thequiltedgardener's Blog

This evening was spent quickly cleaning out the landscaping in the front and side yard. Not much cleaning to do really, just clip the grasses down and remove the dead stems and flowers from the starlight sedum.  On the side it was more of the same only the added challenge of removing the leaves that settled underneath and in the barberry.  Ouch!

Once that was complete, I looked around and decided I had two choices.  The first being to work on raking the incredible amounts of acorn up out of the grass and the second was to begin tackling the cleanup of the back corner.  I chose the corner.  In the fall I blew the leaves but then apparently either the neighbors leaves blew over or more leaves feel because there was a TON of leaves to move.  I started with the rake and a wheel barrow but then decided that the leaf blower was the way to go otherwise I would spend the rest of the week just trying to get the leaves out of this section and while that is good, I wouldnt' be as satisfying as puttering around the garden.  DH showed me how to get the blower going and helped me get the straps adjusted [it is a backpack blower]- I love this power tool!

There was quite a bit of leaves and of course the farther down you go, the wetter they are so they don't move as easily as they would if they were dry.  When the leaves blew from the front of the stump I noticed a series of tunnels.  Seems some rodents have taken up residence in my garden over the winter.  My guess is that they are voles as we have had them in the front landscaping last year.  Unfortunately it looks like their tunnels uprooted some of my plants so there may be some losses.  The lambs ear is looking very rough at this point and I am not sure it is going to make it.

On the up side, once the leaves were gone [or really as they were moving] all the new life exposed.  I am thrilled iwth the amound of spreading that took place since last year and even found a few things that I was sure didn't make it that are poking thier leaves through the soil.  Two of these things were huge bleeding hearts.  My daughter was helping me in the fall.  I had dug them up to move them and she thought that the wheelbarrow needed emptying so she dumped it in the woods.  WIth all the leave blowing I was sure they were gone.  I found them at the end of winter, and put dirt and woodchips around therm.  I am amazed that they didn't rot having been exposed to the winter weather like that.  The leaves are poking up.........I love bleeding hearts.

The biggest excitement out there tonight however, was the location of two baby jacobs ladders.  Last year I had started some from seed, they had done really well but shortly after transplanting, they died.  When the seed heads on the big plants dried, I took them and shook them in that area in hopes new babies would grow..........and there they are.

Now I know many gardeners would have planted the seeds in trays with seedling mix but I had done this with my tower white columbine and have been rewarded with literally hundreds of babies.  As I am trying to fill in a large space this method is easy, and the plants are spaced more naturally instead of any way that I would have placed them.

The two hours spent outside tonight were very satisfying. I could have stayed out there until it was dark-or past dark as I am known to do [we have outside lighting in back] but I forced myself to come in , make dinner and spend time with the family.  Besides, my inactivity of the winter has caused me to suffer from what we lovingly call in my house "the old girl syndrome".  It is all worth it.

I am hopeful that the sun was shining all over today so that all the gardners had a chance to get some fresh air and thier hands dirty.