It was gorgeous today!
Last night we had frost warnings for new plants, and today the temps slowly raised into the lower sixties. We were away from home all morning, so I headed out to the driveway garden in the afternoon. You can walk past a garden and make note of changes that need to be made, but you don't realize the depth of the work until you get down and begin working the soil.
The driveway garden has never been edged, so I've had a constant battle with grass trying to creep into the bed. Beyond that, when I first planted the garden, I thought something called "Bouncing Bet" or "Soapwort" sounded like a lovely plant to add to my collection. If someone tries to sell you one of those plants, RUN THE OTHER WAY! It's one of the most invasive species I've ever planted. I find it creeping through out the lawn, and making its way up the driveway!
I am a bear of little brain, and a creature of habit. Each year I have walked down to that garden, and started at the northern-most end of the bed, on the driveway side. And, each year, I have run out of cool weather and steam while still on the driveway side. THIS year, I've managed to get work done on the west side of that bed, and I've done it while the soil is still damp enough to work. There is NOTHING harder to do than pull grass from dry clay.
I sprayed several patches of soapwort with Round-up. I tend to be an organic gardener, but I'm going to kill off that damned stuff yet! I used a spade to begin loosening patches of grass, and I pulled down dead stalks from last year's flowers, and deadheaded daffodils.
I dragged Dear Husband out with me for another half an hour of work after dinner. He collected branches from the lawn and took them to the mulch pile. We have a chipper shredder, and I'll have to get busy soon to make the mulch that will cover this bed. Beyond that, if we didn't pick up the twigs and branches, he'd mow over them and dull the mower blades. While he collected branches, I raked the southern end of the bed, and collected all the weeds and grass that I pulled out this morning.
I have some serious renovation to do on this bed. The center section is ready to replant. This time I plan to plant masses of Perovskia (Russian Sage), and Rudbekia. I'm debating whether I want to put something slightly taller in the center of the bed as a focal point. Today, I realized that I'll need to rework the southern end of the bed, too. Purple coneflower spread and edged out the Obedient Plant, and now weeds have edged out the coneflower, except along the edges of the bed. Dear husband will have to help me remove some volunteer shrubs, and then I'll divide and replant the Hostas near the Bleeding Heart that caught my eye today.
It's a start, and a good one. Let's hope for more cool weather with occasional showers to keep the soil workable.