Saturday, May 22nd--Mulch and Rain

Ah, yes, mulch. Doesn't that big pile just scream, "WORK!"? I took the picture after I had already spread some of it, so originally, the pile was a bit larger. I decided to do the work in stages, mostly because I'm in terrible shape and do not have the stamina to do the entire job at one go. Besides, work spread out isn't nearly as onerous. Last evening I began by putting mulch around the poppies by the road, and then added more around the heucheras that are under the plum tree. Both groups of plants have settled in and seem relatively happy as long as they get enough water. The mulch should help with that.

This morning Paul offered to help, and I'm never one to turn down an offer of free labor. We work well together and soon had a rhythm going. We made fairly quick work of the front flower bed to the right side of the porch. We agreed to go inside for a bit to have some tea, and then tackle the larger bed on the left side. Just about the time I was getting ready to go back outside, the heavens opened and rain poured forth. I was surprised by how quickly the monsoon began; I haven't seen it rain this hard in ages. After about thirty minutes, it abated some, so now there is only a gentle rain falling. I guess further mulching will have to wait until tomorrow.


At my age, it's hard to have new experiences because in my long life I have been lucky enough to see and do a lot. I never realized how much fun it could be to buy an older home with expansive grounds that had been landscaped by several previous owners. Every day there is a new surprise, and these lovely irises attest to that. I'm curious now as to what will come up next that I am not expecting. It won't be a year that I've lived here until July 3rd, so I am hopeful that there are new and interesting flowers and plants ready to greet me as I walk around my property. Let's hope that none of them are just weeds.