It is nice to see how people plan out their gardens.

Nurseries are starting to open in my area! I made a trip to one today and did not come home empty handed. I bought six hellebores and two Valentine Bleeding Hearts.

Good for you Terri and Rose. I came home to a small box from Brecks. I got two Heartbeat Oriental Poppies, two Helenium Red Jewel and one Command Performance Peony. The replacement Redbud Flamethrower and Rising Sun were planted on Sunday.

I watered my winter sowed containers. Then I started maping out sections of my yard deciding where I want to plant certain things.

The only thing I did outside yesterday was shovel a bunch of snow. My shoulders are really sore now.

When I was little, living in Los Angeles, we had rabbit. I think they had it in the local market, though not sure.

Two beds in the front yard are cleaned up and ready for fertilizer. The big shade bed in the backyard is over 2/3s cleaned up. If my back will allow me, I'll finish that one up tomorrow.

Most of yesterday was spent working in the Hosta Haven garden. Mike and a helper put in stepping stone pavers and later in the day Mike's sister Bonnie planted some of the hostas that were held over in pots in the staging area. My body was pretty achy yesterday so I mostly figured out positioning for stones and plants, letting the others do the physical work.

I can't remember if I've mentioned it in this thread or not, but a few years ago I was about to give up on hostas because of the deer problem here. Then I read about a "safe zone" that pirl created in her gardens and figured out a good spot to do the same in mine. I purchased 100' of deer fencing and secured it around a perimeter of trees in the woods just beyond some gardens surrounding the house. Finishing up a few of the hardscaping elements and planting hostas is just one of the things that I'm catching up on after the last two years of nearly full time caregiving for my mom.

I did up-pot tomato seedlings yesterday and put together the conservatory deck urn planters, but not much today again for me. Paperwork needed attention and I'm still achy and lethargic. I've been going almost full speed for weeks and maybe the body just knows when it needs a rest.

Had a week of nice weather. I purchased a semi-dwarf Meyers lemon years ago, but it takes regular trimming to keep it in check. It has produced abundantly for the last 30 years - mostly from Oct to July, but I get a few lemons year round. A few days ago, I trimmed the taller branches and lopped off dead wood.

The pile of cut branches


The "after" look

Dianne ~ It looks beautiful! Happy lemon tree!

with Evelyn. That is a huge lemon tree.

I got to spend most of the day outside getting a few things done. First thing was to clean off the small asparagus patch and trim up a bush near it along the fence. Then I cleaned up some Daylily along the inside of the garden on the other side of the asparagus where my 8 Iris raised beds are. I have a few more Daylily to clean up and then can get the mulch spread around them.

After that DH helped me to get our sitting area in Dizzy's Garden ready by putting down the indoor-outdoor carpet and getting the table and chairs set out. Then I cleaned out the bluebird and wren houses and DH repaired a couple so now they are ready for the spring visitors. After that we took a much deserved break in Dizzy's Garden.

I am anxious to see how much I can get accomplished outside this week with the great weather we are having. It will start cooling back down to the mid 50's on Sunday and upper 40's by next Monday.

I lucked out with that lemon tree. It is a prolific producer every year.

I drove around my yard in my hoverround looking at plants. I also visited my winter sowed containers. I have several with new babies in them. So exciting.

That's great Colleen. Lots to look forward to.

I was busy outside today. I got a few things done like the patio swept and ready for Iris to be brought out from overwintering in the garage. I got the shade garden on the north side of the house cleaned and ready for new mulch. I finished cleaning the Daylily in one of my raised bed gardens which are also ready for mulch. Then I spent about an hour picking Tiger Lily bulblets out of my corner yard bed. I decided that I still need to get more of them out before I can add more mulch so that will hopefully get done tomorrow. So much to do but I am finally putting a dent in it.

Jeanne your so lucky having those tiger lilies. I had a nice group of them growing in my little back yard but my hubby managed to kill them all. I really loved having them because my mom had something e growing by her house.

I spent way too much time indoors since Friday getting all my records ready to take to the tax accountant meeting this morning. My husband's business accounting makes it very tedious. The worst chore in the world and I procrastinate with it more than I procrastinate with anything else.

Anyway, it was an absolute gorgeous weather day yesterday and I only got out there after dinner before dark. Checked all the pots of perennials left to overwinter in the staging area and emptied the ones that didn't make it - some were iffy at the end of summer but kept them "just in case". Goal is to get all that are still alive planted out this spring.

Jeanne, I love when gardens are named and was curious about "Dizzy's Garden".

Dianne, absolutely gorgeous lemon tree! Can't grow a tree like that in Northern Virginia!!!

Terri, Dizzy's Garden is named after a handicapped dog that we had. He was born with a nerve disorder and always shook when he was a baby. As he grew he had a crazy way of running that delighted everyone who saw him. Anyway, one day DH's nephew ran over him. DH buried him in the garden where we later built raised bed--the middle one was over top of him. I talk to him every time I go out there. We have a sitting area under the tree in his garden area.
Dizzy is buried under the middle raised bed.

The above raised beds are at the very back in this picture along the wood fence. I have TB Iris planted in the 3 raised beds and a row of Siberian Iris between the beds and the sitting area and Lily's growing along the wood fence. One is named Dizzy. Today I sat out there for a break from gardening and the wind chimes sounded so relaxing--it was quite breezy.

That looks like a nice spot to relax in. I'm surprised that you can have lawn furniture out there with all these crazy winds we've been having.

Jeanne, I love Dizzy's garden and the name We named our entire place Aspen Hill in memory of Aspen, a much beloved American Eskimo dog. She rode along on every excursion along the back roads of Loudoun County when we were searching for our land and was with us every step of the way during the construction of the house. She was our first dog as a married couple and we thought of her the way most people think of their children.

I've been busy this last week. I've almost completed weeding one of my beds (only to have them grow back with a vengeance!), Power washed some vinyl fencing, cleaned off the last of the shade beds and laid the last of the pavers that we removed last year to repair a septic problem. Phew! I'm taking the day off to take my granddaughter to lunch for her birthday.