Carpe-ing the Diem

Today is the first day of 2011 that is really, really nice. I am talking 70F nice! It also happens to be the last day of Spring Break. Considering that I spent my Spring Break working, I figured, I will take this day off to see what I can do about my dilapidated garden.

The task for this season is .. well, too long to list. But I at least want to get a few things off my list this year.

For starters, I would like to demolish the crumbling "raised bed" by my front door and clean up the rubble. Hopefully, get around to planting some nice flowering shrubs and perhaps even rejuvenate the grass there.

Opposite to this raised bed, I have another bed which used to house some seriously beautiful flowering plants including roses, lupines, shasta daisies, hollyhock, hibiscus, fragrant asiatic lilies and some very beautiful arborvitae. Unfortunately, the deer, ground hogs and rabbits have, between them, completely ravaged my garden. Two years ago they even ate up my daisies and lilies, which are generally considered deer-resistant. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have pictures of them, just some flowers from earlier years! Sigh. Everything is so ephemeral!

Anyhow, last year, I started saving the remaining asiatic lilies and tried to use lavenders instead since the critters seem to leave them alone! Here is how the bed looks today -- rather sad, but.... once everything starts growing again, it should look good.

The ashy gray looking thing is the lavender. Once spring is well and truly here, it should look brighter and attract a lot of butterflies. Unfortunately, two of the young lavenders that I had transplanted last year,  to complete my front row seem to have died this winter! At least the hyacinths seem to be doing ok. So, today's task is to clean out the debris and add in some more of the ground cover.

I have at least started work on this tiny patch. Add new soil and some weed-preventers. The irises are peeking out on the far side and the hyacinths in the foreground are the ones I saved from the soon-to-be-demolished raised bed. Three teeny lavenders have been transplanted in the front. Hope they take! Need to edge this garden and mulch it.

Oh! Yes, and there is that tiny matter that I have been putting off for ever! The side door to the garage. Which, well, doesn't exist any more! Hasn't existed since ... oh 2006! It would be fabulous if I can get around to putting a new one in this year!!!

So break done! Had my lunch, did my post, back to digging and demolishing!

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