Okay, Jan. I'll leave with a stiff neck but I promise.. no looking down at the grass.

I got about 40' of fence up today, down the front of the garden and around the corner of the yew hedge to the passageway. I cut the yew back an extra 3-4"s so it will grow through the black vinyl coated fence, even so, you hardly see it unless you're close. Now, to see if I can get my peas in tomorrow. I also found a really obnoxious weed with a rhizome structure growing from under the RR ties from Holly "sunshine" (I call it a YUCK) bed. She also has a lot of wire grass in that bed that also invades my veggie garden. I'm going to work on that bed for her, with some Round Up.

a productive day there! it was perfect weather for yard 'work' (play). I potted a big Yucca houseplant, weeded, trimmed hedges (started anyway), cleaned up, weeded, trimmed, weeded....looked at spring flowers, found lots of new green shoots, cheered on some seedlings, put sections of large branches to edge some beds of natives plants- that pretty much does it....

I had planned to work in the yard but went to Noah's first baseball game, he doesn't seem very into it yet, but then they have only had three practices.
I did pick up some Leafgro on my way home, and unloaded it, so I did play with dirt.

My grandson that moved to Hamilton, NY has had a hard time trying to practice baseball in the snow. 😜

For those of you that haven't been to the house or seen the pics before, this is the hedge that Ric is talking about. It is a walk thru hew hedge, grown from seedlings. You walk from the front yard into the side yard ( Secret Garden). You can also see pics of the Blue Bottle Garden. The BBG right now holds over wintered plants but I am going to turn it into a fairy garden with dwarf and mini plants. This is the area where I want to have the very lush grass. There will be a walkway put in so the grass will probably be a next year project for this area.

Holly and Ric, what a cool hedge! Landscape designers say a well planned garden should include surprises, inviting visitors to walk through the landscape to see what comes next. Think you nailed it.

I'm going to try to get the front lawn into much better shape, including getting rid of clover there... in back, the clover is encouraged.

I'm kinda with Yardenman on not loving the idea of Milorganite... I don't mind it on the front lawn, but I'm not putting it in garden areas where I want to grow edibles.

I uncovered the pots in my hosta pen today. WOW! All kinds of hosta coming up. They all look nice and healthy, too.

It looks like I have a few Aralia spinosa in there as well, along with a bunch of fern pots.

I'm going to actually try to label pots this year as I plant things up. Let's see how long it takes to lose interest in that!

We have a round bowl on a pedestal in the front. Last year, I put in two fern crowns instead of the spike that we usually use. Well, I've been informed that we're going back to the spike. So, I dumped the bowl out a short while ago. From the two crowns put in, I now have two small colonies, one of 8 and one of 9. I need to find a place to put them 'as is'. Apparently, they really liked the potting mix they were in!

Got the last of my 6 cubic yards of mulch down today. Still need about 20 more bags to finish off there more beds but I'm about 80 percent done with the mulch for the year.

Also used the Weed B Gon, mostly in spots but sprayed the entire back yard since I had not given it much attention last year.

What a beautiful day. The kind of day that makes me search for more yard work to do just to be outside.

It us a wonderful day to be out. I've divided a few things, moved a few, planted others, and am spreading mulch too but the pile looks the same size. It is fun seeing plants popping up.
I have trouble staying on task, I want to jump from one area tothe next.

Dors anyone recognize this plant? It's inthe field next to us and is very green.

Robin - it looks like Garlic Mustard to me. https://www.google.com/search?... Take a little taste of a leaf (its in the edible mustard family) and you will find it has a "garlicky" flavor. Can be used in salads. Very invasive, DON'T let it get started in your yard.

robinbunch5 said:It us a wonderful day to be out. I've divided a few things, moved a few, planted others, ...... It is fun seeing plants popping up.
I have trouble staying on task, I want to jump from one area tothe next.

Garlic Mustard

Thanks, I wasn't going to dig it up, was just curious.
Had to come in, I am worn out and my right hand is numb and losing sensation. Did work for about 7-8 hours, a whole lot harder than I ever work at my job.

Yikes, Robin.... numb hand? Is that normal for you? Have some disc herniations in your neck?

Robin, if possible I'd try to whack the nearby garlic mustard flower stems so they don't set seed. I fought that stuff for several years when we first moved in. Learn to recognize them when they're small... The first year they pull up pretty easily, but the second year they can form a tap root that's literally the length and diameter of your arm.

Cam, my problem with my hand is carpel tunnel syndrome. It is being operated on at the end of the month, once it has healed they will do my left hand.

Thanks Lisa, For many years the secret to the Secret Garden was that there was no garden. You would walk thru the hedge into an empty space. We wanted to make the small space into a somewhat formal type garden. Finally a few years ago we started turning it into the area we had planed. Along side the house there is a trained euonymus, lighting strikes toad lilies, a boxwood planted between the trellis with the climbing Hydrangeas. There are dwarf varieties of Iris in front of those. Then Ric's lion head fountain will sit in front of the ugly stained chimney flanked by large pots. There are lilac bushes and ivy on the other end of the bed. This bed has a brick edge, inspired by my Dad's and all my own work. The other side is the Veggie Garden. There is a small gazebo Ric built with brick walk way that runs down the middle of the Veggie Garden to the GH. On either side is the variegated box wood hedge. Still growing in but you should have seen the little plants we started with and you know how slow boxwoods grow. I bet this hedge is 10 years old. The newest addition the raised blue bottle bed. I got one side of that done and then pulled the Mom Card and had Josh finish it for me. I have been using it for a plant nursery but this summer it is going to turn into a fairy village with dwarf plants. There is going to be a Brick walkway from the walk thru hedge to the gate into the dogs yard.
This is the view from the Veggie Garden looking up at the Secret Garden.

Ric's new fence going in you won't even see this section in another week or two.




The hedge is really huge it is L shaped here is the one side that will give you and idea of how big it really is.

Beautiful weather. I spent all day outside too. Got a trellis gazebo thingy set up - on sale this week at Aldis. Also got the millstone fountain all put back together after winterizing. Spent most of the day on cleaning out accumulated leaves, weeding, and adding a top dressing of compost around some of the shrubs. Called it quits around 6:00 because my muscles were starting to ache. Took a hot bath with Epsom salts and took several Aleve, then went to bed. Woke up about an hour ago because the muscles in my lower back are screaming. Took more Aleve, so hopefully it will relieve some of that achiness and I can get back to sleep.