We got another 2 inches of rain..............so all I am doing is strolling around each day to see what else is blooming.

More rain is predicted for the next several days.

I have a question I'm going to ask and have wanted the answer to forever. I'm sure it's kinda a no brianer but obvisouly it's still in my brian. LOL It has to do with adding compost to exisitng planted beds. I have read where folks add 4-6 inches each fall and then some in spring. Think that's great but do you put on top of plants? Does the plants grow up though the compost in the spring? I have put it in my beds but not on plants, so now I'm starting to see varying levels in my beds which I don't want.

Well so far today, I filled 2 trays with sunshine mix and planted them up with sweet pea seeds. Next I have to start some morning glory seed and some primula. I also put together a couple of peony rings and put them out in the garden. I set up more shelves in the greenhouse and set up the indoor outdoor themometer.

If the weather holds, I would like to get some weeding and cleanup done, but it looks like it is going to rain or snow.

Sierra

Sierra envy that you have a greenhouse. I would love to have one. Sorry to hear about the possibility of snow though. Hope it doesn't snow and you can get outside!

It's grey and cool today,so all i've done is fill the bird feeders,and baths and hoe a few weeds.
Kathi

It's a lovely warm spring day today. I gave the acre a quick mowing.

Did the weekly clean and refresh the small pond. The water is finally warming up and the little goldies are hanging out a little closer to the top.

Trying to teach my two year old indoor cat to be comfy outdoors (in hopes she will discourage the rampant bunny population) so we walked around the flowerbeds near the back door.

Plans for later include tackling a set of weeds along the back fenceline. Also potting up some plants for the back porch.

Tomorrow...figuring out a place for two of my pot ghetto roses. More weed patrol. If I'm ambitious I'll start remulching a long shrub row.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul

Today I worked on ammending "pockets" of soil. Since the garden is fairly mature, I'm just filling in here and there and some of the ground is so hard from the drought. I added Kent Oregano as a ground cover to drip over low walls.
Then I worked in the "main" garden area. It's quite small and surrounds a tiny patio which is just big enough to be a landing strip for two chairs or a wheel barrow. After ammending more pockets that dot in between re-seeders like larkspur, yellow foxgloves, rose campion and scented tobacco's, I added in a native annual helenium, lime green zinnias, hot pink and purple vinca and containers of Jethro Tull and American Dream coreopsis. The annuals will really help with some late bloom an I need to tuck in some melapodium seeds to keep things going until November. I get sort of stuck in this area after the larkspur bloom - for some reason I've had a hard time getting other plants to re-seed effectively in here, and the butterfly bush that was in there shaded out the perennials that eventually succumbed to too much shade (but too much heat for shade plants). The butterfly bush lost the battle with drought, so now I have an opening for taller perennials that like it dry. They all compete with the tree roots of the styrax now!

Lots of mulching was also done and a few more additions to the red, white and blue bed which is, I think for now finished (and finally working!!).

Tomorrow is another day!

GGG

I am working on building and filling a new flower bed by the neighbor's fence. Every area in this garden has a name. This one will be (unless I change my mind and rename it later) Foxgloves and Hollyhocks Cottage Garden.
Waiting for the order of above mentioned seeds to arrive from the mail order catalog. I do have a great success with reseeding Foxgloves, but Hollyhocks is another story. Rabbits find them irresistable. It will be my third year trying. I figure if I plant lots of them, some will survive. I don't mind sharing with rabbits if they play fair: some for them, some for me.
The soil in that area is a hard compacted clay with lots of rocks, and the cables burried underneath. So, it takes a lot of sweat and care to dig.
But I am loving every minute of it!

Well today was a productive day. DH finished rototilling my new garden bed then moved on to cut down a large patch of brush! That freed me up to move on to a front area of the yard that we had downed trees in last year. The weeds were horrible. Also, trying to get the root system of the suckers out of this area. I can't believe that you can cut these roots so far under and yet they come back to the surface and start putting out new trees!

Still yanking out wild rasberries and will be doing that for a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng time if I ever actually manage to eliminate them.

Anyway, feel good, lots got done today. Wanted to work in the yard tomorrow but DS wants us to come over for Mother's Day...really would have liked him to come over HERE and help in the yard LOL...but, watta ya gonna do!

With all the rain we're getting, it's more like "What I did FOR my garden today"! Once a month, a friend and I go flea marketing, stop for lunch, and then do shopping at all the larger stores in town... we usually do this on a Saturday when the flea market is in full swing. Anyway, we stopped off at a few of the larger stores, like Menard's and Miejer's, and raided their garden centers!

We came home with several new perennials, including a few Daylilies, Hostas, miniature roses, Lamb's Ears and a shrub or two... we also splurged on some new garden tools, such as a new hoe with a better handle and grip...

Hopefully, the weather will improve by Monday, and I'll be able to get some seeding done outdoors. I'd also like to move more compost from the pile to the beds, and begin stripping sod for a new set of beds flanking the front sidewalk.

Too wet to dig, but the wet soil has made it a little easier to pull the wild onions!

Laryssabeth, great way to take advantage of the wet soil and get stuff done!

Jodik, sounds like a fun day! I LOVE buying new plants and garden tools! See, rain can be a good thing because it gives us an excuse to spend more money on our gardens ROFL!

Yesterday, I let the goslings loose in the back yard to graze while I tended my gardens. Well, my "babies" followed me all over the yard, their big feet loudly paddy-whacking along behind me. :)

My DH came out and joined me. We sat out on the lawn in the back yard and fed dandelion greens to the big baby geese. The sun felt so wonderful and the light breeze so lovely. It was the kind of fun that money can't buy. The goslings were so entertaining. We couldn't pick the greens fast enough. The little one, Petrie, sat on my lap and greedily gobbled up every dandelion leaf I picked. I had to hold Petrie back so Dancer could get some of the greens we picked. My DH and I laughed and laughed at the silly things. It was a wonderful, lazy spring morning sitting out on the green grass in the sunshine and laughing at baby animals....like the good old hippie years.
It was one of the best Mother's Days I've ever had.

Annie
~ sweetannie4u

Today I thinned out some of the Swiss chard that is going to seed. I always keep a few plants go to seed as the goldfinches love the seed and they still leave enough seed that I have volunteer Swiss chard everywhere. I potted up about 6 or 8 catmints and moved another dozen where they had volunteered in my walkways. I planted out my tomato and pepper seedlings. I moved the lettuce plants that the bunnies were ravaging into the fenced area of the garden. I weeded. I transplanted Swiss chard volunteers. I moved the big pile of grass clippings off the garden bed to prepare for planting cukes and zukes. I turned a corner of the compost pile and took the finished compost and spread it out for the tomatoes and peppers. I straightened a few of the landscape timbers and edgers that had been pushed or heaved out of position. I watered the transplants.

In the early afternoon my son went and got a truckload of mulch from the landfill, so I helped him unload that and spent the rest of the daylight spreading mulch in the front flower bed and in the walkways of the veggie garden. With about 2 or 3 buckets left to move it started to rain lightly, so I came inside. Only spent maybe...oh 9 or 10 hours outside gardening today. My husband calls it "my combat gardening sessions."

Granite, lol, combat gardening sessions! I love those kind of days! It has been raining here all day so I did not get outside at all today. I am not sad though, I put down fertlizer for the lawn last night so now it is soaking in :)

We finally had some good rain-free weather yesterday.

So, I planted the pepper plants, had done the tomatoes a couple of days ago, and egg plants.

Wanted to till, but ground is still too wet.

Deadheaded some iris. I finally sprayed the multiflora rose to kill it. I hate to use the stuff, but I think it harbors the mites that spread RRD. I found a branch of it on my favorite Alba. I just pruned it out and will hope for the best.

granite, visited your webpage and saw what a reformation you have done at your lovely house. Our house is an old farm house and, surprisingly, she had no flowers....just the row of Yews around the foundation. I have removed them and am just now doing a Cottage Garden foundation planting.

Today plan to plant some annual seeds to fill in the bare spots next to the house.

Lots of new iris are blooming and I have more fragrance than I remember. Also the garden heliotrope (valeriana officianalis)is beginning to open buds and it is extremely fragrant.

Lots of song birds, but not many butterflies yet.

My husband calls it "my combat gardening sessions."

LOL! Add me to the wounded list of that combat session. Yesterday I smashed my left hand pinkie between two rocks I was using to line a new bed. Did the same to the other hand two weeks ago. Then I whacked my shin with a metal rake. I'd slow down but I'm having too much fun. : )

Today I am just trying to keep the pot ghetto watered since we're having a mini heat wave. Should be close to 90 - not the norm for us this time of year. Then there are all the roses to deadhead. And friends are coming later for a barbecue. But for now I'm going to go chill with a Pepsi and watch my Angels hopefully kick some Dodger butt. ; )

Diana

Dug out a 20" by 20" hole, 15" or so deep and dumped it into a wheelbarrow, added 50 pounds of sand, mixed it and used about half of it to plant one Acillea gallaxy hybrid ("Summerwine"). Need to do that twice more for the other two. Spread 40 pounds of composted manure around my monarda as a topdressing. Pulled 20 dandelions using my hound dog weeder. (And whoever recommended it on this fourum - THANKS! It's fantastic). Sprayed roundup on the creeping charlie in my lawn. Planted a Salvia greggii "raspberry royale". (Greggiis aren't normally hardy up here, but I can't resist). "Unplanted" 3 Echinacea "magnus" to give away.

I just realized why I'm tired!

Diana OUCH, I have been smashing my fingers between rocks a lot lately because I have been trying to clear out a couple tons of them that have been tossed in a huge pile long before we moved here. I sympathize with you. That smarts!

today, I did myself a huge favor and used the Giftcard that
was given to me for Mothers Day and bought myself a light weight water hose, the one I have was soooo ! heavy I hated it ! Couldn't think of draging it another summer!
While at it bought some Popcorn !(Target)
I'm a happy!! camper today ! Just wanted to share Today :)
Olga,

msscarlet, OUCH! is right! I think I'm going to start wearing two pair of gloves. lol!

Olga, which lightweight hose did you buy? Was it one of those coiled ones? I have been thinking of trying one of those but wasn't sure if they worked well. I do love those bright colors they come in. : )

Diana

Diana,
It's a Heavy Duty NEVERKINK self-straightening Hose
Series 2000 / 75' length / 5/8 " I gave 29.99 for it.
I think they have it in 50' Length too which i'm sure would be less. I'm thinking the 5/8" is what made the difference in weight, My finger joint's hurt future Art,
I all ready hooked it up and it's sweet : )
Drag the old one for the Husband to deal with :-)
Olga,

I planted a couple roses, the fountain grass, mulched more of the umulched beds, mowed the lawn and weeded...all in all good garden afternoon :)

Today after a 9 hour workday I came home and joined my hubby and son in starting to fence across the backyard. My job was to check out the area and remove any poison ivy and rake back the pine straw along the proposed fence line. The fence will run between two rows of white pine, and the plan is to within the next two weeks run wire fence along the back and a more formal fence across the back yard and side yard to allow a bigger play yard for our 4 shelties. What my hubby didn't count on was how HARD the soil would be under those pines: absolutely dry clay soil. He poo-ed my idea of driving in the metal posts, watering the base, waiting 15 min, and then driving them again but once I got him to try it IT WORKED. Anyway, while Alan and Russ put in the posts I raked the fence line and took the pine straw to mulch the little crescent garden that is at the firepit/conversation area in the back corner of the backyard. I also picked asparagus and moved a bunch of rocks to stack along the pathways of my herb quilt. Then I took some little branches and lit a fire in the firepit. It was just a quick little blaze but a nice way to spend twilight before going inside.

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The fence will run along between the pines to the grape arbor, and then come across the back yard to the house.

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