definitely spring

It was overcast all day Sunday, warm enough but the cloudy sky did not inspire me. I did finally empty the garden cart onto the burn pile of the weeds and yard trash that it's been full of for weeks! so that I could put Saturday's weeds and yard trash in it. Did I empty that onto the burn pile? I did not. Saturday I weeded an entire flower bed, the one from which I have been trying to get rid of the mexican petunias. There was some of that coming back but mostly it was dayflower that had colonized it last summer. The mini flood we had last February in which the entire yard was under water creeping at the threshold of the door to the little backyard brought untold number of weed seeds. Clover. I have clover all over the big backyard. I have never had clover back there. All kinds of other spring weeds but not clover.

Sunday I was back to pulling clover and cleaver and hay grass out of the big backyard. That task is overwhelming in the front, well, it's overwhelming in the back too, and the ditch and the easement. We're not getting as many bluebonnets this year as in previous years because, I think, the county mowed the easement and ditch before they had completely gone to seed. The county never mows in front of our house but last year for whatever reason, they did when they mowed the deep ditch in front of the shop property. That and we haven't gotten much rain this winter. But! We tossed some seed at the back of the big backyard several years ago and that patch has grown and expanded and this is what I saw when I wandered back there Sunday...

bluebonnets blooming in early February. This is so wrong.

More pictures of some of what's blooming in the big backyard/meadow...

the ten petal anemones which have completely colonized the yard

and the very rare pink version

henbit

dandelions, of course

and the woodland violets still

the woodland petal pink is putting out it's first blooms

The other thing I did Sunday was alter a dress for grandgirl Robin who was home this weekend. She's spending the weeks in the city staying with friends until they get the electricity hooked up which is probably still several weeks away.

Yesterday, another overcast but comfortable day, I took the long handled nippers and cut back everything...the other confederate rose, the morning glory bushes, the penta, the plumbago, the hibiscus, the cinco de mayo rose, the sprawling orange lantana, the firespike, the yellow trumpet flower and pulled up more cleaver and clover. I'm not sure I'm going to cut back the knockout roses. I usually cut them back every other year and I did cut them back last spring but they didn't do well last year so I probably should cut them back and then fertilize them. And I still need to trim away all the dead leaves on the banana trees and plant the camellia but it turned cold today.

On the bathroom remodel front, second coat of paint went on yesterday and the flooring got installed today.

before and after

   

Next the tile goes up.