Dear Friends and Gardeners: May 3, 2010

Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere,

Is it just me or do the weeks pass more quickly in the spring? Or maybe it feels like last week went fast because this weekend was a repeat of last weekend – rainy. I don’t feel like I’ve done much in the garden so far this spring, but I feel like I have a lot to do.

I am seeing progress on the implementation of the new garden design in front. Last Monday, the garden designer and crew came and moved a few shrubs around. They are returning on Tuesday of this week to finish digging out the new beds in front and plant new shrubs and others plants “according to design”. I know people want to see before and after pictures of the design on my blog, but I’m holding off on those until there is an "after" to see.

Last week overall seems like a blur in the rear view mirror. Monday evening I mowed the lawn; Tuesday after work I dug up a bunch of hostas and took them to my sister-in-law and brother’s house and planted them; Wednesday morning we had frost on the ground, which only seemed to nip the grape vine; Thursday evening I moved a few more perennials that are right where I want to see the patio expanded to and dug up more hostas and Shasta daisies to take to some co-workers; Friday I rushed home after work and just had time to mow the lawn.

Then this Saturday and Sunday, I seemed to be all crosswise with the weather. It rained off and on, and for awhile, you would have thought that I was making it rain! Every time I had a chance to go out and work in the garden, it would start to rain. Then when I was busy with other things, it would clear up. The only thing I did was “free the clematis” by removing the support I had around a shrub-type clematis.

I hope this upcoming week will be different, and it surely will be because on Friday I start my “gardening vacation”. For this vacation, I tell everyone to act like I’m a thousand miles away and then I spend all my time gardening right in my own backyard. I've been taking my "gardening vacation" during this same timeframe in May for about the past twenty years and thoroughly enjoy it.

But between now and then, I’ve got a lot to do in and out of the garden, so I’ll wrap this up with a picture of my vegetable garden taken late on Sunday.

I sure am growing some mighty big weeds! I plan to pull them out this week.

I hope your gardens are doing well, and you aren’t quite as frantic as I seem to be.

Hortifully yours,

Carol

P.S. – The picture above is of ‘Tower Pink’ columbine growing in my garden, the same ones that I wrote an article about for the Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010 issue of Horticulture magazine. I think the garden fairies like to snatch those blooms and make petticoats out of them.

P.S.S. – I’m picking lots of nice lettuce and spinach from my garden now, but no radishes yet. I planted the radishes later than usual, when the moon was waning, so they need some more time to grow.