Wednesday, June 9, 2010

When I get started...

I never know when to quit. I weeded a large portion of the slope out front this morning. It took several hours of working on the hill with my feet straddling tiny plants I didn't want to crush. I left a part of it the way it was. Too many cosmos seedlings and rudbeckia to remove the weeds without damaging the plants.





I scattered seeds from Sweet William dianthus and my three columbines. The loose dirt should help with germination and growth. More weeds will sprout as soon as it rains. I did find a bunch of plants I had forgotten about.

Lavender, grown from cuttings over the winter.



Lantana from cuttings.



Divided bee balm. I don't remember which one I took this from. It could be the red. It might be the pink. There's supposed to be a purplish color out there somewhere too.



From all the seeds sown, only one of the annual monarda citriodora made it. I probably weeded out a few today that were just getting started. I'll have lots more next year as these reseed heavily.



I moved on to the red dogwood next. It's been dying for a couple years. I really hate to cut down a dogwood, especially one this old, but it needed to go before it fell into the street. This year, only half of it leafed out. The other half has been falling into the yard and street whenever the wind kicks up. There were very few blooms.



The stump shows the center has already been eaten away. Carpenter ants scattered when the chainsaw passed through the center of the tree.



Now, if I could just do something about those things on the neighbor's property. Next time I see the mowers, I'll ask them who pays their bill. I'm going to need to get permission before hacking those back.



From the street, the house seems more inviting for now. Along the top of the slope, I've planted gardenias that I rooted from Carla's shrubs last year. I think six survived the month without rain. Another two were planted this morning along the stone retaining wall that borders the property. Two dogwood seedlings were planted between them. I consider it penance.



It's 82 degrees and muggy. The clouds haven't disappeared like we were promised. Instead, the chance of rain has been extended through midnight. I had hoped to spend some time today at a pool in Charlotte.

7 comments:

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

Weeding is laborious and yet very satisfying.... at times I allowed myself to be fairly addictive. Getting kids to help weeding out unwanted little plants can easily turn out the other way round... haha. ~bangchik

Darla said...

Those darn weeds! Everything is looking so nice around your place...the fruits of your labor is showing!

L. D. said...

Hey we are 81 and muggy. I like how the weeds are designed to catch a good plant on their way being pulled out of the ground. The pink beebalm would be great. I have the red but I think another variety I should look into. You weeding looked good and your green is really green down there.

David - Pinewood Cottage said...

little by little... i have spent weeks and weeks usually the whole month of june when school is out - pulling little weeds. But you are right - now that the plants are fuller, and block the weeds from starting the job has become a lot easier.
Your gardens look so good and are so full in just the short time you've been there.
When you start looking at what you can do in your neighbor's yard - you have it bad! i can hardly walk through the neighborhood or go to a shopping center without criticing the plantings or fighting the urge to start weeding.

F Cameron said...

So much work! I know what you mean...I've been doing the same thing for the last week, coming in at dark.

Saw a few Japanese Beetles tonight. Ugh.

Helen Yoest is coming by tomorrow morning for a visit.

gld said...

Great weeding job! Sometimes that is the only way to do...on hands and knees, one tiny seedling at a time.

Now those good plants can really get a jumpstart.

Ruth said...

I really like the picture of your house, with the diamond paned windows and the pretty shutters and the flag flying.