I'm SO jealous. I got a little weeding done during my lunch hour, and a little more after work. Other than that I was chained to a desk all day. (SOB!)

But I've gotten a lot done overall, during the past month - finally moved a Franklinia altamaha into a good spot, dug and gave away a big Sambuccus nigra 'Madonna' and removed a beautiful Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' whose graft was failing (that hurt!) cut an overgrown fairy rose WAY back, planted out some tiny Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice' starts and moved/planted some cute little conifers (2 Chamaecyparis and 2 Cephalotaxus).

Too bad I missed my window of opportunity to move some willow oak saplings; they are going to be a bear to move next winter. I'm still hoping to relocate a little boxwood hedge this spring, as part of an attempt to make my entrance garden look more like it was planned and less like it just happened, and to widen a garden along the front of the house.

Oh yeah, and I really need to start a new vegetable garden, the seedlings are piling up and the bunnies have taken over the old garden... So much to do, and spring is so short.

I went to do a gardening volunteer gig and when I got there (after a 50 minute drive - grumble grumble...), it was cancelled due to wet ground (overnight rain - cloudy skies). Bumma! That's what stepping stones are for :-)

So then I went home to change attire and took a ride up to Merrimack, NH to try out a cordless mower been contemplating. Time to be a DIYer for the lawn. Recession means cancel the landscaping contract. boo-hoo. I won't deal with gas and oil and sparkplugs so this is next best.

Couple of errands later, came home and finally got in the garden. Finished cleaning up a couple of beds, potted up a HD mandevilla for my sis for Mother's Day, potted up two wintered over clematises, put up supports over peonies and a few other perennials, killed a red lily beetle.

Sat and rested with some iced coffee.

I pulled maple seedlings. I thought about moving a chamaecyparis. Pulled maple seedlings. Thot about moving a lilac. Pulled maple seedlings. Thot about moving 4 ilex glabra. Pulled maple seedlings. Thought about moving 3 aronia. Pulled maple seedlings. Moved a pagoda dogwood. Pulled maple seedlings. Started to remove a 2-years dead big magnolia. Pulled maple seedlings. Thot about taking out my dead cercis, but I am still hoping it will spring to life miraculously. Pulled maple seedlings. Ate a fresh asparagus spear. Pulled maple seedlings. Dissected a dicentra blossom with my daughter. What a lovely day!

LOL, mayalena. I forgot to mention the maple seedlings. Pulling them is kinda like breathing this year, you do it so much you don't really notice you're doing it.

Wendyb, I"m getting sick of my gas mower; can you tell us the specifics if/when you find a good electric model?

LOL Mayalena!

When the sun came out the temptation to "do something" in the gardens was overwhelming. But apparently only for me. My daughter's sigh and eye rolling hinted at her lack of enthusiasm for digging and planting and weeding. So we took a walk instead. And assessed the yards in the neighborhood where I contemplated knocking on some doors to say "geesh, if you're not going to take care of that X - let me dig it up and give it a proper home". But I didn't.

After our walk, we DID do our typical garden bed review. That's where DD finds out what's blooming - or close to blooming while I look at green stuff to determine: weed or friend; keep or move; signs of life or just plain dead.

Let's see. Due to wrist injury, I wrapped my wrists really tight to the point where my hands were turning purple. Gingerly carried the small shovel and 8 small containers of annual Sunflowers out to a new lasagne bed. Used my feet to jam and manipulate the shovel to create something resembling a hole. Halfway through, the shovel broke and so went to retrieve the spade and continue to attempt to dig holes using feet. Gingerly separated the 3 inch seedlings and planted. After 30 minutes of this snail's pace gardening planting a total of 14 seedlings, wrists and ulnar tendons were complaining, went inside and iced the wrists.

This is really pathetic. Can not dig at all, even tiny seedlings are challenging. See the OT on Monday to figure this out. Meanwhile I spend a lot of time wandering around the gardens, bereft and miserable. Have successfully persuaded a friend, neighbor, and even a Gardenweb buddy's H to dig for me.

Oh, also pulled about 3 maple seedlings. :)

Well, it's the fifth day of my vacation and the fifth straight day of rain. I didn't get the beautiful weather yesterday you all are talking about! We got a break in the rain, and it brightened up, but it was still way too wet to do any real work. Although I did wander around and in my case, pulled many oak seedlings.

I have given up my vacation plans of getting the garden into shape and up and running this week. Which means I will most likely be behind all season now. Oh well, what else is new?

I'll be staining my new basement stairs today. And I am terrified. Luckily a good friend of mine, one who is much braver and more experienced at these things, will be helping me. But I still expect to be somewhat traumatized. And I'd still rather be out in the garden, rain or not!

:)
Dee

I started moving some young shrubs that needed to go to their permanent spots in the garden but as many of you know this game of musical chairs is easier said than done. I moved Ilex crenata ÂPagoda a dwarf Ilex often used for bonsai, growth @25 years 5 to a location that it will need to be moved again in 7  10 years. I suppose that is the challenge with dwarf shrubs if they are planted with the intention that it will look great in 25 years you have a good 10-15 years where they look ridiculous.

I am still spreading lime and holly tone everywhere, was anyone else shocked at the prices this year?

I decided to rip out a Buddleia that had over grown its spot it took me at least an hour to wrestle the monster out of the ground. When I first began I thought I would bring it to the swap but by the time I was finished there was little left of the root system and I hated the thing so much I wanted it to die.

I recently enlarged my moss garden which has involved constant weeding and debris removalÂwhat was I thinking?
Terrene, I will be in the Boston area the weekend of whitegardens swap and would be happy to dig some holes for you please email me and let me know if that would be helpful.

nan,
dug and gave away a big Sambuccus nigra 'Madonna' Would you share why you did this? I have three Sambuccus growing under three different conditions and all are doing poorly I am on the verge of giving up on them and would like to hear others experiences with this plant.

I took a day off from plant moving. The day before I spent rearranging a couple of beds. At least for now, one is 'finished'. Now I have to go tackle the massively neglected beds.

The big accomplishment, though, was FINALLY getting a run of kitchen cabinets down. We need a new stove, so we need a new hood (the current stove is a downdraft we aren't terribly happy with), so we needed to get the cabinet over the stove down and find out what wiring and other hidden obstacles live back there. Now the cabinets are in the living room, the stuff that was in the cabinets is in the dining room, and the kitchen looks very much under construction.

I think I'd rather be staining basement steps :-)

>> "dug and gave away a big Sambuccus nigra 'Madonna'"
> > Would you share why you did this?

It was doing very well, in fact too well. I'd planted it in full sun, in good amended soil, in a prominent location in my street-side garden, and it got so big so fast that it looked like I was trying to hide the house (I am, but don't want that to be the impression).

It was also extremely LOUD, with (nice, clean, flashy) gold/green variegated foliage. Just too loud for the spot it was in.

I already had 3 Franklinias in this ell-shaped bed, and decided that putting a 4th there made sense visually. It'll actually be bigger than the Sambuccus, but should fit in better. Frank had to move, in any case, since it had been tucked into what's left of the vegetable garden, and was jostling with the other stuff that's been crammed into that space - much to the delight of the new colony of bunnies that have taken up residence there. Sigh.

It got a good home and I plan to visit it on a regular basis; its new mom says it's doing beautifully - she has about an acre and doesn't like to buy plants. Hey she's my exact opposite, now that I think about it.

Hi everyone! I posted here a few years back, but have been away for awhile. Here I am again!

Over the past few weekends I've - pulled maple seedlings lol!! - cleaned out everything from the perennial beds I didn't get to last fall, pulled a bunch of hay scented fern that's creeping where it doesn't belong, moved a clump of 'David' phlox, dug out a bunch of fringed bleeding hearts that popped up too close to other plants, ripped out tons of lamium that's encroaching on other plants, moved a couple small hosta, moved a variegated brunnera that was dwindling away to nothing as it was in too much shade, sliced out part of a clump of lysimachia 'Alexander' that was creeping under the edging and into the lawn, ditto for the Creeping Jenny that was doing the same, then in one perennial bed that I've never been happy with that's adjacent to my small veggie garden we yanked and dumped a Anthony Waterer Spirea I've never liked, dug out and moved a large clump of Tut's Gold bearded iris and a clump of yellow baptisia (it's not supposed to transplant well but I think we got enough of the tough, huge tap root that it will survive) to the other side of the yard to replace a line of white Veronica I dug out since I was bored with it, dug out the Stella D'Oro daylilies and gave them away (what possessed me to buy them in the first place?!), moved a clump of campanula, three clumps of Johnson's Blue geraniums, a Russian Sage, and a huge patch of Rudbeckia. We then dug the whole area, amended it with peat and compost and manure, and then planted a new asparagus patch in its place.

I still have two new raised beds to fill and plant, a couple more hosta to move as well as a heuchera and a fern, need to figure out where I'm going to plant the clematis I bought on the spur of the moment that I don't have a spot for, have to root prune my fig tree, plant a dwarf apple I bought as well as 3 blackberry bushes and 4 blueberry bushes, get the dahlias and the cannas in the ground, construct a small retaining wall and then strip off the sod in that area and get it ready to plant all the tomato and pepper and eggplant seedlings I have growing under lights in the house! Oh ya - and hubby has two decks to get started on as well as another raised bed to build a wall for!!

Once again, I have bitten off more than I can chew as far as the garden goes. Story of my life!! My back aches, my fingernails are a mess and I have callouses to rival a construction worker. But the fringed bleeding hearts, corydalis, lungwort, and epimediums are all blooming away, the ferns are unfurling, the clematis are full of buds, and even with all the work ahead, I'm so happy winter is now a memory!! I'll take an aching back from digging in the garden rather than from shoveling snow any day of the week!!

Lisa

"...When I first began I thought I would bring it to the swap but by the time I was finished there was little left of the root system and I hated the thing so much I wanted it to die..."

Goodness, Katy, you always make me laugh, lol!

MG, staining the basement steps was actually not that bad, so yes, perhaps I too would rather do that than deal with kitchen construction. I'm happy to report the stairs are done (well, first coat. May need a second and then poly, etc.), and the worst of it was the sanding and prep. But I did have wonderful help and moral support, so that's what counts!

The afternoon seems to be clearing up, but unfortunately, I do have to pop into work this evening, even though it is my vacation. Tonight is the last of a series of seminars I organized for Earth Day celebrations, so I have to go in to play hostess. So no gardening for me, - and wouldn't you know just this second the sun came blazing forth! Sigh. Tomorrow it will probably rain again.

Oh well, it promises to be a very interesting seminar, so I can look forward to that!

:)
Dee

Wendyb, I"m getting sick of my gas mower; can you tell us the specifics if/when you find a good electric model?

Sure. I'll start another thread.

I dug up wild daylillies that were crowding my shrubs. dug up fiddlehead ferns that are overtaking one part of my garden. ripped up ivy that was choking my shrubs. And divided my pale green hostas and transplanted them to the front of the house. then I cut off dead and sick branches of some of the shrubs being choked to help them rejuvenate themselves. My garden now has areas of open space instead of over crowding. I like that. This is my shade garden in the back of my yard.

-I pulled maple seedlings,
-I dug and gave away a big Sambucus nigra 'Madonna'
-I dug up wild daylillies,
-I stained steps,
-I put kitchen cabinets down....
...etc, etc, etc

Kindergarden stuff :-)

I moved 10-12 years old Fiveleaf aralia (Eleutherococcus sieboldianus 'Variegatus') which had at least 12-15 stems growing in all possible directions and managed not to brake any one of them.

Still leaking my wounds and pulling those nice tiny sharp spines wrom palms, neck, nose, ears and whatever parts of the body it was touching in a process of transplantation.

I took a break from the outdoors (with all the rain the last few days I really had no choice). I had spent the last two weeks digging, dividing and potting up all sorts of rare and unusual perennials... in doing so I found muscles that I forgot I had! So, yesterday I decided to enter a design contest for a GREEN bag... heck, anything to push that third choice instead of "do you want paper or plastic?" The photo that I used was one of my Pink Wisteria in bloom last year (soon to bloom again this year). Take a look and let me know what you think... I'm hoping to go to school for Graphic Design this fall and doing decently well in this contest may look good on my application! (they really want a minimum of an Associates Degree to land any kind of job in this field and all of my experience is from hands on life experience.. no formal continuing education)

All that to say... I'd love some feedback (constructive criticism is always welcome)... and, heck, while you're there I'd love your vote!

Thanks!
lilysgarden

Here is a link that might be useful: Green bag design

Geo, I didn't know Fiveleaf aralia had thorns. It looked like a good candidate for a screening plant in a shady area, where I need something that will reach 10' in fairly dry soil. Maybe I'll cross it off my list of plants for that area after all.

Buddyrose, that's a really nice woodland garden. I was laughing while reading your post, thinking about the "groundcovers are fabulous" thread elsewhere on this forum. Ripping them out is so much less fun than planting them - been there!

lilysgarden - Nice photo, and very nice bag. I use cloth bags regularly; I have to remember to forget them occasionally so I'll get enough plastic bags to handle my trash (our small local market thoughtfully uses bags that fit a tall kitchen can perfectly).

I drove 2 1/4 hours each way to go shopping at Andrew's in Amherst, one of my favorite places! I bought 12 perennials and what seemed like a gazillion annuals, plus two gorgeous hanging pots. I came home and planted most of the perennials...still searching for room for the last 2. Planted a bunch of the annuals too...larkspur, california poppies, campanula medium. Every thing else is spending the nights in my shed. Oh yes, I pulled a LOT of maple seedlings too!

Ouch, George. I have resisted buying roses or anything else thorny because I know I would end up wanting to move them. Your tree must be beautiful enough to be worth the pain.

90% of what I have done lately is pull up violets and onions from my gardens, they are everywhere. I could fill a wheelbarrow with onions. They have even outdone the maple seedlings.

Other than that, I filled my new donkey/wagon planter with petunias, planted some seeds, moved perennial herbs to another garden so I can do only annuals in the vegetable garden, and dug out a 8" ditch under 100 feet of fence because the grass was so thick and unruly that the weed wacker wouldn't touch it.

Oh, and I planted about 20 baby Frasier Firs. Only 30 to go. I got sucked it by a sale at Musser Farms, 50 trees for a dollar!! I couldn't resist. So I am going to turn my half acre suburban lot into a Christmas tree farm, the logical decision... I have no idea what I was thinking! Hopefully that will my one really ridiculous idea of the season, glad I got it out of my system early I guess.

Tina, I could take 4-5 of the firs out of your hands :-))
Bring them to the swap.

Yes, it was great to finally see the sun, at least some of the time this weekend. What's up with all those maple seedlings this year? I'm a newbie, and I don't remember those last year, at least in this year's quantity.

I had a productive weekend, also. I transplanted pieces of hosta that were missed when I transplanted them last year. I've transplanted them every year, so I hope that this is their final location. I also went into the neighbor's woods and helped myself to some daffodils and transplanted them, along with pieces left over from two years ago when I transplanted all the daffodils from the back yard to the front. They pouted on me last year and didn't bloom, but this year they were beautiful! Too bad the deer at some of them before I could get a picture. I also transplanted a crocus that popped up under the spruce tree out back and put it in the front. I re-potted my asparagus fern and Wandering Jew, as well as my two geraniums which I overwinter. I started dumping some dirt on the recessed area in the front where the sewer line was dug up last year. I'll have to plant some grass there.

I weedwacked most of the back yard, which of course got away from me again, and got too high to mow (I have a reel mower because there's no way to get a regular lawn mower from my shed to the front yard due to the change in elevation).

I took my mother out to get annuals Saturday and planted mine yesterday. And, of course, I weeded. I started digging a hole for the hydrangea I bought, but I haven't decided where to plant the rose campion I bought.