I potted up some containers today after going and buying plants and potting mix.

LOL gardener version of high heels, "inches of mud stuck to the bottom of my shoes"

I should probably make a list like Terri did recently. I just look around and do whatever comes to my mind, figure there's a lot to get done so there's no wrong thing to do, and I don't want to spend a lot of time deciding what to do next!

I dug up a bunch of Clerodendron (peanut butter shrub) "toddlers" in March and just shoved them into one big pot. This morning, I separated them into 3 pots, 3 to a pot. If you pick one up in the swap, you can separate them or plant them as a multi-trunk clump. It's one of my all-time favorite trees, but if I were planting one now I'd put it in an area that gets mowed regularly to keep it from trying to become a large hedge.

Speaking of that hedge-forming tendency, I'm going after the shoots with a vengeance this year, so if you think you might want one, claim it this spring, don't think, oh Jill will have those every year. Next year I might have babies, but not any like these (which are probably 3-4 years old).

The rain chased me inside this afternoon. I'll have to get out early to cut some roses for Mom (MIL). I have several roses in full bloom right now, and not just the knockouts in front.

Do you like the color pink, Robin
very pretty!
Must say, the rain made some unwanted plants easier to pull.

From the veg garden, we ate a crop of broccoli. Not the best ever, but not a total fail either, more for fun. And we've had asparagus for dinner at least 4 times.

Robin, that's beautiful, and I love the way you stacked the planters!

Yes, this weather has been good for pulling weeds!

I stopped the lawn guys from mowing in back this afternoon... it was so soggy back there, I was afraid the wheels on the big riding mower would just tear up the grass, especially all the newly sprouting seed. Lots of 1" grass shoots out there! The established grass will get huge with an extra week to grow, but I think protecting the new grass was more important.

I have Chocolate Mint well established through 2/3 of the tomato bed and Kentucky Colonel Spearmint here and there in the main veggie bed. I've been potting up clumps of both, pulled from various places, so I can put more into those two areas. My theory is that bunnies and groundhogs will avoid plants surrounded by mint. I think the tomatoes won't be overwhelmed by the Chocolate Mint (which can be thuggish), and the spearmint is a more polite plant -- spreads but doesn't choke out other plants.

Here's my setup with the tomato patch. Instead of a tunnel with hoop supports, I just put the tomato cages into place and clipped the fabric to them. I can probably take the frost blanket off now.

I've spent the better part of the past 2 days trying to breathe. The allergies were bad enough. But now, I have a sinus infection. I can't breathe through my nose at all. Sleeping has been pretty much impossible. Since I can't breathe through my nose, I'm breathing with an open mouth. It doesn't take long before my mouth is all dried out and I have issues swallowing because everything is 'stuck' together.

I was able to get the beds by the driveway cleaned up, trimmed up and mulched. I muse say, it's looks good.

I have pretty much everything for the swap all potted up. The only problem I seem to be having with that stuff is the f-g tree rats. I started out with 15 strawberry plants. I'm down to 7.

I was hoping to get some bulbs planted this week, but with all the rain, I'm afraid they would rot.

Being clogged like that is absolutely miserable.
I've been more sniffley on rainy days so I think there's non-pollen things going on. ( for me) Always somethin.
.

Today looks to be nice. Yesterday just kept alternating sun, brief storm, clouds, shower.

It was so overcast yesterday, windy too. Didn't get anything done outside. Today is starting out sunny, but cold in the 40s. Should reach a high in the 70s, but we'll see. I have a bunch of gardening tasks that I want to get done today.

Rick, I sure hope you are feeling better.

Ugh, Rick, that's miserable. I've got an allergic reaction that's mostly just my eyes, but it can get really extreme, and it definitely involves some sort of mold/mildew -- so the wet weather lately has me popping pills and using antihistamine eyedrops.

I spent the last half hour on the edge of my little pond, scooping out leaves. I tried a fishing net, tried a nursery pot, but just reaching down with my hand seemed to work best. Needless to say, I ended up pretty wet & mucky! But the pond is ready for me to lower my new water lily into the center. The description says to allow a 5 foot spread, and I think my pondform is roughly 4x6', so that should work.

I've also been digging new edges for various beds so I can fill my water garden pots with fresh, clay-rich dirt. I have 2 smaller water lilies and several lotus tubers for the sunnier containers. So far, only 1 water lily is planted, but 2 planting bags are prepared for the other 2 WLs, and one of the 22" pots is ready for a lotus. AND the veggie garden has a new edge, which will make a good place to run the new irrigation hose.

Fortunately, I am able to breathe a bit easier today.

After spending almost an hour on the outside faucet, I was finally able to get the old fitting off and a new one put on. I tried pulling off the siding around the faucet so I could see how easy it would be to replace. Ain't not gonna happen.

Anyway, once I had water again, I started to clear off the back patio. Maybe tomorrow I'll get out the power washer and clean the brick.

I mainly focused on a narrow strip at the outside edge. With that done, I was able to bring out the ficus and brug. Since I haven't watered either in at least a month, they weren't too heavy. I'm pretty sure I killed off most of my orchids in that spot because I didn't water. So, they're clustered out in yard in time for the rains this week. Maybe they'll come back, maybe they won't. I won't be too broken up over it. It's just too much to keep an eye on by myself.

The weather has been perfect for gardening today. I've steadily plodded along doing a bunch of odds and ends. I got 3 sets of urns potted up with annuals, two waterlilies and two lotus planted, a set of 5 old fashioned looking purple and white dahlias potted, sprayed a bunch of that mile-a-minute weed in the Front Island Bed, washed my old toyota floor mats before storing them - they are those nice weather tek ones and I kept them for my new toyota, but the new toyota came with them, washed a bunch of bins without lids that I'm keeping for eventual hyper-tufa projects before storing them, potted up my second vertical tiered planter with strawberries, put more mulch around the new grotto plantings, took newly assembled tomato cages out to the vegetable garden, and I think that about wraps it up for today. Mike just headed in to town for italian take out - I get the chicken caesar wrap, he usually gets spaghetti or manicotti.

I too have allergy issues. Try eye drop brand "Zatidor."

Thanks, Lisa! Found it on Amazon for $9.95, 80 cents more than the generic at Walmart (and less expensive than the smaller bottle of Alaway, B&L brand).

(totally off topic now, but I noticed that the toenail clippers I got for my dad and now use myself are now on sale. if you have dinosaur toenails, you need these! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V72Z77W/ )

Another cloudy dreary rainy day. I puttered about outside, mostly tidying things up. Can't really plant anything in this kind of weather. This photo shows the walkway to the side door of the house - the one we use the most. Earlier in the week I had cut back the lilac at the end by the door since it had grown to the point of blocking half that step and doorway. I had also cut back all the tall ready to flower stems of those lambs ears. I like the basal leaves for ground cover, but really don't like the flowers. Also shows the pass along siberian iris in bloom - this started as a single big clump from Muddy.

Pretty, Terri.
I didn't get much outside time either, today. Just as I got done an appointment online- rain!
I dumped my rain barrels to dump whatever current crop of skeeters was likely in there. Looks like we'll have enough rain for a while.

Good reminder, it's been a week since I distributed mosquito bits...

Photos from this late rainy afternoon walk-about the gardens

Dad's Grotto after reconstruction on my property


Beautiful historic iris passed along from John and Ruby. Boy does this garden area need to be weeded!


General view of the Angel Bower


Close up of the angel statue in the Angel Bower - Calycanthus 'Venus' to the left and native Mountain Laurel to the right in bloom


Calycanthus 'Aphrodite' in bloom in the Angel Bower - this shrub is absolutely spectacular



Another favorite in the Angel Bower is this Syneilesis aconitifolia aka shredded Umbrella plant


Wisteria 'Amethyst Falls' starting to bloom in the Conservatory Steps Bed


Better photo of the side door walkway

Terri

Well, they came and took down the leaning tower of oak yesterday. Sadly, I just fired off an E-Mail to the owner.

To begin with, they left without saying anything. I get it, working on the rain isn't a good idea, but they could have let me know they were leaving. I'm hoping they return to remove all of the tree parts from the yard.

And then there is the matter of damages.
- The tile path in Larry's shade garden/memorial was destroyed.

- One of my new elevated planter boxes was broken in half, complete with plants.
- My rail planter with basil was destroyed.

- The chelone and rose bushed were crushed

- One of my red Bessie Howells rhododendron was crushed.


And, of course, there are bits and pieces of branches broken off of other trees all over the car port roof.

It's going to get interesting when they ask for payment.

aaaarrrgh!!!!! Rick, that much damage from "professionals" is inexcusable. If you were a cartoon, steam would have been shooting out your ears as you looked around, I'm sure. I'd let them know you'll check costs and will tell them what they will owe you for repairs (including labor).