A Good Morning's Work

This is how I left things Saturday in the north bed.  Some trees cut out, and 

starting to pull the mint out.  The mint was rampant. 

'

This morning, about halfway through.  You see that there 

really ARE garden plants in that bed. 

The wood you see is a box that Keith made years ago for 

mums, we just built the larger bed around three boxes. 

This is about the only part of the callicarpus still growing... it has a huge trunk and 

I don't know how I would ever dig it out.  

The only other viable branch grows through the fence and out the other side.  I am 

not sure if I want to cut it off, or not.  

Lil thought she saw a squirrel. 

And Jester, after having run up and down the pasture several times, was 

just obviously bored with waiting for me.  Instead of laying down, every time I moved, he was around me, and finally gave up and took off to do more exploring, thank heavens. 

This is how the bed looked when I finished. 

I am going to stock up on about 30 bags of mulch... dig up more 

of the bed and turn it over, and then mulch it heavily. 

I had forgotten how many daylillies were in the bed, they were drowned out 

this summer by mint and weeds. 

This was the farthest corner of the bed this morning.  In June, my stepdaughter Andrea 

cut this tree down to the ground. 

I cut it underground this time, I tried to either dig up the smaller trees, or cut them underground and cover them.  This was actually three trees.  

Same corner.  See the pear tree in the background?  It has turned color... but the pear 

tree to it's left... same kind... not only did not bear this year, but has not 

turned red yet.  Odd. 

That's what I start tomorrow.  Oh. Joy. 

These were self-sowed zinnias from seeds from Landreth seeds last year... and 

they are growing strongly, still.  I have decided that I am really going to dig up 

this bed, get the grass out... and then move daylillies and iris over here from the other beds.  

If I can get more perennials in here, it won't grow up as badly. 

Then I'll mulch it heavily, too, and water it a few days.  

By the time the renters move in, it should be good to go. 

(By the time I get them all in shape, I'll want 

to move back..... 

Just kidding, Honey!)  

:-) 

More Fun in the Garden

The trellis beds got their dirt fills this morning, and a heavy layer of straw.  The last bed, the one in the distance... got the Roundup.  The bristly greenbrier vines have got to die, once and for all... then I'll dig that bed out, fill it with good dirt, and bury it under the straw. 

That huge pile of weeds to the left of the beds... is going to be taken down to the brush heap in the pasture, with Keith's help... along with all the weeds from the flower beds.  

As I cut back the mint in the beds, I kept finding other flowers.  These daylilies were almost completely covered up. 

And this little guy was peaking out across from them, among the last of the lilies. 

I tried so hard to get pictures of the many, many bumblebees that were working alongside me. 

Alas, the camera did not pick them up. 

I also got in there and cut out the big trees you see in the background. 

I started trimming back the buddleias... the ones I thought were all dead... and lo and behold, here 

is a viable buddleia!  I did trim back a lot of the dead wood, and I attacked the 

really dead huge buddleia to its' right. 

I made a very big pile of dead branches and other big weeds on the patio, so we 

can load them easily into the back of the truck... and to be out of the way when Troy cuts the grass this weekend. 

My assistant kept an eye on me from under the maple tree, where it was very shady. 

Butterflies were everywhere, I wish I could have gotten them to hold still for a minute! 

My assistant was glad to get in the car and get the air conditioning on so we could go home and have lunch. 

I hope everyone is planning a safe and fun weekend... we are still listening to the 

sound of the big fans and the humidifiers, and likely to for another few days. 

We don't mind, though, because we know the house will go back together again in even better condition!