should grow.    

Definitely not... Do not agree to any activity without consulting your calendar ...oh wait!! I don't have one of those. That has definitely cause me some problems this week.  It's only Tuesday! I have a headache! But, I have very understanding friends. So thankful.

the list is getting shorter The back lawn is mown, east flowerbeds have been weeded and even some of the back ones.  Arie mows the lawns normally but he has very sore wrists...it's a mystery.  I will be happy when he can do it again. Either that or I am going to hire someone lol.

Panic is setting in...lol ...not really but I do have lots to do before I leave in 11 days! I have a plan for the yard and it is nearing completion but I'm not so sure about the house.  Do I clean now and again next week or just leave it all for next week? Haha! 

The yard waste dump There is something ...special/ cathartic/ freeing ...about occasionally going to the yard waste dump. You take all the waste you want to get rid of, pack your vehicle as full as possible and when you get there you just dump it all without worrying about what happens to it or where it will go. Your vehicle is empty and the yard no longer has unsightly bags on the perimeter reminding you that it's not perfect...until you stroll around and see sticks, weeds, plants to move and/or split. It is a never ending battle...although battle is probably the wrong word.  I guess I wouldn't do it if I did not find some pleasure in my yard.

I think I have a few May flowers...even some that have come and gone...forsythia, daffodils, tulips, pulmonaria, grape hyacinths and perhaps a few others.   New ones: iris, hardy geranium, pansies, iris...iris etc

Upon retiring, a colleague of my husband admitted that he is a collector. I think he has at least 4 'collections'. The one that impressed me was his hosta collection...he has 600 different hostas in his yard.!  Crazy! There are 3000 different varieties so he's got a ways to go. Two years ago I discovered that the hosta aficionados of this world have named a hosta of the year. They started in 1996 so as of 2017 there are 22 'hosta of the year'.   My goal has been to collect (and plant) one of each.  I have 18 and I know where to find two of the missing ones (and a bonus...they are only $4.00.)  That will leave me in search of one plus the 2017 hosta 'Brother Stephan'.  Unless I want to shell out some big $$ ...I won't be getting that one soon.  2 016 it was Curly Fries.  I finally got one today and I paid much more than I wanted to pay.  That's a controllable collection, I think.  One new hosta per year.  I think...

Edging wet, very wet,  clay is easy to dig but not so easy to remove. I dug trenches today. It's a start. I need a few days of DRY weather so that all the sod will dry enough that I will be able to manage it all but I'm not sure where it is all going to go.  Unfortunately, I thought the composter could handle quite a lot... and it did -BUT it was so heavy that I was unable to turn the bin. I have a huge pile of sod and weeds under the composter now... I'm the eternal optimist.  It WILL dry and I WILL find a place to put it all.

So...how much do you spend to fertilize your flowerbeds ...per summer? The same guy who recommended edging all the flowerbeds (btw-I'm getting there)  also fertilizes all his flowerbeds with a 10-30-20 water soluble plant food. The blossoms in his yard are spectacular!  So I bought the brand he likes on Amazon (cheapest I could find) 4 lbs for $25.43. I used almost 1/2 of the 4 lbs.to go once around the yard. They recommend one application every week. $9.35 per week times give or take 20 weeks=$187. I sure hope the results are worth it.  Drop by anytime and have a look! Jack's classic blossom booster My 2 gallon watering cans were filled 13 times ...only 52 gallons. Good exercise!