Inside out(side)

First, the floor is done.



I forgot to take a "before" picture, but basically what was there was neutral wall-to-wall carpeting. My daughter and I were concerned that the fireplace would clash, but decided it is okay. Daughter is also trying to persuade me to get a round table for the room, one about the size of that there card table. I'm seriously weighing that idea.



Meanwhile, I now have an acre of Durastone to mop.

The story with the upside down tomatoes is, one had a broken stem, which is why it looked parched even though it was supposedly well watered. I broke it off completely, stripped the lower leaves, and stuck it into a pot to see if it will take root and recover. I have not had this problem before, but it only makes sense because, even though the plants are upside down, they are trying to grow rightside up.

The heat and humidity have done in some of the bloomers - the clematis by the front door dropped its petals faster than a streaker in January - while forcing others out of their buds.

Dragon's Blood sedum:



It never looks as good as the photos in the catalogs, but it does well in dry conditions.

A red lily of some variety:



This one does not last long once it blooms.

Shasta daisy:



I finally figured out that deadheading this plant severely limits how well it comes back the following year. I thought it regrew from the roots, but actually it reseeds itself.

Some yellow daylily that was part of a collection:



I keep meaning to do something new with all the different lilies and daylilies I have scattered around the yard, but have yet to get around to it. It's not like they are going anywhere.

This is a small-flowered clematis - I can't find its name right now - that I think blooms most of the summer.



It has been moved and abused so often I'm surprised it is still alive, let alone blooming.

No vegetable garden is complete without marigolds:



Usually I select a mahogany-colored variety, but now I'm favoring orange.

This hosta gets a lot of sun, but doesn't seem to mind:



Behind it are Stella d' Oro daylilies.

I know the name of this tickseed:



Coreoptis Grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'.

And, now that the privet is done blooming, the volunteer milkweeds are serving as aromatic replacements:



Every year I let a few of these go, and sometimes monarchs visit, but I never find any eggs, let alone caterpillars, on the plants. Maybe this year.

I keep trying to capture just how lovely the barberry looks with its new growth. This is the best I can do.



It's even better in real life. Trust me.

And because no entry this year would be complete without a bunny pic:

Status report

This spring we were receiving just about the perfect amount of rain, but now it has stopped, which means the daily watering has begun. A few things in pots get watered everyday, while in-the-ground items receive a shower every two or three days. I only water the shrubs when it is dry enough to cease mowing; there are only so many hours in the day.

The tomatoes like this weather. The Early Girl teases me with its green fruit, but all of them are blossoming. I've resigned myself to daily watering of the Topsy Turvys, but I'm a little frustrated with the Gardener's Supply upside down planters. They have reservoirs on top with wicks to pull the moisture to the soil, and simple hydrometers to register the amount of moisture in the bag. This system worked well at first, but now the hydrometers say the soil is dry even though the water in the reservoirs is disappearing (maybe through evaporation?) There are extra wicks, but I don't want to start using them up so early in the season. Guess I will have to drag a ladder out there and fiddle with the whole thing to see exactly what is going on. I'm guessing the soil at the top has shrunk away from the bottom of the reservoir, hence not enough contact between the wick and the soil to effectively transfer water. That's my theory anyway.

I have four tomato plants in hanging bags, three in big pots, and three in the ground with red reservoirs beneath them. They are all different varieties, so I won't be able to draw any conclusions from the harvest, but it is fun to try different methods.

One experiment is doing well, that of growing onions in pots for scallions. I planted onion sets around the rim of the tomato plant pots and have been reaping the fruits of my labor and eating them in salads. Ditto the herbs in pots. I have a planter of lettuce that needs a little sun protection, but I have high hopes there. I may add a few radishes to that mix because the ones in the ground bolt too quickly.

The pepper plants look kind of puny despite the helping of fertilizer they started with. I have not had much luck in recent years with peppers. The snap peas are starting to produce pods. They get some afternoon shade, so should be okay in spite of the heat. The cukes are at the end of the pea fence, and I think the shade is hurting them, as they are not getting very big very fast. The zucchini gets more sun and is doing fine. I'm ready to plant another hill of each. The rabbits have not yet eaten the beans, so I'll make another planting of those as well.

Speaking of rabbits, Bunny Daddy has fled the premises and now Mama lounges around under the arborvitae, getting fat. I brought her a bowl of water since she can't reach the bird bath.

Enough about the outside.

It's up to me to prep the quarter round for the family room flooring installation, and I have discovered something about myself. I hate to paint. There is either too much paint on the brush or too little. I apply either too much or too little. I dribble. I smear. I get paint in my hair. I lack both the patience and the steady hand to do a good job. To add to my misery, it is hot and humid. I'm barely moving and yet covered in sweat after about two minutes.

The baseboard is stained, but I am painting the quarter round because I plan to have the baseboard painted later on. Meanwhile, there will be "antique white" quarter round over dark walnut baseboard. That won't look strange, will it? Maybe it will motivate me to hire a painter in the near future.

Starting to feel like summer

There is something in the air, a shift in temperature and humidity and universal vibe, that occurs in June and that makes us say, "NOW it feels like summer!" It is still not brutally hot or suffocatingly humid, but it is also no longer springlike out there. Or maybe it is the firecrackers.

The latest love of my life is this:



It's a Cotinus coggygria 'Purpureus' aka Purple Smoke Tree. I found it at Home Depot and it followed me home. Situated at the southeast corner of the house, it is a great addition to my purple-leaf front yard, where it joins the barberry, Japanese maple, crimson king maple, and sandcherry. Oooh!

I would like to add some 'Gold Nugget' barberry to my front yard, to contrast with all the purple, but my research has revealed that barberry and burning bush are considered invasive. This really surprises me, because I have never seen either growing willy-nilly in my yard. Perhaps I am just too busy with the Canada thistle, garlic mustard, Queen Anne's lace, mulberry, honeysuckle bush, etc., etc., and so forth, to notice.

The daylilies are starting to bloom. This is Stella:



There are tiger lilies and Shasta daisies as well, but the breezes have been creating consternation with this amateur photographer, so no pix yet. I have gobs of pix from previous years, but I still like to take a few of each emerging blossom so that I have a record of sorts of what blooms when.

From my observations, it looks like all three baby bunnies have survived. It is difficult to tell from this photo, as the little suckers do not take direction well, but they would still fit in one hand, albeit a large hand.



The teen from a previous post appears to be their babysitter. I think the Bunny Daddy made an appearance last week, so more may be on the way soon.

Hopefully, Mama Bunny will find a new yard to nest in. Something they don't mention when promoting backyard habitats is the sheer number of rabbits yours will attract. It's not a problem until they start eating the things you don't want them to eat. While there are plenty of other food choices for them in my yard, I have had to surround nearly every shrub with poultry netting. Some garden plants require protection as well. Meanwhile, my SO has been helping me line the backyard with poultry netting. We have done nearly all the chain link fence, but I need to come up with a strategy for the gates. At this point, though, I'm not sure if I am keeping them OUT or locking them IN.

My love/hate relationship continues with my neighbor's mulberry tree. It is LOADED this year, much to the robins' delight. They have been using the tree as a launching pad for their fledglings. I read that orioles like mulberries as well, but I have not seen any.

Sadly, I found a dead catbird under the Rhubarb that Ate New York. I have yet to dispose of it, so have not determined a possible cause of death. I'm guessing a hawk dropped its lunch and the poor thing had not yet expired and crawled into a protected spot to die in peace. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Completely new thread: This week my family room is getting new flooring. With the demise of the Florida room, the great outdoors starts at the patio door, which means some of that great outdoors gets tracked onto the carpet, despite my array of dirt trappers. So the carpet is destined for the Restore store (operated by Habitat for Humanity) and the Durastone in the kitchen is being extended into the family room. The ultimate goal is to wed the two rooms together, to create a big harvest kitchen.

The other problem with the removal of the Florida room is the brutal afternoon sun on the patio. I like the idea of a pergola out there, but don't want wood because of the maintenance issues. This week a local firm gave me a ballpark estimate on an aluminum one: $6000 for a patio the size of mine. Gah! The sound you hear is that project falling to the bottom of my home improvement list.

Sunday routine

My SO has been very generous with his Sunday afternoons and muscle power. Today he helped line the chain link with chicken wire. I simply have too many bunnies in my backyard habitat. We have about 25 feet left to go, then I will have to figure something out for the gates.

I also turned the compost pile today, sifting out a cartful of black gold in the process. At the very bottom of the bin I was emptying was what I think is a vole or mole. At first I thought it was a mouse, but instead of running away, it kept burrowing down. It was gray, with a short tail, and very interested in disappearing.

The wren house is finally occupied, so now I not only get to hear the wren song, but get to watch mom and dad ready the nest. The bluebird house has been taken over by sparrows. They might as well use it since no bluebirds are. And I saw a hummingbird about a week ago. I'm contemplating investing in an oriole feeder, because I think they are around, just not very visible.

Now it is time for some Advil.

What's that smell?

The privet hedge is in bloom. The aroma is almost too cloying to be enjoyable. The bees are loving it, though.

We have received quite a bit a rain this spring, at least an inch a week, I think. Another inch fell over the past day or two, and now the yard is starting to sprout mushrooms.



Gadzukes! That's not all that's sprouting.



Every year I am overrun with zucchini, but last year I did not plant any due to the renovations and I missed it. The stuff from the grocery store just does not taste the same.

Finally, a halfway decent pic of blossoms on the honeysuckle vine.



At A Way to Garden, they were discussing aphids on honeysuckles. So that is why the blossoms sometimes curl up and die. More come on, but maybe I should add an aphid shower to my yard regime.

The yarrow is starting to bloom.



But it looks like the pestimon has bit the dust. I will plant more someday because the hummingbirds really like it.

I have generations of rabbits in my backyard habitat.



The ones in this nest have since ventured out, but they are the equivalent of toddlers. They hide in the coneflower, and mama comes around to nurse them now and then. I tried to get a photo of the latter, but was too cautious because I did not want to disturb them.

This guy is a teenager, I bet.



He used to be quite skittish, but now he just watches me with that "What's YOUR problem?" look on his face.

Otherwise, I am harvesting radishes and scallions, mowing grass between showers, and losing the battle of the weeds. So what else is new?

Making lasagna

My soil is heavy clay. Heavy, heavy clay. I have tried various and sundry methods to lighten it up over the years, but nothing seems to do much good. So I decided to give lasagna gardening a try.



It's a little late to create beds this year, but that has not stopped me. The "active" beds - the ones with stuff growing in them - are at various stages along the road to becoming lasagna beds, but today I started a real lasagna bed, one that will cook until next year, when it will be perfect. Right?

This bed, which is approximately 4'x25', now consists of two layers of sod, one facing up and one facing down, with newspaper in between, topped with some ashes from the fireplace, a bale of sphagnum moss, three 40-pound bags of composted cow manure, and a bunch of grass clippings. The robins are loving it.

(It's funny how I am not too lazy to go to all that work, but I am too lazy to go inside and get my camera to document what I am doing. Go figure.)

The cooking of more lasagna beds is planned, but this is the tough one because of the sod. We shall see how well it breaks down. More layers will be added as they become available, but there shall be no tilling. I want to see if the worms can work their magic with no mechanical help from me.

Other achievements: planted some mesclun in a container, to see how it does if I keep it protected from the fierce summer sun; harvested some radishes; planted cukes next to the pea fence, so they have something to climb; and some of the marigolds are in the ground and in containers.

I also moved a heuchera that was not getting enough sun, and replaced it with this gift from a nursery friend of mine:



It's a hosta called 'Love Pat'. Hope it can hold its own against its neighbors, aka the Hostas That Ate New York.

Not all the 'Jethro Tull' coreopsis survived the winter, but I can find four, some of which are blooming.



Love those fluted petals!

And the bees are still loving the phlox, even though the blooms are about done for the year.



If I had a better camera, you would see that this guy is not perched on a stalk but flying about, his wings a blur.

Discontinued flooring and rabbit habits

About six years ago, I had Durastone flooring installed in my kitchen. I like Durastone. It looks like tile but is warmer and repairable. Last year, when the laundry room was redone as part of the room addition, I used the same Durastone pattern in there as well. You cannot tell the old Durastone from the new. Great stuff.

While discussing impending home improvement plans with a co-worker, I mentioned how much I like Durastone, so we went out to the Congoleum website so I could show her what I was talking about. What I noticed was my kitchen pattern was no longer on their website. Was it discontinued?

There are two problems with this possibility: 1) after the laundry room, I somehow was left with no spare tile for repairs, and 2) someday I want to wed the kitchen to the family room by replacing the carpet in the family room with the same Durastone as is in the kitchen.

I called my flooring guys, and they confirmed that yes, my pattern was being phased out. However, they were able to find some. My first impulse was to purchase as much as I might ever need. But after a restless night or two (home improvement is a favorite 3am topic in my cranium), I decided to go ahead and have the tile in the family room installed NOW.

Yesterday, while cleaning the cat box, the cat box that is supposed to be in the cat washroom but is now in the main bathroom which guests use (ugh!) because Princess Fern apparently does not like enclosures and was hanging her butt out of the cat washroom when peeing which was ruining the finish on the cat washroom, I had another epiphany. Instead of replacing my concrete driveway (oh, yeah, did I mention I was planning on doing that, as a prelude to installing a rain garden?), I would rather spend that money on remodeling the workshop that is off the garage and behind the laundry room into a utility room. The washer and dryer can go in there, along with a freezer and that damn litter box.

So, that is the plan. As of this moment. Who knows what I will dream up between today and tomorrow.

As for outside work, I managed to scrounge up some zucchini seeds and planted one hill. I also found inexpensive tomato cages at Menards and am trying the square ones on the tomatoes in the ground. And the rain garden consultant stopped by to answer some questions about my rain garden plans, which was extremely helpful but currently moot. And I've kept up with the mowing.



As for the bunny situation, mama bunny did not move her babies, but I was able to discourage Betsy's interest in the nest, until today. This morning Betsy was digging around in the nest when I chased her off. One baby escaped, two remained huddled in their hidey hole, and a dead one had been dislodged from the nest. It looked like it had been dead for a while - maggots! - so I left it in the grass for later disposal, but mama bunny took care of it for me by EATING IT! I'm guessing this is a survival mechanism, to prevent attracting predators to the nest, but GROSS!!!

Today my SO is coming over so we can continue our labors in my backyard. I cannot express how grateful I am to have his help this year. My garden plans tend to get a bit grandiose, which results in the yard feeling more like a burden than a delight. But now, when I sit in the West Wing and observe my backyard habitat, I feel optimistic that all will come to fruition.

And now, some pics:

Clematis viticella 'Betty Corning':



I planted two of these in 2006, and since their original location is no longer, they now reside at the corners of the West Wing

Agilegia canadense, aka Canadian columbine:



Just loaded this year, despite last year's transplantation.

Some other clematis:



This is from Springhill Nursery I think, and has been shielding the front porch for many years. Last year it took on the look of a giant tumbleweed, so I whacked it back severely. Apparently, it is harboring no ill will over that episode.

Some climbing rose:



I think this is also from Springhill. I'm not a rose person, so this one suffers from much neglect. Still, it soldiers on.

Some iris:



These came with the house, sometimes bloom, sometimes don't. This one has been buried by the hostas, hasn't bloomed in years, but worked its way out to the edge of the bed this year. Now it is saying, Look at me! I will survive!

And, last but not least, for your listening pleasure:

Pooped and cheap poop

Today's weather was perfect for spending the entire day in the yard. My SO (the best boy friend ever!) helped pull thistle, a never ending task, while I finally got the tomatoes into the ground/Topsy Turvy's/planters. The peppers were transplanted as well, plus herbs. There are still the marigolds, plus direct seeded things like zucchini, but it was the thistle that was keeping me awake at night. We got to it just in the nick of time, too, as it was starting to flower. Next invasive on the agenda: Queen Anne's lace.

Last night we visited both Home Depot and Lowes, coming home with two bales of sphagnum moss and twelve 40-lb. sacks of cow manure. I did not realize the latter was so cheap. We were also looking for cheap tomato cages, but came up empty handed.

A wren has finally started building a nest in the wren house, but rather half-heartedly. A cranky robin keeps chasing him away. What is up with that?!? The grackles were crabby today also, as we were working too close to their nests for their personal comfort. They should chill.

The last of the colonnade apples bit the dust, so that experiment is officially over and categorized as a big FAIL. Fruit trees have never been my forte. I think I'd like to try raspberries, though. Mmmmmm.

On a completely unrelated topic, I was talking with a co-worker about how much I like my Durastone flooring. We went out to the Congoleum website, and I did not see my kitchen floor pattern. Uh-oh. I was half-planning on using that for my family room. Must call my flooring people tomorrow.

But right now I am going to take a shower and eat some pizza and relax for the rest of the evening. I think I earned it.

Look what Betsy found

It's a baby bunny! Unfortunately, the dog does not want to leave the poor thing alone, so she is banished to the house. Hopefully mama will come by and move the baby elsewhere.

Keeping up with this blog is more difficult than keeping up with the yard. I was out of town part of last weekend, which was good for my mental health but not for the garden. Memorial Day I mowed the backyard while my SO dug up more sod to create a nice path around the garden. Some mulch also got shifted but not much else.

And then it started to rain. And rain. And RAIN. Today it was threatening but I decided to mow the front yard anyway. I also set up the alternative Topsy Turvy planters, so now there are two tomatoes planted, Health Kick and Fourth of July. After all my kvetching about Burpee sending plants late, this year they arrived on time and I am the one that is late.

And then it rained again. Jeesh!



Keys of heaven, in case you were wondering, in a sea of Queen Anne's lace.

All we are saying, is give peas a chance

At least, I could find the snap peas once I dispensed with a few weeds.

This beauty was hiding as well, behind tall phlox.



And then there is my pet Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'. These blossoms fascinate me.



Canada thistle frustrates rather than fascinates, except for how it persists despite years of persecution by me. Tonight I spent about an hour uncovering the Rudbeckia and Coreopsis, and I even found some Crocosmia, too, once the waist high thistle had been yanked out by the roots, fragments of which will send up new shoots as soon as my back is turned. Wish I had a goat.

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

That is what I planted in one pot tonight. The rosemary and parsley wintered over in the West Wing, the thyme and sage are new purchases. Another pot now holds the Early Girl tomato and about two dozen onion sets. I'm experimenting with growing green onions for salad in a container. We'll see how that works out.

Last Sunday my SO helped me (once again!) with the garden, digging up the sod where the paths around the veggie beds are to be. I cleaned out the shed and sifted compost and moved mulch, and I'm sure I did some other things because I was very tired by the end of the day. The peas and onions (the ones in the ground) and mesclun is up. We came close to having a frost the other night, but these are all cold hardy. I was not so sure about the impatiens in the flower box on the front porch, but they look okay.

And nothing phases the chives.

Surprise!

Two years ago, I ordered a tomato collection from Burpee, and waited and waited and waited for those plants to arrive. They finally did, two weeks after they should have gone into the ground. All my complaints were answered with "We ship them at the right time for your zone" but I think they either did not plant enough or the first crop failed. I decided to risk it again this year, ordering both a nine-plant tomato collection and a six-plant pepper collection, but bought an Early Girl from a local nursery as a hedge against another late arrival. So guess what showed up on my doorstep last Thursday? Yep, my plants from Burpee. I am holding them for a few more days, as the nights are still a bit cool for 'maters, but I am very pleased to have them sitting on the patio.

My son did help with the digging of two holes, one for the Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' and one for the Viburnum dentatum 'Chicago Luster'. I let Arbor Farms plant the Liriodendron tulipifera. I did not watch their every move, but it looks like they left the roots wrapped in burlap? Not sure if that is a good idea, but these guys are not newbies. Hopefully they know what they are doing.



I gave my son some other "heavy lifting" kind of tasks, like digging up the sod where my vegetable garden paths will be. It's peculiar now men have more upper body strength than women, but women seem to have more endurance.

What else? I took the dead laceleaf Japanese maple back to Lowes today. No argument from them, although the woman at the returns desk was not very cheerful. I'm guessing sometimes she has to deal with some real wieners.

I have visited about every nursery there is to visit in these parts, buying marigolds here, admiring the redbuds there, but it seems to me that the variety of offerings is getting, well, less varied. I'm particularly disappointed in the herbs this year. Part of my future kitchen renovation includes a corner for growing plants indoors, so maybe I will just have to start my own.

These phlox are self-sowing, and I celebrate their return each year. They smell great, too.



The Viburnum prunifolium is the most robust of all my Viburnums.



The rabbits are becoming quite tame, except for the babies. I was surprised this one let me get so close.



Maybe if this guy lived in my yard instead of down the street, I would not have so many baby bunnies.



Anything that eats mice and rats is okay by me!

The results of all those April showers

Some May flowers are definitely here, with more in the wings.

This is actually a weed that most gardeners try to eradicate. I can't remember its name, but it is so pretty I let it grow some. It seems to favor the shadier parts of the lawn.



The pink creeping phlox grows in the bed with the asplenifolia and yucca and sand cherry. I have tried growing some white under the barberry but it is too shady there. I may expand that bed a bit and try again.



My old fashioned lilac is a bit droopy, thanks to an ice storm last winter, but it is putting on quite a show this year to make up for it.



The fragrance is divine!



The Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliant' aka chokeberry is in bloom. (I'm trying to use proper Latin names more.)



The first iris, with many more to come. Another sweet smell but definitely different than lilac.



Last summer I moved the bleeding heart to protect it from the construction crews, but I plan to move it back once it is done blooming. This year's blooms look kind of puny compared to previous years, due to the transplant shock no doubt.



The forget-me-not under the rhododendron pooped out, so I was very surprised to find this volunteer in the yard.



And my new Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' aka Japanese maple. The laceleaf one I bought last year from Lowes did not make it through the winter, and since I can get my money back on that one, I'm not too sad. The laceleaf version takes a lot of water and more care than I am inclined to give one plant. For only about $35 more, I picked up its replacement, which is four times as big, from Beverly Nurseries.



While at Beverly, I also picked up a Viburnum dentatum 'Chicago Luster' which is supposed to cross pollinate with the 'Blue Muffin'. My son is here this weekend. I hope he feels like digging a couple of big holes.

Other achievements this week include emptying out three big containers, mixing sphagnum peat, blood meal, and bone meal with the soil, and refilling them. One is going to become a salad bowl, with greens and radishes and green onions. Another I will populate with an 'Early Girl' tomato and some basil. Pot number three will probably be home to some herbs because I am redoing what was the herb garden last year. And it looks like another one of my colonnade apple trees bit the dust, so there may be a fourth pot to fill.

Re the mowing: I did mow the backyard with the electric mower and sort of liked it. My gas mower is self-propelled and the electric one is not, but the latter is very light so pushing it is not that difficult (that might be a different story were I to bag the clippings). Dealing with the cord took some coordination (ha) but again, not all that bad. As more of my lawn gives way to plants, when the time comes to replace the gas mower, I will definitely consider an electric one. Meanwhile, I took the Toro to the repair shop. It still had its tag from when they serviced it, which probably helped sway them to charging me nothing for what turned out to be a very minor repair. Thanks, Crescent Garden!

Alien invaders!

God, I'm pooped. So much accomplished and yet so much more to do. Too bad I have to work for a living.

The SO came over to help today. His choice of back-breaking labor was weeding along the fence behind the barely findable bee balm. He pulled out Canada thistle, stinging nettle, and - HORRORS! - garlic mustard.

Garlic mustard is one of those evil non-native invasive plants that take over. The local preserves have garlic mustard days - volunteers comb the woods, yanking out the offending plants. They are easy to spot (the plants, not the volunteers) because they are green while everything else is still brown. And they smell like garlic, but not yummy is-the-lasagna-ready garlic - more like day-old garlic breath.

And I was truly aghast that this plant is trying to invade my backyard habitat. There is quite a crop behind the fence, so I will have to crawl back there and eradicate it. Death to garlic mustard!

Another shrubby plant has appeared in my yard, one with pretty little flowers. My inclination was to let it be, but then it seemed to be every where I turned. Finally, it dawned on me that it was honeysuckle. More horrors! Another non-native invasive!

Honeysuckle vine is fine, but honeysuckle bush is not. Last summer I noticed some in the neighbor's privet, and now I'm wishing I had not left it to its malevolent devices. It too must go.

And then there is the Virginia creeper. Even though it looks suspiciously like poison ivy, it is good for wildlife. I tried to train it to grow on the chain link fence, but it refused to cooperate and instead attaches itself to mulch, which to its little plant brain is equivalent to a dead tree. We whacked what was in our way today, but I'm sure it will be back. And I think that is okay.

Grape vine also counts as wildlife friendly, but is also somewhat annoying when it is where you don't want it to be. I'm not very grape vine knowledgeable, but it looks like last year's vines are now dead? And new ones will soon appear? I will have to do some research.

Despite mucho mulching, I have quite the Canada thistle problem in my yard. Every year, I try to at least keep it from going to seed, but last year was a big FAIL in that regard. Now I am paying the price. I am guilty of resorting to Roundup, out of sheer desperation, but I may get one of those flame-throwing weed killers. Just think how satisfying it would be to fry those bastards to a crisp!

And then there is the damn mulberry. Wildlife loves mulberry but I do not. My neighbor has a mulberry tree, and when I trimmed a limb off it last year (it was hanging over my compost pile and cramping my compost-turning style), I discovered I am allergic to them. Contact dermatitis big time. Baby mulberry trees pop up all over my yard, too, so I am contemplating bribing my neighbor into removing that tree. It looks kind of dangerous anyway, after last winter's ice storm.

On the less whiny side of the garden, I did move both 'Betty Corning' clematises (clemati? clemates?) The clothesline poles they were climbing last summer rotted off at the ground, so I strapped their fan-shaped trellises to the downspouts on the West Wing, then plopped them in their new location. Hopefully, they will recover from the shock.

Speaking of downspouts, I staggered around the house with my tall fiberglass ladder to check the gutters, having noticed the ones in front overflowing during a recent downpour. Yes, they were a bit clogged up, one with a snarled nest of roofing staples. My gutter-cleaning technique involves feeding a garden hose down the downspout, dislodging blockages and flushing them away in one wet step. Very effective and efficient, but it kind of reminded me of my colonoscopy.

And I planted onions. I love growing onions, maybe because there is so little labor involved in harvesting them. The asters did not make it through the winter, so I am contemplating creating salad and herb gardens in their pots, ringing the rims with green onions.

Yesterday's wren was nowhere to be seen or heard today. Where did he go? Surely he is not rejecting my little red wren house. During a break, my SO spotted a sparrow-like bird with a Mohawk - three white stripes atop its head. We think it is a White Crowned Sparrow. Good eye!

And now it is time for some Advil before bed.

I hear a wren!

Wrens are the good news, plus a most perfect weekend weatherwise. The bad news is my mower choked to a halt, fortunately after I finished the front yard but unfortunately before I got very far into the backyard jungle. My SO brought his electric mower over, though, so I will give that a chance to prove itself. The more I garden, the less yard I have to mow, so maybe it is time to transition away from my not-so-trusty Toro to something quieter and less polluting.

Friday night I bit the bark and picked out a tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) to shade the West Wing. What is it about a nursery in the spring that makes me want to whip out my credit card and cry, "I'll take one of everything!"? The only thing that kept me to the one tree was my plan to visit another nursery for the other things on my wishlist. But I splurged on the tree - 2" diameter and they (Arbor Farms) will plant it. I can hardly wait!

I am dithering about what to do about the patio. It needs some shade, but I like seeing the sky out my patio door. I've considered a variety of trees, a pergola, an awning, a trellis for the kitchen window, insulated curtains for the patio door, etc. I just can't decide what would be most satisfactory. The patio is on the west side of the house and the afternoon sun will be brutal. Suggestions welcome!

Unable to mow yesterday, I turned to moving mulch. Believe it or not, I may need one more load. I also (finally) planted snap peas and mesclun. It was hard to put away my tools midafternoon to prepare for an evening out, but today my muscles and joints are thankful.

Yesterday's photos did not turn out - too bright - but here are some from this past week:

Creeping phlox...



... purpleleaf sandcherry...



... and volunteer violets.



Maybe I should replace my lawn with clover and violets.