On Friday morning I didn’t get up until 6AM, much to a certain cat’s dismay. He’s used to being fed by 6AM because that’s when I get outside. So once that was taken care of, and my post was put up, I headed out to clean out a garden.
This garden runs the long length of the house, about 26’ long and is 4’ wide. It is really 2 gardens, the front half is the West Herb garden and the back half is the West garden, just flowers.
I started on the front half because the sun would come around to hit there first and I wanted to be done when it did.
In the right photo, l - r: elecampane, lemon balm, tansy, catmint, marshmallow, comfrey
I actually worked my way down the whole thing before planting. This is just the West garden. They had been partially weeded in 2023 and that was all.
From the left - right: pink lily of the valley, ferns, sweet William, perennial foxglove, lingularia, spearmint, sweet William, coral bells
I finished the cleaning out by 10:00AM, not bad, just 3½ hours for that. After putting down FlowerTone (but no BulbTone as the bulb foliage was gone), I went to the cold frame and selected herbs and flowers to plant. The plants aren’t doing so well, having been in the cold frame far too long. But I put them in anyway; maybe they will do something in the next 2 months before frost.
I did the herb garden first, and actually I planted 2 ashwagandhas.
Then I got the flowers in. I hope the dianthus takes as there used to be a nice one there. I got my photos and notes done and cleaned up and was inside by 10:30AM just as it was getting hot.
I got a shower and sat and rested for a while. Around lunch time a friend called as she knew it was my husband’s birthday, so we talked for a while.
Several people posted on the Facebook remembering my husband on this day. That was very kind of them. It helps to know he was remembered and thought of still.
I got a call from the lawnmower repair guy saying he was going on vacation until July 22 but I could contact him then about the rider mower. Sigh… I hope it lasts until then as I have 2 mowings to do between now and then.
I went to lie down for a while and got another call, this time from the elder services place. I finally got the information I’ve been waiting for since December 7th when I lost my home helper. So I got up and called the agency, but the woman I needed to talk to was out. But she will call on Monday and hopefully we can get my helper friend back out here.
Then I went back to lie down again until around 4PM. I was working on the photos for this post when another family friend called, knowing what day it was. We talked for an hour and he offered to come down and check out the mower this week.
The forecast for Saturday has changed and the rain will have stopped by morning. But it’s to be wicked hot and humid, so I think I will just harvest the beets and get them in the freezer. There are plenty of inside jobs to do, so maybe I will tackle one.