Ready to Enjoy
Even after the half inch of rain yesterday the gardens were fit to work in. I was in my hay day. In years past I have enjoyed creating gardens where it was impossible to grow a good crop of grass.
A clean slate of dirt ready to show off the young plants
Once perennials are established the maintenance is minimal. The secret is that the maintenance needs to be done in the spring of the year. There is no end to the trash that blows in with the snowstorms. Flooded areas have new weed seeds deposited and birds love to share weed seeds in their droppings.
As of today my gardens have all been tended to and they can now work on producing lush foliage and even a bit of color from some plants that bloom. Several plants shot out of the dirt and took off like a steak of lightening. A few I found on these last days were just breaking through the soil. It does take a watchful eye. Many of my neighbors put down bark mulch to prevent the weeds from taking over and some even go through the expense of coco bean hulls. You’ve got it. It does smell like chocolate. The draw back on the bean hulls is that they mold if we have lots of showers of rain. The draw back on the bark mulch is that some perennials drop seeds for new plants in the next year and the seeds need to find their home on dirt to take hold.
My favorite hangout for the summer
As I was using my pusher hoe over these last days I maneuvered around many flocks and bleeding heart plants that are new seedlings. Greenhouses and nurseries generally start their perennials at a cost of $3.99 per six inch growing pot. Being a little thrifty is part of having fun gardening. I do take pride in my tidy gardens. Both Orlin’s mother and my Mother were lovers of flowers and I was a good student. The contentment that I derive from gardening cannot be beat by any tranquilizer a doctor can prescribe. I am now going to sit back and enjoy the fruits of Mother Nature and my labor.