Today was the first day of 2006 for hands and knees weeding!
I pulled out about 90% of the volunteer vinca to give the emerging lilies a better chance to get a healthy start. I gave one of the ornamental grasses a haircut, pulled most of the verbena, and clipped back the chrysanthemums at the sidewalk. I'm addicted to Homestead Purple Verbena, but it isn't perennial in zone 5, so I have to replant it each year.
I brought the bucket of gardening tools upstairs, as well as an unusual device for gathering clippings. It's a tube of plastic with a bottom, and has a spring that spirals from the bottom to the top. When you aren't using it, it flattens down, and there are loops and toggles so that you can store the container in about a four inch wide space. When I need it, I undo the toggles and it springs up to about the size of a garbage can. I seriously overfilled it with grass stems, but the load was light enough not to do any damage.
I used the Christmas wreaths to protect a Peace rose for the remainder of the winter. I removed the wreaths and pruned the canes back. If we get back down to freezing, I'll have to put a bucket over the rose to protect it.
So.....I've had my first two hours of gardening. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!
Comments (7)
Fabulous! What a lot of work you accomplished in only 2 hours. It was probably a good thing for your psychi.
Posted by Cop Car | March 31, 2006 8:19 PM
Posted on March 31, 2006 20:19
Either I cannot spell, or I cannot type. psyche, psyche, psyche
Posted by Cop Car | March 31, 2006 8:20 PM
Posted on March 31, 2006 20:20
wow buffy you have been busy. i need to do stuff in my garden i just havent mustered up the motivation yet.
Posted by bod | April 1, 2006 1:15 AM
Posted on April 1, 2006 01:15
I am hoping to start some seeds (indoors of course) this weekend. Weeding is still a ways away as most of the ground is still frozen (except that part which is really, really muddy).
Posted by bogie | April 1, 2006 6:26 AM
Posted on April 1, 2006 06:26
Congrats! I want that bucket! Where did you get it?
Posted by Susan | April 2, 2006 7:02 PM
Posted on April 2, 2006 19:02
Spring has (finally) arrived here too. For me the first tasks in the garden is pruning (the buddlias and the hardy fuscias) and clearing all the old growth from last year on some plants (adds some protection to the plants for what was quite a harsh winter). This I am currently trying to do. Weeding comes next.
Posted by Adele | April 6, 2006 4:42 AM
Posted on April 6, 2006 04:42
My psychi (*G*) and I need to get our rear ends out into the gardens, Cop Car, but we've finally had a little rain come our way. If I have to wait a bit for more gardening, this is a GREAT reason, and the only acceptable one, at this point.
Bod, that was just the first round in about six months of gardening. It was very therapeutic, and I'm eager to get out again.
Bogie,I envy you starting seeds. I ALWAYS kill them off somewhere along the line before they get planted, and there are a LOT of plants I'd like to be able to start. We have a lot of mud here, too. We have a heavy clay soil that takes a lot of time to drain, so we'll be muddy for a while yet.
Susan....I'll have to check it out and see if I can find a brand name, or if they are sold in one of my catalogs. This one was a gift, so I'm not sure where the kids got it. Remind me, if I forget to get the info for you.
Adele, we're really at the same place. We're both trying to tidy the spine of the garden. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to let the dame's rocket grow this year, so I haven't really gotten to "weeding," yet. I have to get out with the pruners and lop back shrubs that are encroaching on my veggie boxes. I want to get some spinach started, soon!
Posted by buffy | April 6, 2006 3:56 PM
Posted on April 6, 2006 15:56