Hello and Happy Thursday!
The HH and I were planning on taking a day trip to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to visit the Normal Rockwell and Chesterwood Museums today, but after working in the garden yesterday, our bones are telling us otherwise and I think we are going to stay close to home and putter around between doses of ibuprofen instead.
Prepping the garden beds after a long and restful winter…. All that digging and pulling, it takes a bit of getting used to. 😉
The daffodils are up! If we were still living in Western Washington, this would have happened over a month ago. Note to self: Plant 10 million daffodils this fall.
I wish I could remember what was blooming in this spot last year, Iris? Don’t those look like Iris plants to you?
A few weeks ago we weeded around the mature blueberry bushes and so far so good. No weeds in sight thanks to the Casoron we sprinkled around the bottom of the bed.
I had totally forgotten I planted a dozen or so strawberry crowns in the giant planter next to the blueberry patch until I walked by it yesterday. 🙂 I love when that happens.
Yesterday I spent some time pulling up weeds in the {soon to be} herb garden that sits just beneath our kitchen window. So far I only have chives and rosemary planted in that spot, but in a few more weeks I’ll be able to set out the rest of the herbs I started from seed this year.
English lavender {I’ll put that along the fence} sage, basil, cilantro, parsley, dill and thyme. I would also like to add some fennel, but I think I’ll buy that from a greenhouse as I’ve tried to grow it in the past from seed but it’s always been a bit of a challenge for me.
In other gardening news, I’ve been hardening off the lettuce and artichoke plants I started from seed a while back. The weather has been pretty nice lately and I think I’ll be able to get both the lettuce and the artichokes in the ground next week.
Getting the onion bulbs I picked up last week in the ground are also a priority.
I started clearing a patch in the garden for the onion bulbs yesterday but got distracted with all the yelling coming from the other end of the garden, and well, after I went to investigate, I never did make my way back to get those onion bulbs planted.
All I can say is thank goodness for husbands. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I don’t think he really knew what he was getting into when he agreed to pull up the pyracantha bushes sprinkled along the back garden bed. Some people love pyracantha bushes, I do not. I don’t love ANYTHING that has evil 4″ thorns that will tear up your skin {or Lucy’s if she happens to brush by one}.
So when I asked the HH to pull up the plants for me, I told him it would just take a few minutes {I mean c’mon, seriously, how hard can pulling up a few plants be?}.
2 hours later.
I kind of forgot the whole part about needing to remove the roots. Oops.
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Have a great day everyone, enjoy the sunshine.
~Mavis
Em says
Those do not look like my irises. Mine have leaves that are more narrow and flat. Any pics from last year?
Loved this update!
Deborah says
The look very similar to an old fashion blue/purple iris I have, if they are irises you should be able to see the rhizomes growing horizontally at the soil or just barely below.
Gee says
Looks more like some kind of lily to me. Well, whoever’s right, the flowers will prove it. 🙂
Annie says
It’s a Lily. I have them too.
CARRIE C says
I just pulled up 100s of daffodil bulbs out of my garden. Daffodils to me are like daylillies to you. 😉 Wish I could have sent them to you. Tulips on the other hand, I want 100s!
Melanie says
You probably already know this, but chives spread like wildfire! If I had it to do over again, I would have planted my one teeny, tiny chive plant in a container and not directly in my garden. Ten years later, I’m still finding chive plants throughout my garden area!
Richelle says
Fennel does the same thing!
Rebecca in MD says
I think the plants in the mystery bed may be tulips instead of irises. Do let us know when you find out.
MEM says
Your irises look like tulips to me. My irises have long, tall, erect, sword-shaped leaves.
Lisa Millar says
Thats one serious root system!!
Your garden is looking great – so much work happening there!!
Funny re the fennel… Mine just appeared one day and because I let them go to seed – they never stop popping up in random places!! They pretty much thrive on neglect. 🙂
Jenn from MA says
I hate to say this but the plants that were asking about that you thought look like irises look suspiciously like my orange tiger lilies right now… I’m not sure if they are on your hit list like the other day lilies
Jenn from MA says
Actually I just double checked my self and they are not tiger lilies but orange day lilies- gasp!
Rebecca Briscoe says
looks like orange day lilies to me, too! or we call
them “ditch lilies”
Lauralli says
We are really successful with this method for removing bushes: Saturate around the bottom of the bush with a garden hose for a good while….15-20 minutes. Then wrap some sort of rope or harness around the bottom of the bush and attach to the front end of a vehicle. Start backing up and watch the whole thing pop out of the ground…roots and all! Very satisfying!
Angela D. says
This sounds like a great idea!!! I would love to give it a try, but we don’t have any bushes that need pulling!
Connie says
Great idea. I’m filing this one in my memory banks. Thanks for the info!
Misty J. says
This is exactly what my husband would do. I think he quite enjoys pulling plants out of the ground with his truck/tractor.
Linda says
Last year, in your 4/27/18 post, you asked about a bunch of plants. In one of the pictures there are plants that look like this. I’m not sure whether we accurately identified them or not, but take a look, maybe it will jog your memory of what they ended up to be.
I’m thinking the pyracantha were planted to keep the deer out naturally. Hope not!!
Love gardening time. We had the nice weather you’re having, but we are back to burning fires in the stove again.
Richelle says
I had the same thought about the pyracantha. Kinda like the old trick of planting them under bedroom windows.
Gee says
Yep. Thorns keep out a lot of bad things.
Casey Risley says
Good Morning Mavis! Just wondering what your long term thoughts were on your lasagna gardening experiments from a few years back? It would seem that you are returning to a more traditional, in the ground, tilled soil approach and was curious as to why. Is it purely a personal preference of the aesthetics? Or were you unhappy with the results of the lasagna gardening?
Lace Faerie says
Hey Mavis! I always look forward to your gardening posts (oh heck, I enjoy them all)!
I came across this YouTube channel for Epic Gardening: https://youtu.be/kueifr5Ve8Q
He gives a demonstration on Workman’s Friend Barrier Working Hand Cream.
https://smile.amazon.com/Workmans-Moisturizes-Provides-Superior-Protection/dp/B079SL3XFR/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_1&smid=A2EN0Y5W346PVP&th=1
They say it helps against Poison Ivy. It’s a little spendy but I am going to try it. I love gardening but do also like to have lady hands and not look like I’ve been playing in the dirt! Hahaha
Pat says
Those are not Irises. Looks like lilies to me.