Well after the weekend of 13 inches of rain in 2 days the hummers are here by the hundreds. They took down 2 feeders to the 1/2 mark Sunday and this morning. Going to go buy 3 more today. I want one outside my computer room window.

My PT shade area has Begonias, Purple Shamrock, Red Cannas and Tropical Cannas. My full sun side by the Firepit has Geraniums, Red Bell Pepper Plant and yellow Squash, and also a Ginger that is coming back to life. Oh, and Cherry Tomato's.

Mostly Shady side has Variegated Umbrella Plant, Asparagus Fern, Boston Fern, Pink Impatiens, Lime Green Coleus, Caladiums,there is also some little green plant with pink dots that came back this year. I have no idea what it is but it is hardy.

I have 2 gorgeous hot pink New Guinea Impatiens on the patio.

I still want a couple of Agapanthus. I also, intend to harvest some Banana Trees from a friends yard.

Well I already have early cabbage, shallots and onions and garlic planted.(All are purchased starts.)
I have 2 corns and a huge cabbage that my 3rd grader brought home from school to put in the ground.

Then I have seeds yet to plant, but I didn't "protect" the soil from fall and winter weeds, so I have some weeding to do before I can plant further.

I opt'd to be "unavailable" today for work, LOL, just so I can play in the nearly 65F weather we are supposed to get. It's already quite lovely out..so I'm going to start my english muffin dough, and then slip on my crocs and head out back!

I plant mostly for the hummers and butterflies, butterfly bushes, pentas, turks cap, shrimp plants, cypress vines, carrots, parsley, dill, several varieties of salvia, black eyed susans and cone flowers. I planted 32 packs of zennias several weeks ago, then came the rains, 12 inches in 3 weeks. I replanted more zennias and last weekend we got another 3 inches. One way or the other I am going to have zennias this summer. The butterflies love them.

Nothing yet. I finished spring cleanup, raking the last of the leaves and picking up sticks. Plan to grow tomatoes and maybe put in some Impatiens (I have mostly shade). I have seeds from cleomes I grew last year. Will plant them in the next week or two. When it gets warmer. Only 45 degrees today,I'm happy staying indoors.

We carried all of our container plants through the winter b/c this winter I had a green house. I've planted a flat of impatiens, and some caladium bulbs. DH has planted some tomatoes, peppers, and some squash.

Oh Gayle, I just love cherry tomatoes, don't you? When I was a child I would go out to my grandmother's garden and pick them off of the vine and eat them..my husband will bring them to the edge of the garden and I will eat them now. I figure you don't have to wash them..LOL. The sun has done all the cleansing necessary.:) I had to google the purple shamrock, as I had never heard of it. Neat.

Terri, how do you protect the soil from fall and winter weeds? We have always just tilled the soil and then laid out that weed cloth stuff. (can't remember the name of it) Then my husband uses a mixture of cow manure and aged chicken manure and some kind of soil mixtures he gets from the nursery. (I think I am right, maybe not) Would be interested in a better way, though. Sounds like you may have a touch of spring fever, aye? When I worked I did not want to go to work when spring came around.

Ronm, LOL, you may have one place in your yard that has a zillion zennias..especially if you live on a hill. Well, the rain Could wash them all down in one place, maybe. I especially love zennias. When I was first married I would plant the 12" and 16" zennias and take cuttings and put them in arrangements around our house with the babys breath and another flower, (name excapes me)my husband loved it. We didn't have alot of money. He was still in school and trying to carve out a living to boot.

Spring hasn't really come here yet.... well, we thought it had last week but now we're in a Winter Storm Warning, have 6 inches of snow so far, and expected 12-15 :-(

But, we do have 70 trees and shrubs arriving the first weekend of may (small ones) for our camp property. And I've got radishes and lettuce growing on the back porch, plus we've started 4 O'clocks, Nasturtium, and Sweet Peas so far and have a number of other perennial and annual seeds to put in. We're sure to pick up a number of seedlings too, once the nurseries are stocked (which they aren't here yet). I can't wait!

I've had my first hummingbird. I already have week old baby finches in the basket hanging on my porch. The bluebirds have been checking out my boxes, but don't think any have moved in yet.

I don't usually pot or plant any flowers until after Mother's Day. I had a bad experience with a late April hailstorm which destroyed all my pretties one year... so now I wait.

DS here is having my house trim and rails etc fixed and painted for my Mother's Day present.

I am going to plant a couple of boulders. LOL I took out 6 carpet roses, I hate those things and now need to find something to fill the spots. I will go see my neighbor from the old neighborhood and and my sister to see if I can get some starts from them.

Stargazzer, I have some carpet roses..too..and if I had something better to put in their place I would too...They are better left in a place where they don't need tended!!!!

Rthummer, I always have spring fever...and being that I'm an on call sub for the school district now in food service, Instructional assistant and clerical, I can say no, or "ignore" the online postings. LOL Like I did for today. There was an all day shift at one of the middle schools. I chose not to "click on it". LOL However, if I get the "Desperate" call from the sub coordinator, I say yes. That means someone else took the job. :o)

Okay just came in from my first batch of work. UGH..I better be better about this next year!!! I cleared probably 3x9' and it doesn't look like I did anything! found a baby red potato growing in the mess..Moved it to where I'm going to plant potatoes this year, and marked it with a pear pruning. LOL I saved some of my prunings this year for bush pea and bean supports. I hope they don't try and sprout. LOL

About weed control..usually I will take a bit of kitchen scraps and scatter them out and lay corugated card board over them and weigh them down with rock. The "live" critters come eat, the cardboard breaks down and the weeds are kept to a minimum. Or usually easily pulled out.

That's my trick..and if I do it..it makes a big difference..even if I don't do it until the late winter. But I live in the coastal region of Washington, so weeds grow all year long..especially in the winter/early spring!

Terri, Thanks for the help. We live in the south so we have Lots of weeds. I will have my husband read this post. We compost but we haven't done that. I like that idea you have come up with. Thank you. It will save us money and I sure like doing that! My husband will love saving his bucks!!

Sure it's a modification of lasagna gardening. I just don't usually top it with more than rocks to hold it down..watering the cardboard good helps too, (same as newspaper)
Has he heard of lasagna gardening? It's a great way to build up the soil too, even if you don't "plant" over the layers, but let the layers become weed control.

I've found that soil that doesn't have alot of worms or "good" guys in it will perk right up with some kitchen scraps dug in, and covering it with cardboard or news print just makes a dark environment for them to want to move into and stay.
Melon rinds, pineapple skins and cores and other "sweet" fruits are huge hits with worms. They like those much better than potato peelings, carrot peelings and other veggie based bits.

I will often dig in kitchen scraps in an area that has just flowers in it..to boost the soil friends. And don't forget bananas dug in near roses.

oh and worms don't really like onion and garlic bits and skin nor citrus peels. oh and only occasionally add egg shells to the kitchen scraps too.

I have two healthy tomato plants in pots, but it is a little to early to put them in the ground. vique

Sorry I thought it said planning!!