April Showers Bring May Flowers

Tuesdays are my early day out of work, like before 9 PM at night : ) The weather was absolutely beautiful! To burn off some calories, soak up some Vitamin D and breath in some fresh air, I used my birthday presents and put them to work in the garden!

I have bulbs popping up everywhere in colors of purple, white and yellow, especially along the front walkway to the front door. I started on the front beds. I cleared out the old mulch because it looked disgusting, removed weeds and pulled back the grass from the edging. The more I did, the more bulbs I started to see surfacing, wanting to get out in the sun. I was so happy! I'm not the most green thumbed but I'll learn. To just be able to go outside and be in my yard, I love it...it's a complete dream come true!

After clearing out the front beds, I proceeded to the backyard to clear off the hemlocks. Matt and I have hemlocks that line two areas in the backyard for privacy. Unfortunately, hemlocks are usually diseased and they really don't look that nice. However, Matt and I really do not have the money to be cutting them down this year to replace it with a fence. So I'm on a mission to save them. Being a physical therapist definitely has its advantage because I meet all types of people with various backgrounds and knowledge and I reep the benefits from it. I am very lucky to be treating a semi-retired landscape designer who is now my gardening guru. Just like a home, she told me, a garden doesn't happen overnight (Again, Rome wasn't built in a day) So she has given me some advice on improving the soil to help the plants and cut down any vines that are growing on the hemlocks to keep them from "choking." So I listened to my guru and cut down all the vine to the base of it, which is pretty big. Now I have to see what grows there.

I have also discovered 5 rose bushes along the fence line. The thorns were HUGE! Basically, Sunday we will say bye bye to the rose bushes because they are way too much work and I'm not a huge rose fan. I'd rather have hydrangea plants...come on...it's me : ) It may be the only plants I buy this year becaues I feel that my house needs one with beautiful deep blue colors!

So April...keep the rain coming but during the week only, so I can tend to my yard : )