For the record

Today was a beautiful spring day - at last! I spent several hours in the backyard this afternoon. The dogs enjoyed the sunshine as well.

One task was prepping all the planters and big pots. Last year I tried growing tulips in pots (with near-zero success). Those pots each had an inverted pot inside, so I didn't have to fill them all the way with potting soil. Today I dug out the inverted pots and topped the old potting soil with new; later I'll add some finished compost to further freshen them. Two of the pots each received a red penstemon in the center, and two were planted with five 'Lucifer' crocosmia corms each. The fifth big pot will get some annuals later on.

Some of the pots from the garage hold perennial herbs - oregano, sage, thyme. I sawed off the bottom two inches or so of each root ball and replaced that with fresh potting soil. I emptied the potting soil from the remaining pots into the garden and filled them with all fresh. One now holds a cluster of parsley seedlings, the rest are waiting their turn for other herbs. Mmmm...fresh basil.

The rest of the seedlings continue to harden off on the deck. I potted up the three surviving hibiscus starts - I'm going to start some more. The dyers knotweed was so slow to germinate that I gave up on them. Premature on my part - today I separated them from their neighbors - they are growing but rather spindly from the competition.

I am giving up on the azalea, so I pulled it out today. It looks like the spicebush is a goner, too, thanks to those rascally rabbits. While I have seen forsythia blooming elsewhere, mine doesn't look very promising. But then I have been actively discouraging it.

I hope you are also experiencing some springlike weather!