In The Yard/ Clean Up Day

It's a beautiful day. Look at the blue sky. A light wind, the smells of spring. The sound of birds singing. It's amazing they know it's spring too. While cleaning up the yard three birds graced me with their presence. The first, a beautiful bright red male cardinal. He ate well this winter. He was large. A large robin followed and a female cardinal landed next to him. Just a brief glimpse. The sound from me trying to get my camera ready to take their picture cause them to fly away. They'll be back because the flowers draw them. The robins like to walk in the yard and dig worms. 

I spent eight hours in the yard today. A days work. I didn't think I would get as much done as I accomplished. A reminder to do in the fall what sensible gardeners do. Clean up all the leaves and pots. Throw away mums that have bloomed and I won't have to spend possibly days cleaning up the yard. I enjoy seeing the after but, doing it was not fun. My to do list: clean pots out on the step, clean pots out in the yard, cut what little grass I have, rake up old foliage and leaves from the fall; apply polyurethane to the planter, plant pansies, and start top coating flower beds with fresh soil. I don't plan on finishing the topping of because I need to mix the soil with manure. That will be another day.

Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day...

There has to be a better way. There is, fall cleaning.

Spectacular!

This was taken last week. I checked every day so I didn't miss them opening. They bloom for such a short time.

They have been dug up by squirrels. I can see the roots. They're tough and still bloom. They put on such a show for such a little flower. I think I need to force some of these inside in the winter

All of the gardening has worked up my appetite. Since I didn't eat breakfast what about brunch?

Have a bite.

Minus the two largest. I normally save the largest ones for my daughter. I like to hear her ask,"where did you get the large strawberries from"?

 I was going to drizzle a little honey over them but I pleasantly surprised that they were sweet. Not local but grown in the USA. It does make a difference in taste. I guess they taste even better grown at home. I have had strawberries in the yard several times but just when they were ripe the birds got to them first, or maybe  squirrels. 

Almost ready. I just need my cup of milk and my sausage patty, yum. Now back to the yard to plant pansies.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all? And the pansies said, we are! Blame my daughter for all the cartoons we watched. I love fairy tales still. Wait until the roses, freesia, and hyacinths hear. What a competition that would be.

Much better. Polyurethane applied and pots cleaned.

Yellow foxglove winter sown. Glad to see something grew. I knocked over 2 containers today cleaning. Not good.

One of four heuchera (coral bells) that looks good. The others hardly survived. It was a tough winter.

Garlic still surviving.

I have to do something with this, what?

The lirope will be taken up and replanted. I knew better than to believe that coir pots would decompose. They are as intact as when I planted them last spring. I don't think the plants will survive if I don't take them out. It looks like the hosta fire works I planted last spring didn't make it in them. I haven't seen any come up yet and hosta usually comes up early.

You can't kill sedum.

Some observations made. One out of three black eye Susan's I planted in the fall have came up. Both veronica I planted are budding out. No activity on two clematis. No echinacea in site yet. Canna is supposed to be hardy in my zone 7 but the one I uncovered in the planter was soft but still formed. I didn't dig it up though. The bleeding heart and fern I planted last spring have broke the surface. What do I want to do with the yard and out front this year? I want a different boarder around the flower bed. I thought this would be done during the winter. That was hopeful. When was the ground free of snow? I don't have a lot planned except planting vegetables and some shade annuals for the flower beds when available in the garden center. I haven't started any vegetable seeds but I did buy one cherry tomato, one red bell pepper, a blueberry bush, chives, sage, and another herb I can't remember.

When the weather warms up the annual seedlings will go into the pots and flower beds. I will start on the window boxes soon. I put bulbs in one planter. Maybe not next year. The squirrels have been having a feast. What they didn't dig up they bit up the leaves. I never thought of squirrels in a window box. The camilla I kept on the front porch during the winter looks dead and so does the one in the yard. The crepe myrtle looks beaten. The fig tree cuttings, I don't know. I hope you enjoyed my day in the yard and hopefully spring has sprung in your area in you're outside in your gardening space.