Posted on May 13, 2020 7:39 AMI have spent the last five days working hard in the gardens. The weather has been up and down, at times a bit chilly and overcast and at other times some nice sunshine. I've been on a roll averaging about 10 hours a day working on the most neglected areas. Lots of weeding, adding compost, some planting, and lots of mulching. I should have been mixing it up with easier areas but I kept pushing on and boy oh boy is my lower back complaining about it. It doesn't seem too bad when I am gardening, but once I stop I can hardly move. When I'm finished for the day I've been taking a hot bath soaking with epsom salts, a few doses of Tylenol off and on when the aches are at their worst, and then using a heating pad for the rest of the evening and through the night. These aches will pass. Well, at least I hope they do 
The gardens that I've been concentrating on are the Gazebo Garden, the Iris Bed, and the Vegetable Garden. They are all shaping up nicely. This is what I'm dealing with. The first is the Vegetable Garden that is enclosed in a deer fence. I haven't had vegetables other than in containers on the patio for several years. There are actually tall tomato cages in there and the weeds have completely covered them. I had to laugh at River's caution about going in there! The other is the Iris Bed that had gotten overrun with thistles.
Today the weather is going to be glorious but I need to move on to something less strenuous to give my sore body and aching back a respite. I've got herbs to plant in containers on the kitchen deck and new succulents to fill in where the turtle topiary form is looking ratty. I'll also plant the tall purple containers. Easy jobs.
I took a break late yesterday afternoon and strolled about with my camera. Here is just a sampling of some of the gardens.
The Turtle Garden. This is a garden area that needed lots of weeding. The first pass getting out all the thorn bushes and accumulated leaves is done. The second pass getting out all the stilt grass and putting down mulch is halfway done. Bench and bird bath now have base stones to stabilize them.
The Stepping Stone Garden. Roof Iris, Big Root Geranium, and Brunnera are in bloom.
Shredded Umbrella Plant. One of my all time favorite plants. Growing in Hillside Shade Garden Area 3.
The Gazebo Garden. This is the area that I worked on over the weekend. The bed has been expanded to the right. I added lots of bags of compost, planted 5 peonies and 8 iris, and topped with mulch. Deutzia 'Nikko' blooming in the foreground is about 20 years old. Adding the stepping stones last year really sets it off.
The Cottage Garden. Lilac 'Miss Kim', Iris 'Mary Frances', and Clematis 'Diamantina' blooming. This garden needs some thinning out of siberian iris and lilies.
Huge white azaleas that Mike brought home from a job site. The home owner wanted Mike to dig them up from her front foundation beds while he was there with the equipment for a sewer repair job. She was really happy that they might find a home here instead of the compost heap at the landfill. They were too crowded and overgrown so they are very leggy, but I am liking the leggy look, gives them a nice architectural element. They are settling in on the Lower Hillside.
