It only took until May, but it is ALMOST acting and looking like spring. I was able to go outside in a t-shirt, there are buds on the trees, the lawn is turning green.
Well, some of the lawn. We have a lot of that dormant stuff that stays yellow for an awful long time. At least we haven’t had to mow the lawn yet.
Another interesting observation; does anyone else notice a CRAZY amount of ticks this year? I have lived in the woods all my life and I never even had a tick crawl on me. This year, my mom pulls them off the dog in handfuls, I had them crawling all over me, Nick had one IN him, ugh. Today, he walked to the shed, put some things away, and came back with two on him.
But I digress.
Our house has a TON of flower beds around it. Since we bought the house in November, we never had a chance to see what blooms where. And seeing as spring was so late this year, a lot of things are still only just coming up.
And I don’t have a lot of patience.
With that being said, buying flowers is my new addiction. The more colors, the better. I have no restraint. I have been planting every weekend, whether it’s flowers in the ground, herbs in window boxes, or seeds in paper cups. I run a “Garden Class” for enrichment at school. My kids are giving little flower pots to their moms for Mother’s Day.
I’m still not sure if I have a green thumb yet. Hopefully, it’s something I inherited from my grandmother, who can nurse even the deadest of plants back to life.
So let’s take a look at some current projects and goings-on
This was PROJECT #1. The one thing I had been dying to do since move in day. A HUGE chunk of decorative grass used to be here. I hate decorative grass. It blocked the entire view of the steps. So one day, Nick’s mom and I grabbed shovels and dug and hacked away at it until it was gone. Some other plants have since popped up, but I was adamant on planting bulbs. Walmart was running a special on tulips and hyacinths. Obviously I planted a rainbow. I also put gladiola bulbs in the ground, which are just starting to make an appearance.
Seeing as we are coming up on a slew of patriotic holidays (Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day) I went with the red, white and blue theme for decorations. The flag and other touches really makes me feel like we are living in a classic All-American home.
I’d also been dying to get some flowers in this planter at the base of my driveway. The green glass balls were left behind, and until I find something I like better, they will stay. I love marigolds because they are so hardy and simple, and I found these dahlia-like beauties at Stew Leonard’s the other day. The forsythia in the back needs some serious taming, so that’s on the to-do list.
This bed is my current area of concern. It is on the corner of the lot, and it just looks tired. There are some plants popping up, and I am giving them a chance, but until then, I added some impatients and little Gerber daisies. Just something to try and brighten this area up. The marigolds might go in here as well, if I have any left after my Mother’s Day projects at school.
I am trying my hand out at refinishing these heavy heavy HEAVY deck planters. I am not sure yet whether they will be going on the railing or on the edge of the porch, but I am excited. Eventually, they will be a navy blue to accent the red shutters. For now, they are primed. As an aside; today I learned that gray primer exists, because apparently it’s what I bought.
Also in the background; what will hopefully be herb boxes. I planted basil, oregano and cilantro. A few green sprouts are just starting to make an appearance. Stay posted for this one.
This was a very pleasant discovery today. We have SO many birds. We have a male and female cardinal family that I am so madly in love with. We have a little pair of wrens building a nest in this old birdhouse on a shepherd’s hook. And we have been seeing robins with mouthfuls of twigs and straw. Well, we found their destination. As you can see, it is currently empty, but I am hoping we get some eggs soon!
No sooner than I talked about my little cardinal buddy, he was at our window feeder. Which apparently needs to be cleaned badly, but how cool is he?
It was a lovely, productive weekend!
At Home With J*Rae 