I am filthy from head to toe! It’s just about noon on Thursday. I have a hair appointment at 3:00 and a major change in the weather is coming through this afternoon or evening. I wanted to be ahead of the cold and rain, and I succeeded, partially.
This is the time of year when those of us in the Midwest are putting their gardens to bed for the winter. I am fortunate to be able to have my favorite landscaping service give me a hand, but there are some things I want to do for myself. I purchased eight mums for color this year and distributed them through out the gardens, but I never dug them in. After they bloomed, I cut off the blooms and gathered them where they would get rain and would be easy to water. I’m not sure when I realized they were hardy mums, but I’m too frugal to throw plants away, so I planned where I wanted to plant them.
The alarm was set for 7:00 this morning, and I was up, but a book called to me and I frittered away about three hours. Dear Husband went off to do errands, and I hot footed it out to the garage. I collected all the potted geraniums that I want to winter over and moved them to the garage. I’ll spray them with Safer’s soap before I bring them into the office.
Then, I gathered up the wheelbarrow, the shovel, bags of tulips and crocus, the mums and a bag of composted dirt and headed for the east driveway garden. That garden has never been an easy garden. It’s dark clay and the plants really struggle. Never the less, that was where the mums and bulbs were going.
It took me at least fifteen minutes to dig a trench long enough for three mums and two pods of tulips and crocus. I got down on my hands and knees and clipped out roots and moved dirt out of the trench. Once I was satisfied that the hole was deep enough, and smooth, I set out the plants and bulbs, and then shoveled some of the composted dirt over them. I pulled the original dirt back into place and tamped it down, collected my tools and headed for the second site.
That side of the garden went much faster. I think I must have composted more in that section in the past. In no time at all I had things back in place and I moved the wheelbarrow into the garage, where it will sit temporarily.
It will be cold tomorrow. I plan to disperse the last of the composted soil, and some mulch on Friday, if the weather will allow. I’m really glad to have finished this project. I feel as though it was a good start on what needs to be done, and I’m really glad the mums weren’t wasted. Next spring we should see four lovely pods of frilly tulips and some giant crocus if the rodents cooperate.
It’s a good day!