It’s raining cats and dogs right now, and sometimes, it takes very little to make a person happy: Bob was ecstatic that I got orange creamsicles for an overnight treat, and I am extremely grateful to have finished my outdoor work before the torrent.<\/p>
\nAfter a bone-dry March, we had a so-so April and a very wet May. Last weekend was picture-perfect, but we’ve had rain almost every day since. When it eventually stops, watch out.
\nI’ve finished the clean-up at #11. It was a lot of work this year, mainly because I took on some big projects, like the meditation garden (now the home of Bob’s rock collection) and cleaning out the whole right side of the yard in preparation for new mulch.
\nThe last project was getting rid of an ancient, low-growing cedar-type plant that was in pretty bad shape, having been crowded out by the hearty pachysandra.
\nI was lucky, managed to get the truck loaded up with leaves, branches and The Stump before the rain started last evening. Today I found a coupon for a local recycling company that makes mulch out of brush and got the truck unloaded there in between showers.
\nThe seeds that Emme and I planted a couple of weekends ago have sprouted. I put in morning glories and dahlias this past week, Hollytoned the big holly tree and threw the last of some plant food or other at the hydrangeas, hope springing eternal in spite of the rotted terminal buds.
\nThe bachelor button at the side of the house is blooming, on schedule. The Montauks are healthy and this year, I promise to prune them back the end of this month. The purple and yellow tulips have made a very pretty display, and Peter’s rock garden is totally filled with perennials, including some nice tulips I put in last fall. Mission accomplished.
\nThere are some nice, healthy plants in front of the fence, and I won’t need many annuals to fill in there, either, except maybe to replace the tulips when they die off. The irises and day lilies are great, even the transplants. I spent some quality time pruning the fairy rose, always a horrible job. This year, I should have a huge number of larkspur.
\nJust wish we could save some of this rain for August, when we’ll really need it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s raining cats and dogs right now, and sometimes, it takes very little to make a person happy: Bob was ecstatic that I got orange creamsicles for an overnight treat, and I am extremely grateful to have finished my outdoor … Continue reading