I've lost my drive.

It happened last year in mid February. I didn't notice if it happened this year, it was too cold to do anything constructive outside. Now that the weather has improved significantly, I don't want to do anything.

This afternoon, I came home from work and pulled the edgers from the two beds Carla and I laid out this afternoon. I don't like them. I removed one of the beds completely. They don't match the house. They are too pink. It's adding a new material in a yard already full of materials. I prefer the wooden raised beds. It looks more natural and blends with what I already have. Before I plant any tomatoes this year, I'll be building at least one, maybe two, new raised wooden beds to match the three I already have. In the morning, I plan to take out the rest of the edgers. Free or not, they just don't work with my palette. I'll have to reconstruct the one bed we moved. It shouldn't take long.

My materials in the yard include stone



Concrete



Brick



and wood.



There's another thing or three that's bothering me too. Besides being nearly disgusted by the sight of the dead oak tree and the surrounding carnage I created by removing it this year, the activity level on Brown Avenue is increasing. Loud shouting, mopeds, and car traffic can be heard everywhere in the yard. It's too bad. Last year, even without leaf cover, the lower corner of the yard was pretty quiet and private. I'm going to have to do something about that this year. I need to learn to propagate evergreen plants like arborvitae. I'd really love a Hemlock, more Magnolias, and a weeping willow, but I don't have the 30 years it would take. The willow is actually in the plans already. I hope they grow fast.

At least the privet in the gully will regrow without any assistance from me. And who knows what seedlings will pop up back there now that the soil is exposed to sunlight. I'm expecting a few hundred mimosa trees. The hummingbirds will be happy.

I've still got oodles of seeds left to sow. I managed to sow 36 six packs this evening before I gave up. I'm just not feeling it. If I knew they would grow, I would just scatter them. I know from experience that never works out well for me. Plus, my anal-retentive nature won't allow me to just let things grow where they want. I need to be in control of my gardens, as much as anyone can be in control of what grows where.

I'll get the seeds sown soon. I'll stick the 36 containers in the hoophouse tomorrow. At 71 for the forecasted high, those petunias and marigolds should sprout quickly. I'll also get my plans in order for the rest of the spring. I know there's still a chance of nasty weather, so I'm not too concerned about not being motivated just yet. I don't want to get behind though. Six months of blooms don't happen by themselves, or overnight.

In the meantime, I'll just settle for watching the garden come alive. Although, I was disappointed by the "hyacinth" that has turned out to be a little less stunning than I expected.



At least there are crocuses.





It's still 59 degrees.

The Shortest Month.

It's February. January passed by pretty quick. Seems it was only yesterday that I was sitting here sowing seeds on New Year's Day. The real test for those seeds comes tomorrow. Did the sprouted seedlings survive? I won't know until the temperatures rise above freezing. Tomorrow, I'll spend some time peeking through the holes in the two-liter containers hoping for the best, not expecting the worst.



It's 19 degrees this morning. The sky is clear. The sun is coming up. In the driveway are purchased plants from the last day of the fiscal year. My boss told me I could have them all for a penny a piece again. The tea olives and Foster hollies are probably dead. That's 15 cents. The nandinas will probably come back from the roots. These were plants damaged by our unusual cold spell in early January. I also got a dwarf Alberta Spruce and a 7gallon Arborvitae in this batch. Both have cold damage, but should survive. I'll look into planting them in the near future.



There are more cold damaged pansies in the basement. I'll be using that soil to sow my annuals later and to amend the two smaller raised beds for veggies. I need more soil for those two beds. I also have to finish hammering the rebar on the bed furthest from the house. If I can talk Carla into culling some more warped landscape timbers this week, I'd like to build a third bed out there before spring.

Today's high should reach 48. The birds are still feeding from the seeds I tossed out in the yard. They're drinking from the stream that's still flowing freely in the gully. I've got three days off when I finish work today. I plan to make the most of them.

1:36pm - Lunch. Busy day at the store putting freight on the shelves. No new plants this week so far. We've got some houseplants coming Wednesday. It's 45 degrees and sunny.

The Robins are here. When I pulled into the driveway, they scattered. I just counted 18 in the backyard through the window. They seem hungry.