My new stone terrace was just completed yesterday. Now the clean-up and "domino effect" projects begin - some re-grading, re-seeding. Now, of course, I need a lot more containers planted.

Planted tomatoes, squash, peppers and tomatillos. Planted front porch urns and window boxes.

That's it for me.

Finally tackled my compost piles - well, two out of four. Two of them were too wet to really sift through. But the other two I sifted and got lots more compost that I expected. Put the unfinished stuff back in and spread the sifted stuff out on some beds. That was a big, sweaty, yucky job, and unfortunately I've still got two more piles waiting, lol! But I feel like I accomplished a lot.

I also started building some more raised beds. Well, I built one out of cinder blocks, but it needs to be filled still. The other just needed assembly - one of those grow beds from Gardener's Supply - and that's only half-filled. It's so darn humid out lately, and I have to trek my soil from a pile on one side of the yard to these beds using a shovel and bucket! It's so primitive, lol. And time-consuming and sweaty. So I stopped and went to sit in the shade and edge a bed, lol! But the edged bed looks great! But I still have to fill these beds, build one more, and then get my poor winter-sown seedlings planted out. They're starting to bloom in their milk cartons!

Earlier in the week I did get a bunch planted out, so that was good. Still more to go, though, and those weeds are calling my name...

:)
Dee

Yesterday I took the day off with hopes of making a dent in the pile of compost I have blocking my driveway. I should have paid closer attention to the weather-90 F and humid and both the pile and gardens it was going in are in the sun. Fortunately I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon...lol. Since I have a husband who likes to have his car in the garage, if I don't get this compost moved soon the campaign of harassment will begin.

Over the weekend I was able to get a good start on the containers. Has anyone else noticed how expensive annuals are this year? Many of the nurseries in my area are charging $4.99 for a 4" potted annual. The little seasonable place I found near work looks better and better all the time. He charges $3.89, if you buy 12 or more $3.39. Next winter I hope to do a better job wintering over the coleus cuttings. I was very successful with cannas, dahlias and brugs this year. If you get a gift from me in the near future it will likely be cannas...lol.

My husband is doing a great job building a small tumbled bluestone patio around our new hot tub. He would have finished by now but the place where we get the stone ran out and won't have any back in stock til today or Monday. In the meantime I had him build a small patio in front of our shed (I'm now calling him patio man) using the 2' x 2' stamped concrete pavers we salvaged from a neighbor last summer when he redid his front walk. It will be nice to have that area cleaned up.

The town is repaving my street and came through with the blacktop eater and a plethora of other machinery and workers on Tuesday. I have a garden that extends to the curb and had been moving plants out of it for weeks because I thought the curbs were going to be replaced. As it turns out they aren't and not one plant left in that garden suffered any damage. Next week the new blacktop goes down and I'm hopefully home free to replant.

Sue

"Fortunately I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon..."

OMG, Sue, this is too funny! I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes the weather is just not right for gardening (like all this week, lol) or the job is just not fun, and an appointment at the dentist actually seems preferable... well, at first thought, maybe. I did break a tooth Monday night, which took me out of the hot humid garden Tuesday afternoon to go get it fixed. Do I see a trend starting...?

:)
Dee

For some odd reason, I belatedly decided to grow vegetables in what's left of my old veggie garden. It's a bit late, since the unplanted area is already filled to overflowing with nasty weeds. I should have solarized it, but instead I started hand-pulling among the perennials and outright digging wherever I could. Got lots of new material for the compost pile out of that effort.

I replaced a number of no-show lavenders with new plants, because I love the way they look as miniature hedges along the paths. I nearly cried over some tunica (a favorite plant) that went missing over the winter, then spotted volunteer seedlings, quite a few, actually, so I cheered up and transplanted them.

It was a busy week in the garden (my day job suffers this time of year) because I've got an LA coming tomorrow and I wanted things to look at least a little presentable for that. We're planning to do some major brick work, and I felt like I needed a second opinion about the layout of new paths and patio areas. It's one thing to be moving shrubs and perennials when they're planted in just the wrong spot, but moving a patio ... would be a bit much.

Ollie the Wonder Dog completely trashed a shade garden that's become overgrown with volunteer poppies and foxglove. I was upset for a few minutes, but forgave him when I noticed he was insistantly pointing at a dying vole on the path next to the remains of the garden. Poor vole. Poor poppies. Good dog, Ollie.

Dee, I had completely forgotten about the dentist appointment until they called to remind me on Wednesday. I was annoyed because I had already pegged Thursday as the best day to take off and move compost. It seemed like a waste if I had to stop halfway through the afternoon to shower and change and I almost cancelled my day off. As it turned out the dentist was a relief. Holy cow, by 2:30 I was just about passed out in the yard! Even the dogs didn't want to come out. While at the dentist though, thunderstorms rolled in and the temp dropped 20 degrees. My dentist is in West Hartford so naturally I had planned to hit the nurseries in that area after the appointment. The lightning was so bad I hung out in the gift shop of one of the nurseries until the storm passed. I was afraid that walking around with an umbrella would only better the odds of being hit by lightning over those of winning the lottery.

Sue

I had this week off and was extremely pissed that it was hotter than 80 degrees most days (I can't seem to handle hot temps and humidity-I should move to Seattle). Anyway, Wed was gorgeous and I spent 8 hours in the garden, but the other days only about 5 hours or so. Hubby stained the 200 feet of the fence we put in last year to keep the neighbors dog out of our yard (he bit my dog 3x already). Secretly I wanted a fence to hide his yard, so this was a good excuse. Also, I finished spreading the mulch pile, planted some perennials, weeded a little (lot more to go in the back of the yard). FIL extended our patio a bit with another foot of stone he brought from his place. Most of the containers got planted-still a few to go. Trimmed back a few shrubs that are growing way too fast-who said Viburnum carlesii 'Compactum' was compact?

I was excited that I learned I can bring our 6 plastic garbage cans to the mulch place to get about a cubic yard of extra mulch. I always run out and need just a bit more, but their minimum delivery is 6 cubic yards. I hate to buy mulch from the box stores that don't match in color or texture-so this is a good discovery. I thought it would seem strange to the mulch place, but they said that people come in with 5 gallon buckets.

I spent a great deal of time in the garden this week, mostly transplanting all my wintersown seedlings. Since I am such a lazy gardener that I don't do proper bed preparation first, this involves weeding the area I intend to plant in, throwing a bucket of compost in, and mixing it in before dropping the seedlings in. If I think it's necessary, I crumble some eggshells around to deter the slugs - seems to work for me; I'm not losing too much to slugs.

The strawberries are setting fruit - I don't have quite as much as last year, but more than I originally thought I would.

It will be more of the same for the next several weeks.

Such a variety of weather! Spent one afternoon after getting home from work mowing the lawn with my John Deere - really do need to get the blade sharpened! Of course as I drive around I see all sorts of areas that need attending - weeding (:

Managed to weed my stone garden path and I was reminded about a hint I saw about putting and spreading a dollop of silicone caulk on the knee portions of my work jeans. Then I headed down to the wetlands and weeded around my astilbe. Something down there gave me single burning spots on my jaw - like poison ivy but just a single spot. Thank goodness for Ivy Dry. My 100 thyme plants are doing fine!!

Everything looks so lush! But the storm the other late afternoon, including a tornado like wind for 60 seconds followed by pea size pinging hail, dropped a large bough into the stream from the man's property across the stream. I'll let him handle it. And my neighbor's above ground pool metal siding rumbled terribly. Now I see they've taken it down for now. I was really worried about my trees but they are all still standing!

This year I finally put proper gates and redid the wire fencing around my 'special garden' to keep the bunnies out. Watched out my kitchen window a small bunny wiggle his way under the gate and race around the garden! Luckily I haven't put in my annuals yet so the bunny had nothing to feast upon.

Am now on 2 week's vacation and am making my list of places, plants, chores to do if the weather cooperates!