Saturday, May 1

It's been an exceptionally busy week. There was a lot to catch up on because I was away for a week. I worked at principal two days and went to Bastian to give a presentation for Five Ponds Press. On my "off" days, I ran a ton of errands, and also reviewed the first 100 pages of the new US II book that Five Ponds has in the works. It is for these reasons that Saturday arrived without my having spent one minute working on my yard. It shows, too. A few days with no rain left the front beds dry as dust and some of my plants have wilted. I'm hopeful that they will spring back to life soon. My original plan was to get all the plants in the ground and then top with mulch to trap in the moisture. But, I ordered from two different nurseries, and my plants are arriving at different times. I'm going to have to be diligent in watering until everything has been planted and the mulch is in place.

The photos below provide an update as to where I am now. Things still look fairly pitiful.

I was hoping to find red impatiens because they look so vibrant when in full bloom. Luckily, there they were at Lowe's. I bought nine plants, one for each pot on my deck. The deck doesn't look so hot because there is soil spilled everywhere and the paint is peeling. Why someone would paint a deck is a mystery to me. It had been freshly painted last year when I bought the house. I knew it would be a problem, and I've been proven right.

This four-armed contraption is a system for growing tomatoes. At the top of each bag is a reservoir that must be filled with water each day. Wicking material draws water from the reservoir so that moisture slowly seeps down into the bags.


These two pictures show the front beds that stretch across the front of the house. I snapped the second one in the midst of my planting. Today I added more cone flowers and varieties of Rudbeckia. I try to picture them filled out and in full bloom. It takes quite an imagination to do that.

This is the shade bed next to the garage. Things still look sparse, but the heucheras are blooming as are the calla lilies that have been in bloom since I bought them.

This is the same shade bed. The hostas in the back seem to be getting bigger ... or is it my imagination?

I love this little green cart. It goes everywhere with me, and holds quite a bit. The color is festive and perfect for gardening.

This is one of the front beds. I watered and watered, but the ground is so parched, it needs hours of a soaking rain.

The heucheras around the plum tree have been invaded. It always amazes me how some varieties of weeds can grow anywhere and under any circumstances. The reason I didn't pull out these "weeds" is because they look a lot like pansies. I am almost certain they are just volunteers, but I doubt they'll survive long in the heat. It was 85 today and will be 90 tomorrow.

The dry weather has made some of the leaves on the poppies start to turn. However, that gray blob in the middle is a huge bud. Success!

I planted zinnia seeds in this large planter, and I'll fill in with million bells.

These need to be put in the ground tomorrow. Considering it will be 90, I'm dreading it a bit.

More plants for tomorrow. Both of these boxes will go in the front beds.

I've decided to wait until next weekend to put the tomatoes in the ground. Right after we planted the ones in the bags, we had two serious frosts. We covered them well, and they seem to be okay. This has reminded me again that there is a reason for a last frost date. I was just too eager to get going with my gardening. Next year, I won't be in such a hurry.