May 8, 2018 – Yes, I have been among the missing.

         Sorry everyone – I’ve been absent from my blog.  I have been working in my gardens getting them re-worked and rejuvenated.  My brother will be visiting and I wanted the gardens to look better than the last time he visited.  I am just this week finishing the  edges of the patio back filling with soil and planting some sun loving annuals and a few perennials I've lifted from other parts of the yard. 

         I promised pictures and here are some.  Below is  when I finished the paving on the east apron and I have the flowers to put in on the right side. The rocks will be raised up with bricks and a new rosemary plant and a clump of bearded iris on the right behind the grey rocks will go in.

This is the north side.  I have the flowers to cut in and the white rocks as trim left to do. The walk to the faucet was not yet done.

This shows the full sun and the back portion of the patio. Between the two chairs on the right is the step up to the water faucet path.  In the foreground are the Siberian Iris giving us the annual show.

This is a close up of the Siberian Iris which will edge all the way to the left.  I have propagated clumps that are now in bloom and can't move them until they cease blooming.  They will run the full length of the back of the house.  But this shows the little white rocks that create the spill way for the rain from the gutters coming off the roof.

         I also planted much of  the vegetable garden this last week – tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, basil, egg plants, green peppers.  In a few weeks I will put in the winter squash and possibly try parsnips and celeric again. The garlic bulbs I planted last fall are looking good. 

Even some of my lavender is looking good though I did not correctly cut it back this spring because it looked completely dead – yet now it looks like I have more green than dead.  I love lavender, but it sure isn’t easy for me to grow. [Few years back I took an on-line course on growing Lavender and I will admit, it hasn't helped my green thumb a bit when it comes to the plant.]  I did locate a few Lavender var. Phenominal this year and we shall see if they are the right plant for this area.  I will advise later when they are blooming.

I’ve been lifting and dividing some of my perennials and am thinking of going into the nursery business as my retirement job. Will give me an excuse to "play in the dirt" and be paid for it.

This is a close up of a one Liriope muscari variegata that I lifted and divided. I find this is a work-horse type plant in the garden.  Makes a great edging and gives the garden a great back bone for a design.  Most of my shade gardens are edged with this.  Some have a bit more sun, but this does exceptionally well in the shade and semi-shade.  

Above is the divided Liriope and some Hostas.  They will come along nicely in the nursery garden.

Lastly, I planted the Caladiums thinking that the night temperatures were warm and settled near the 60s, yet this morning I woke up to the 40s.  Not a good thing – they don’t like wet and cold.  Hopefully the soil in the pots stayed warm enough and will warm up again today.

If you have been out there in the gardens working – tell me what the secret is to the weather.  I expected rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday – as it was forecasted and got – what – hardly nothing.

And, a follow-up on my April 17, 2018, blog of How to stop a water leak in a Lincoln Towncar – HEY, HEY – it worked – no longer a wet passenger side rug.

Thanks for visiting everyone - especially my traveling friend who checked out my blog from Slovakia – love you – I know you are having fun. 

I also was tied up with a four-week writing class that took much time away from other projects and my Blog.   More pictures in the future - I finally figured out the technology - that is a good thing for my blog friends.