Sunny days

This weekend I:

• Weeded herb bed
• Worked on herb bed's border
• Continued work on removing blackberries down to the grandfather roots
• Weeded & mulched the fern/hellebore area
• Continued to weed & mulch the North fence strip
• Worked on the walk between the two raised beds
• Continued weeding peony area
• Continued weeding crocosmia bed
• Continued wedding sidewalk strip

April's Over May So June

Tasks this weekend:

• Weeded Russian sage on back garage strip
• Weeded walk between the back beds
• Considered how to mulch strawberries since I have no straw, hmm
• Worked on triangle beds
• Weeded garage strip
• Continued removing boxwood
• Considered iris bed
• Worked on digging up blackberry roots
• Worked on weeding and mulching North fence strip
• Planted one parsley in herb bed
• Emptied two worm bins into compost pile
• Readied one bin to be used again (the other will be cleaned for recycling)
• Planted two sweetpeas
• Weeded two raised beds - decided one is for tomato, the other?
• Planted two bachelor buttons

Organized. Bona Fide.

Another weekend - bit by bit

Between warming, drying, coffee-drinking sessions, I managed to:

• work on the pebble border (a tedious task I should probably give up on, ROI-wise)
• continue removing butterfly bush on sidewalk strip
• weed the walk between the raised beds
• move blue-flowering groundcover plant (name?) from North strip to under ash tree
• weed the crocosmia bed
• begin reclaiming* North fence strip
• thin arugula seedlings
• check recently transplanted lime cedar
• go to Garden Fever for: sweetpeas, bachelor buttons, parsley
• weed winterberry area

* Reclaim - when "weed" isn't a strong enough word.

Long weekend

OMG, the grass is so high already!  I'll do this instead:

• weeded dahlia bed
• finished make-shift border work on back beds
• trimmed the all-consuming rosemary (front yard)
• worked on removing the dead lilac
• weeded crocosmia bed
• weeded blueberry beds
• researched splitting mugwort
• tidied potting area
• worked on pebble border (raised back beds)
• moved lime cedar
• began removing mimosa in front
• weeded area around fern & hellebore
• worked on cleaning up basement steps
• weeded the sidewalk strip

Then take an epsolm salt bath.

Get with the get down

Gardenbooty.  Shake it around.

Saturday:

• Removed soil from strip against basement wall
• Turned compost
• Tidied potting area
• Pruned & weeded lavender walk
• Moved echinacea on sidewalk strip
• Flagged back corner hostas (to visualize for moving)
• Worked on removing dead lilac
• Weed/mulch fence strip
• Weed/mulch winterberry area 
• Weeded sidewalk strip

Sunday:

•  Mulched transplanted fern
• Tidied potting area
• Weeded crocosmia bed 
• Weed/mulch back Russian sage
• Planted arugula seeds in herb bed
• Weeded dahlia bed
• Attacked blackberries
• Dug up & split one hosta into halves
• Took hosta half to neighbor
• Drank a glass of "job well done" prosecco

Tasks - 2/27/10

Today:

* Sowed seeds into blank spot in the kiwi bed: poppy Shirley Single blend. These may too old to come up, but if they don't, I'll do nasturtiums in that spot instead.

* Cleared out compost tumbler onto ground beneath, prepped for new batch.

* Engaged in "grab'n'go" weeding: In other words, weeding in a tangential and haphazard manner. The unusually early & warm weather has caused the weeds to get out of control already. But I don't really want to weed unless I can mulch at the same time. Need to get on that!

* Finally finished removing the old potted pine from yard.

* Noticed root rot on Manx memorial mondo. :(  Must be a drainage problem. Removed dying mondo.

* Removed edgeworthia, also dying from root rot. Also sad. :(

* Removed more branches from dead eucalyptus in backyard. The wood is brittle and easy to pull down and snap into pieces. The remaining two branches are large however, and will require a cunning plan.

Tasks - 2/20/10

This weekend:

* Weeded hellebore bed

* Weeded kiwi bed -- kiwi survived December's freeze!

* Weeded herb bed

* Removed new blackberry growth from all parts of yard

* Cut back some encroaching ivy

* Pruned laurel growing over north fence

Tasks - 1/23/10

Today:

* Continued cleaning and organizing basement. Working on shelves near staircase, which is the majority of items in the basement.

* Began cleaning both BBQs -- one my first Weber, the other a small portable camp stove found on the "freewalk" (walking around the neighborhood, finding free stuff on the sidewalk). Gave the second, bigger Weber to Darrell in exchange for a couch.

* Pruned the honeysuckle bush.

* Pruned spent flowers off the lilac, and cut back some ivy threatening to choke it.

* Looked for hosta buds, nothing yet.

Tasks - 1/16/10

Today:

* Assessed the yard.

* Pruned on the sidewalk strip: butterfly bush, 2 Russian sages, crabapple tree.

* Pruned some of the ivy growing over the fence along the driveway. Some = a yard debris bag.

Tasks - 11/27/09

Today:

* Assisted JW as he cleaned the blocked gutter drain. Yay!

* Covered the picnic table and benches.

Tasks - 11/25/09

Today:

* Added used coffee grounds to blueberry bed.

* Moved small frame from front yard to next to blueberry bed. Filled it with dirt, compost, and used coffee grounds. Planted a new blueberry bush -- Northblue, a mid-season semi-dwarf -- in this small bed.

Tasks - 11/24/09

With several days off around Thanksgiving, I'm hoping the weather will cooperate so I can get some things done outside (and in).

Today:

* Unhooked water hoses and left to drain down driveway.

* Pruned neighbor's laurel that's growing through and over the fence in the backyard. Placed leaves and branches on strip of dirt along fence as way to keep weeds down.

* Pruned dead growth off all lavenders.

Tasks - 11/7/09

Today:

* Pruned all the roses.

* Removed eucalyptus from front yard -- all but the rootball (a spring task).

* Weeded the blueberry bed.

* Cut back the maximillions.

* Cut back some driveway overgrowth.

* Moved worms from a worm bin to the rotating composter.

* Tomato bed in back yard: Removed plants & cages; planted cover crop (hairy vetch) and placed grate and bamboo skewers for cat protection.

* Removed tomato plant from small bed in front yard.

Tasks - 10/7/09

Today:

* Dead-headed butterfly bush on sidewalk strip.

* Continued pruning overgrown eucalyptus in back yard.

Tasks - 10/06/09

Today:

* Weeded and tidied the herb bed, removed the volunteer pumpkin since its fruits kept withering.

* Finished gathering seeds, and storing them.

* Removed last tomatoes, will cook&freeze what I can, compost the rest. Cut some greenery & composted it.

* Moved small cold compost from tumbler to next to the herb bed, within easy reach of the worm bins.

* Trimmed overgrown eucalyptus in back yard.

* Made the woodpile smaller and more tidy.

* Removed goldenrod from back yard garage strip.

Tasks - 9/20/09

Today:

* Walked the whole lot, making a to-do list. It took 2 hours, 12 pages, and sharpening my pencil 6 times.

* Weeded and pruned kiwi bed, removed spent squash plants, added more soil & compost, sowed seeds of arugula Italian Wild Garden Rocket.

* Composted spent herbs in pots by the kitchen door, cleaned pots to store in basement.

Tasks - 9/12/09

Today:

* Gathered seeds from several plants for sowing next year.

* Continued working on potting shed area, digging up blackberry roots and putting down a floor of straw.

* Pruned tomato plants, and harvested as many ripe or near-ripe fruit as possible to make sauce for freezing.

Tasks - 8/17/09

Today:

* Gathered seeds from spent marigolds, white cosmos, and calendula.

Tasks - 8/16/09

Today:

* Cat proofed the pink jasmine berm.

* Weeded blueberry bed.

* Weeded herb bed.

* Weeded kiwi bed: The kiwi might yet survive, and the squashes in this bed are doing very well.

* Planted a few zinnia in a large pot.