I wore myself out today, not just watering and weeding, but sweeping the sidewalks and putting everything back the way it was before the construction crew did their work. (They’re still not completely finished with the gazebo/hut, but all that’s left to do is paint the ceiling and do some touchups on the roof.) I wasn’t sure I liked my hut — it’s a lot darker and the roof is a lot steeper than I thought it would be — but it’s growing on me. It’s going to be a great addition to my mini estate!
I also got a few more plant starters at the hardware store. The owner kind of laughed at me when she noticed me, or rather I should say, she laughed with me. She finds it as amusing as I do that I stop by so often to indulge my plant addiction.
It was kind of silly, I suppose, to have spent so much time today grooming my yard in preparation for the Art Guild meeting tomorrow, partly because the wind came up and blew more detritus on the newly swept walks, partly because it ended up raining, and partly because I’m sure the members would never notice the holes in the landscaping, especially since the yard is a work in progress.
But I notice.
The biggest hole was where the pole for a hanging plant was recently set at the junction of my two sidewalks/ramps. Ramps will go up eventually, but I need something now at that junction so people who are unfamiliar with my house don’t step back and tumble off the stoop. Unfortunately, while planting the pole, a lot of larkspurs got demolished. So I filled in the area with golden-yellow zinnias.
It’s funny to me that despite my wearing myself out with yardwork, the very sight of the yard makes me smile. It’s just so pretty! Even better, are the surprises, such as my “ugly duckling.” It’s not at all ugly, of course. In fact, it’s beautiful. It’s just a different sort of poppy than the rest. The yellow ones are California poppies, and the pink is an Icelandic poppy.
It’s also funny that I never wanted a yard that took a lot of work. But, oh, the smiles that I grow— mine and everyone else’s — are so worth it!
***
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Bertram's Blog 
June 7, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Your yard is lovely! When it doesn’t become too arduous, gardening brings a lot of pleasure — nurturing things is very satisfying. I was outside today, too, enjoying one of our rare warm, sunny days. Except for the ones I’ve planted in tubs on our back deck and one front container, I don’t have annuals to care for. Through the years our rural property’s garden beds have been developed with shrubs, trees and perennials but I still enjoy them. Lots of spring colour from the rhododendrons and azaleas, but not much in the other seasons.
June 7, 2022 at 9:08 pm
How nice to have rhododendrons and azaleas! They are problematic here because of our alkaline soils. Even adding Miracid doesn’t alter the PH much.
June 9, 2022 at 3:54 pm
We have vey acidic soil thanks to the surrounding evergreen trees, plus a fair amount of rain throughout the year, which they also seem to like .. at least, the shrubs do. The blossoms, not so much.