YIPPEE! we took down a bunch of saplings that had begun to encroach on the lawn. They were beginning to detract from a handsome oak and cast more sun on the terrace area than we (well, I!) wanted. It's been rainy and overcast all weekend (just in time for the German iris show) and I will be interested to see what the elimination of the saplings will do for the terrace area IF we ever see the sun again.

The double pink peonies are just beginning to open. I don't know the variety, just that they came from the yard of a very old home now part of Strawbery Banke. They smell wonderful and always emerge before (what I THINK are) "Festiva Maxima".

I mowed the lawn, too.

And rearranged the plants I hoped to "unload" at the swap on Saturday... but a dead car battery put the kibosh on that plan.... :/ I am not thrilled with the knowledge that they'll remain in pots until late summer/early fall, but that's how goes sometimes, huh?

Perfect time to pull weeds! I know I will have to mow the grass soon. All the plantings look great. My veggie seeds didn't wash away either. :o) The tomato plants are noticibly larger with all the rain.

More of the same - weeding, planting out, and managed to sneak in a back yard mow last night before torrential downpours (yuck). DH & DS also started trying to do a temporary solution on the drainage, and dug a ditch to facilitate movement of water away from the house. It's better than nothing, but far from a solution. When the weather clears up, they'll rent some equipment to dig up the end of the sump pump line and get it unclogged. The ditch, unfortunately, directs water through my side border, which now has a river running through it - the established perennials should be fine, but I'm sure the WS seedlings out there are toast. Fortunately, my #'s of seedlings are so high I'll just replace them with others when the rain clears.

And mow the front yard.

It rained and rained and rained again. Never got a chance to mow the lawn so it looks totally ratty. The rain flopped over my tall bearded irises and peonies,even those that were staked. The heavy wind almost knocked my new forest pansy redbud over. And my crabapple got a raging case of apple scab...arrgh! Darn rain!

I did plant what I hope will be my last new perennials until fall. Put in some vigourous growers like showy primrose, and some more nepata on a sunny bank. Also put in some callirhoe surrounded by shards of shale to keep the voles away. And rescued some very very pot bound rose campion from their prison.

But, mostly it rained and things flopped.

Patty

So far not much. My husband did manage to get another load of tumbled bluestone on his way home from work on Tuesday night and got it installed. The last load is sitting in the rain. At least I finally had the good sense to cover the compost pile. Rainy days just make it easier for me to choose workouts over garden work...treadmill, stairmaster, weights, pilates...here I come.

Sue

I put in 42 tomato plants while it wasn't raining (Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, before work). Now I have to hope for a dry-ish spell so I can plant the rest of my seeds and get some zukes and cukes later this summer. I will plant them rain or shine this weekend, anyway - I won't melt.

It would be great if I could put the pepper and eggplant seedlings outside to harden off, but it's been so cool and rainy that leaving them under the grow lights just seems like a better idea. Sigh...

My husband planted some mail-order lupines and vinca (yay end of season sales!) for me last Sunday, while I was laying fabric mulch in the veggie garden. I have 2 more big boxes of mail-order perennials to plant, which I ordered rather impetuously on those sales. I also have to weed and deadhead several perennials while planting.

Rain, rain, please go away! Come back for a couple of hours in the middle of the night all summer long, instead!