Visual status update on our Vallelado Garlic (image from Jan 22nd)

Well hello there! I confess that I had not expected to take this long to write my next blog post. I don’t strictly follow a schedule, but I usually work as much as possible in the garden, in my free time during the week, and then I write about what I did.

“Winterizing” the beds: completely weeding the bed and then working compost into the soil

But for the past number of weeks, I have not worked in the garden … at all. This is very unusual for me, as the garden is my happy place! Thankfully, though, I’ve recently started to get back into the swing of things, and I’ve managed to spend some time in the garden.

Most of the beds have been cleared, weeded, and had compost added (most but not all!)

What’s going on in the garden?  I’ve tidied up some beds (read: massive amounts of weeding done!) and covered them with compost. I’ve also started weeding one of my main flower beds so that the winter flowering plants have some breathing room (poppy plants are covering every square inch of free soil!).  And the biggest project is to clean up one corner of the yard for my new adventure which I will start this spring!

This is the official “before” picture of the corner which we are re-working!

O.K., so the big adventure is that we are going to get chickens! I’m planning to get them in April, but I want to make sure this area is ready for them. Look at that mess in the picture above! The stone path, as well as the two beds, are all covered in an invasive weed (which I have not been able to identify).  The only way to clean this up was to clear it all out.

Progress???

First to go were the weeds on the stones, and then the stones.  The stones in the back section of this corner will probably stay – I’m undecided on this point actually.  I’d like to get rid of them, but not sure where to put them! Oh, did I mention that my son and my husband have been helping, too?  Admittedly, this job is anything but fun. So we’ve been doing it in small sections.

definite progress!

Those invasive weeds really worried me.  But we are managing to clear them and their massive roots.  It still needs a lot of work, but we’re getting there!

Hellebore Winter Sunshine

What else is on the agenda for this week? Pruning my rose plants.  I’m following my father-in-law’s lead, as his roses are simply beautiful every year (and he pruned his plants last week).  He asked me about mine the other day, and when I started to panic that I hadn’t pruned them yet, he reassured me that I’d have at least another week or two to get it done! 🙂

Helleborus orientalis double ellen red

I would like to get a better handle on the weeding, too, or my entire yard is going to have about a million poppies.  I’m not even kidding!

Helleborus frilly Isabelle

I’m thankful for the pretty flowers that my hellebore plants are showing off now.  They are really looking lovely, and the 3 different varieties are quite different from one another!  I have made a note to get some more!

Snowdrop flowers covered in rain water

I’m so very glad to be back in the garden, and back to blogging! I hope that you have managed to keep doing what you like to do, even if time is scarce!

In Peace,
Dana