On Thursday morning it was 6:30AM before I got out to the garden. I got it planted and all mulched by 10AM. My neighbor and her sweet dog Jazzy stopped by for a visit mid morning. When I’d finished, it was getting hot and I decided to do weeding in the shade.
I hope to get my son to mulch the next walkway in the next day or so.
I’d started the violet bed under the magnolia tree a few weeks back but only got half of it done. I went over that part and then finished the weeding. It was only 11AM so I decided to weed under the MacIntosh.
I planted dwarf comfrey under it many years ago to supplement the violets. It has slowly spread to encompass the entire bed. There are still a few violets, but it’s almost all comfrey.
But I was more than a little dismayed to find a healthy poison ivy vine climbing up the east side of the tree trunk. I was very careful weeding under it. I’ll get my son to pull it out as I am severely allergic to it.
The crabapple tree is between these 2 trees and has perennial sweet peas under it. I used to have a string trellis for them to climb but it rotted and I’ve not yet been able to replace it. So weeding this mess will take some doing.
At the end of this area is the rose bed. It has, l – r: rugosa roses, the climbing rose, and the Damascus rose in it. This is another long project as it’s not been done in a couple years.
As I walked back to the house, I noticed in the Big garden that a couple of the parsley that had been chewed up had started to re-grow.
In the New South garden, right beside that “black” hollyhock, this one opened up. What a contrast!
These delicate pastel single hollyhocks are my favorites, followed by the deeper colors. I hope I can get to this garden soon as the weeds are bad and the plants need attention.
On Chaos Friday (last week I completely forgot the milk order and Tom had done it!) I have to straighten up the house in the early morning so no garden on Friday. My helper friend and backup helper will be here at 8:00 and he will be teaching her how to do the raw milk spray for the powdery mildew. Then I need to have my helper friend help me make up some more New Herb garden amendment as I am nearly out and have 2 rows to do.
In the afternoon my husband’s aunt, uncle and cousin are coming to visit. I’ve not seen them in a year, for one reason or another so it will be nice to catch up.