Today
was a good day, I said, sitting on the couch.
Why,
asked Marc, because you got to dig?
He
knows me well.
That
wasn't what I was thinking specifically but it is true. I did get to
dig today and that always makes me happy. I like to dig, I like to
break up the soil and crumble it with my hands. I like to add compost
and mix it in. I like to plant stuff and though I am not always
gentle I always have the plants' interest at heart. Sometimes things
are so root bound that for the plant to have any hope of surviving,
you basically have to tear away most of it's root system away so it
can start over.
But
today was spring here and is supposed to be all week. It will get
cold again but today I had to return my grandson to the city so I had
time before and after to just be outside. I had bought a few annuals
Friday when I was in the city picking him up so I had plenty to
occupy me today, though I didn't get everything in.
The
grandboy wanted to come spend the weekend because he wanted to work
on the truck that he is buying from his dad who collects old Ford
trucks to work on as a hobby.
I
wanted him to spend the weekend because I had a project outdoors I
wanted him to help me with. My neighbor Alan, Frank's son, on one
side between us and Frank Of The Bountiful Garden has a bunch of
storage buildings on the back part of his half acre and he sprays
herbicide twice a year back there to keep the weeds down on the
packed dirt ground. If you know me at all, you know that this is
anathema to me. In the city, my yard was a no kill zone and most
especially no poisons and I practice the same here. Alan has been
encroaching with the poison by a few inches to a foot over the
property line so Saturday, I got the grandboy to help me erect 4
sections of wrought iron fencing back there. It doesn't extend all
the way to the native pecan tree yet as I didn't have enough sections
but I'll fill it in eventually. The plan is to plant flowering vines
on the fencing or large flowering shrubs in the space between the
fencing and the long day lily bed.
I
have a full day of work ahead today and it's not yard work. Well, I
do have several full days of yard work but today is work work. The
castings are coming out today.
I can definitely see whose yard is whose! That fence is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm a spectacularly terrible gardener, I also love days when I dig around or re-pot my unlucky plants. It feels good.
As much as I hate herbicides I do allow some along a 2 inch wide path on the fence line. We make sure there is no rain in the forecast for days and we only spray once a year. The vines would soon overcome the fence if we did not and the fence line is very long.
ReplyDeleteYou are I are so much the same.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of trucks!
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to play in the soil. You are 6 weeks ahead of here at least.
ReplyDeletenice fencing to help keep things 'separate'. you reminded me, i need to mix up my compost heap and see about spreading a bit around some crape myrtles.
ReplyDeleteI never was good at growing things, and my wife refuses to garden until I rid the world of bugs.
ReplyDeleteYour pansies are perky little things! When I seen anemones I'll believe in spring. Only eighteen inches of snow and last night's inch of ice between me and them.
ReplyDeleteDon’t buy root bound plants, they’ll never do as well as plants in pots of a suitable size.
ReplyDeleteIt’s too early for me to plant anything but I can start cutting back and tidying a bit. There’ll be lots more winter yet; all I can do is preparation.
It’s too bad that your neighbour uses poison spray. Make sure he doesn’t ‘accidentally’ kill off any shrubs you’ll be planting along the fence.
It's been beautiful here as well. Been out puttering but nothing serious because it will freeze again so I'll hold out my enthusiasm for a bit.
ReplyDeleteI hate herbicides and bug sprays. We manage with what nature provides on both accounts. Great idea the fence.
Doesn't it feel great to be out in the garden - you've done great work there - very frustrating about the spraying - hope you had a good day with the moulds.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, would the flowering vines survive the encroaching herbicide?? Anyway, bravo to you for your stance on poisons. I'm with you all the way!
ReplyDelete