Question for the leaf mulchers...
What do I do with it in the spring? Leave it or rake it off?
First time doing this last fall...I assume rake it off? Maybe mix it with compost and reapply? 🤔

I always remove whole leaves because I don't like the look of them. If yours are already mulched then by all means leave them on. They'll break down very quickly. But if you just raked them whole, as I do for a winter mulch, then removing them for aesthetic reasons is legitimate. They just aren't pretty, I'd rather have a bark mulch down.

Rake??? SummerBee, you need a leaf blower!


(just kidding)

Thanks Zoia!
This is an island bed in the front yard. Doesn't really look "pretty" right now but it is mostly shredded leaves (although more of a rough chop). This bed also doesn't have any bark mulch on it as I've only used compost as mulch on it thus far (only a couple years old).

I have some other beds though that were made with composted leaf mulch. Really good stuff!

Jillz said: Rake??? SummerBee, you need a leaf blower!


(just kidding)

Very funny, Jill!

In all seriousness... this might just be "my" year....

Also considering putting up a fence near the road. Only so much a person can take. (Or..is it "rake"? 😉 LOL)

I'm about 1hr 45mins. into Taylor Swift |The Eras Tour with the same amount left to go. I can't stop watching, it's so good! What a show...love all the props and changing themes...It's truly magical! Highly recommend.🎤🔮🎶

Shredded Leaf mulch is good for your plants. I agree on not using the whole leaves but for me it's because when they get wet they just aren't as good in my opinion and weight things down.

Thanks Ginny!
I certainly have a lot of whole leaves all over the yard. They've been blowing around 🌬️ all winter (and some still falling off the trees, I'm sure).

My huge pile of leaf compost is mostly whole leaves but that is at the bottom of a hill/slope and contained at the back with fencing so naturally stays put.

Not sure how whole leaves would have worked out on my beds. Maybe better around the foundation plantings but I didn't use any mulch there, just the main daylily bed. I can only imagine the amount of huge earth worms 🪱 I'll find in there when I start digging around...

This one's for the birds and birders (and those that love them):
🐦🦉🦜🦤🦢🦃🐦‍⬛🦆🪿🦩🦚🐧

Christian Cooper | The "Extraordinary Birder"
https://youtu.be/k1E71CwXJhI?s...

Nature: Birds of Costa Rica
https://youtu.be/UKNvzQTlo4o?s...

Christopher Wilson
A Baobab tree - thousands of years old, in Tanzania.

Charley

Awesome Charley

This is also a problem with railroad bridges. Truck drivers (especially) need to know the height of their vehicles. Also, don't blindly trust your GPS (or anything/anyone for that matter 😎). Mine has told me more than once to turn into the middle of the woods where there was a hiking trail.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wire...

Not O/T but I'm putting it here anyway...
I noticed Sterrett Gardens updated their website. Much more user friendly catalog now.

I can't comment on prices etc. as I don't order hardly any daylilies online but they seem reasonable to me? I've ordered once from them years ago and everything was great!

https://sterrettgardens.com/

My dear friend Hermann, AKA @Broadforkz, went to be with Jesus this evening. His heart gave out suddenly and he just passed out and never came to, despite resuscitation efforts. It came at the end of a truly wonderful day, and the timing was a perfect send off for him. He will be missed.

Very sorry to hear, Diana. 😔 He seemed like a true friend to you, someone you could count on. 🫂 I'd noticed him doing some "likes" here this past week. What a sad, sudden way to go but it sounds like he wasn't in pain which is a relief. I'm glad to hear his final day was a good one. Take comfort in knowing that he most certainly thought of you as a dear friend as well. Thinking of you and thanks for letting us know. 💐

ETA: Reading some of his old posts and was reminded of the eulogy he shared a few months back. Lots of truths included in that. And it's probably one of the longest posts I've ever seen on the NGA! He was clearly a man of faith with a positive outlook and good sense of humor. 😇 I can see why you got along so well, Diana. 💞

@DraDiana Sorry to hear and for your loss of a dear friend. @SummerBee thanks for your note.

To answer your question... What happens when you get an unreasonably early spring and you take a chance, set up the greenhouse early...?





11° F. this morning.

Also, my computer has been down... got hit with a virus (it got past Spectrum's firewall, Windows 10 protections and Norton's Antivirus & firewall) ... so it's taken me a few days to reset the darn thing and get it back up and running.

And Ron needs surgery, we will be meeting with the surgeon Wed., so a bit distracted with that. Sorry Charlie, Ron's got you edged on years by just a bit and have to admit it worries me a little... past a certain age, not everyone comes back from anesthesia, so that leaves me a bit unsettled. (When my grandmother was 83 she had a tumor on her spine but they would not do surgery due to her age and anesthesia risks.)

And speaking of tumors... darling Victor had just finished a round of chemo and radiation. Two MRIs later: he has a new tumor, and it's aggressive. It appeared after just 2 months, so more radiation to target this one. He cannot start the program with vaccination until he is 'stable' ...

On the other hand... he is still going to school every day. When he learned he will be starting radiation again, he was bummed because... they do the radiation after school, then he goes home for supper and homework ... and only then does he get to play Legos with his brother. He's a bit bummed because the radiation is cutting into his Lego time... (Can't decide whether I should laugh or cry.)

Wish him a belated happy birthday, BTW - he just celebrated turning 8 years young this past week. He has now spent 5 of those years fighting cancer.

I guess "busy" was an understated guess on my part, Dianne. If only you were "just busy". 😣 You have a lot going on at once (seems to be a theme with you...). Very sorry to hear about Victor. 😟 I wish you had better news for us but appreciate the update. I'm sure a lot of us continue to think about and pray for him. No 8 year old should have to have their Lego time cut into because of cancer. I hope school and the consistency of that routine is good for him, even if only in a small way. Happy Birthday 🎈 to him. 5/8 years is a long time to be fighting for your life. The support he has from you and everyone around him is undoubtedly helping him stay so strong. Victor means "triumphant"...continued prayers that he will get thru this. 🫂💐🙏🏻 I'm sure his Lego builds are a great distraction. 🧱

I can also understand your fears about Ron. Always have to weigh risks and benefits when it gets to a certain point. I myself have a hard time making decisions and "trusting the process". Hard to give up control but sometimes you have to just let "Jesus take the wheel". Definitely not easy! Ron's lucky to have you in his corner.

And yikes! about the greenhouse. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

To top of all off...a computer virus. Yuck. You certainly didn't need that.

I hope you'll continue to "stay the course" and also that you are finding time for yourself. Even if it's just sleeping in some morning or taking a nap. 💞 Take care of yourself.

Diana, my sympathies for the loss of your dear friend.

Dianne, I've wondered how Victor is doing, was afraid to ask. He sounds like a great kid and SummerBee is right when she said that no 8 year old should have had to spend five years of his life fighting to live. Wish him a belated Happy Birthday from your NGA friends. I sincerely hope Ron's surgery is more minor than serious and that it goes very well. Will keep you both in my thoughts.

My 59 year old cousin is going into the hospital today (lives in CA) for her 17th surgery. She has to have all the pins/screws in her right knee replacement replaced. They have worked their way out - apparently they can do this - and have to be redone. A few years ago she had a left knee replacement, contracted a serious staph infection in the knee at the hospital, had to have the replacement removed and was bed-and wheelchair-bound for more than a year until it healed and the knee could be safely replaced. Needless to say, she's terrified of this surgery.

I don't blame her, Donna! Sheesh! Knowing what she's already been thru I'm sure she's not looking forward to it and it's only being done because it has to be. 😟 I hate those situations. Keep us posted.... hopefully she will have a better experience this time. 💐
17 surgeries?!!....I can't even. 🤯

Dana,
Is "jerkwad" a seasonal thing or year-round? Don't think we've forgotten.... 😉

After a mostly quiet winter mine is out in full force lately. 👿🍁