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mary_lu_gw

fruits of our long weekend of labor....

mary_lu_gw
12 years ago

Finally we are starting to be able to work in the gardens. It has been so cold here. Even this weekend it only got up into the mid 50's. But after our company left on Sunday, we got busy. Mowed the lawn, edged all the beds, weeded and mulched them. Also got the strawberry beds ready for planting. Pruned all the roses in the outside beds.

Next I really need to get into the garden room and get all those roses pruned. They are all leafing out. Then need to mulch in there. I have a trailer full of mulch sitting in the garage just waiting to be spread in the garden room after pruning and weeding in there.

But I am taking tonight off. Just too tired and ache too much. Maybe will take tomorrow afternoon off from work if the weather is nice and tackle the garden room.

This is what the outside yards looked like tonight. The peonies lining the driveway were moved last spring. All are doing well and it looks like all will bloom. The grass looks a little rough yet, as it was just seeded last year.

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These are the daylily beds

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Comments (17)

  • hosta_house
    12 years ago

    Looks great! I know what you mean as I took today off too, I have pulled weeds, raked, planted and edged and I ache. I stilll have to mulch :( Please post more spring/summer pics.

  • newyorkrita
    12 years ago

    It looks beautyful to me.

  • organic_kitten
    12 years ago

    That grass looks gorgeous and everything is so neat!
    kay

  • Cher
    12 years ago

    mary_lu it looks beautiful. When you get things like that accomplished it is such a sense of accomplishment.
    Cher

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Would you like to come to my house and do the first edging for me? ugh. Yours looks so nice marylu.

  • gottagarden
    12 years ago

    Can I get in line behind schoolhouse? I could really use your help and strong backs.

    Your gardens look so neat and tidy, I'm jealous!

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    12 years ago

    O.K. guys I'm next in line :). Wow, you sure got an amazing amount of stuff done in one weekend. I love the curves of your daylily bed, your peonies and daylilies are going to look gorgeous when they are in bloom.

    So far I've been able to spend a couple of days in the garden, thought I did pretty good and was patting myself on the back until I saw what you guys accomplished, definitely going to have to get the lead out and get moving.

    I sure hope you post pics when everything is in bloom, you have such a beautiful garden.

    Annette

  • silvergirl426_gw
    12 years ago

    Wow! Those peonies look fabulous. It's kind of interesting that I'm in z5 in CT but my peonies and daylilies are at least a week behind yours. And I know our weather has been warmer than it's been in the upper midwest, even though our spring has been very cool. You have to give us the same views when everything is in bloom. A driveway lined with peonies (swoon!)
    lucia

  • mary_lu_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I took this afternoon off work to get the garden room done. Well...I got started, but my body is complaining loudly. Especially my back. So I guess I will do good if I get the roses and fence pruned. Forget about putting down the trailer load of mulch sitting in the garage waiting for me!

    schoolhouse, gottagarden and Annette, DH did most of the cutting in of the edges for the beds, I just went behind and cleaned and evened it up. So can't take all the credit! Usually if we do a good job in spring, I can pretty much forget it for the rest of the summer.

    silvergirl426, there are 14 peonies along the driveway. Originally there were 4 huge ones that I had moved here 10 years ago from our previous house. They came from the farm I grew up on and I got starts from them years ago. When we put in the new garage and driveway I moved and split them. As they were so big, I was able to split them into enough that we decided to line the driveway. I am really looking forward to a few years down the road when they get bigger. Should really be a treat. There are now over 30 peonies in our yard! Most are the bomb peonies with only 2 that are singles.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    12 years ago

    Mary Lu, I always enjoy seeing your pictures. You have so many different, interesting areas in your yard. The peonies look amazing after their transplant last year. Can you get a picture close up of your picket fence? I really like the detail of it. Was it custom made, or was there a local fence company near you that had it as a stock item. It is very special. You have a very keen eye for great detail in the garden that adds so much to the overall look. The hard work you both put in shows!!

  • mary_lu_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    thyme2dig, DH built the fence from scratch. Someone, I think on the home decorating forum or maybe this forum? about 5-6 years ago had a fence similar. She posted a picture of it. We took her idea and customized it. I drew out the pattern and DH cut the pickets. We still have plans to add more of the fence up to almost the corner. Then we will build a rock wall around the corner. So still things to do. Gosh, that was in 2005, doesn't seem like it should be that long ago already!

    I did get the roses in the garden room all pruned as well as the fence. Even got it all cleaned up, but that's when I said enough for today. I am headed for a long hot shower now! It is supposed to rain the next day or two so that should be good. We had a pretty hard frost last night. I had to scrape frost off of the car windows this morning.

  • lynnencfan
    12 years ago

    I always look forward to seeing your beautiful gardens every year. Thank you so much for allowing us to see the evolution of them over the years. You are such an inspiration. Those peonies are going to be stunning - thanks again .....

    Lynne

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    12 years ago

    Wonderful! Your neat edges in the lawn are amazing. Makes me want to go out and tidy mine right now, lol! What is the neat object d' art on the tall pillar? Is the pillar resting in concrete?
    Thanks for giving us an early spring peek!
    CMK

  • mary_lu_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Lynne, thank you. I too am looking forward to the peonies blooming!

    CMK, the "neat object d' art on the tall pillar" is actually a black garbage bag that is tied over the top of the pot on top for the winter. I just haven't gotten the ladder out yet to take it off. Forgot that it was there when I took the pictures!

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    12 years ago

    LOL! Thanks Mary Lu. From the picture it does kind of look like some modern sculpture though!! ;-)
    CMK

  • memo3
    12 years ago

    It sure is more spring looking in your area than in mine Mary Lu. Things are just beginning to green up here but I did mow once just to get everything looking even again. My bed edges are a mess this spring. I've never done cut edges before and had no idea that they would need to be done each spring. I'm rethinking that idea as it's just too much work for me to maintain. Yours sure do look wonderful though! Happy gardening to you my friend.

    MeMo

  • mary_lu_gw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    CMK, I went back and looked at the picture again and I do see what you mean!

    Memo, so good to hear from you. Haven't seen you around too much. Hope all is well with you?

    Well, DH did not make it home for the weekend, so I worked on the yard myself. I finished up the last of the pruning in the garden room, weeded and fertilized all the roses. Then moved/divided a few things. Then....started on that trailer load of mulch. Got about 2/3 of the garden room done. So not too bad. Oh, I dug up 12 containers of ferns (with at least 3-4 in each container) for my DD too as I will be seeing her this weekend. The ferns were taking over the bed nearest the house in the garden room and I mentioned to DD that I would be digging some out. She asked if I could keep them for her, so that is what I did. But sure more work than just digging them out and throwing them in the compost.

    By the end of the week I am hoping that I will have the garden room done (for now any way). We did get about 1/3 inch of rain today, so that was good. We were starting to get pretty dry.

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