I was just joking about the rain coming yesterday, but it sure was gray out when I got up this morning. The sun eventually poked its nose out in the afternoon, making it a pretty nice afternoon. I was thus unable to avoid gardening.
So, anyway, here's the list I made, with my progress so far:
Friday • Get hair cut.
• Buy some forsythias, and possibly some rhododendrons. I stopped at Home Despot on the way home, searched high and low, but didn't see any forsythia. I knew Schartner's (just up the road from me) had them (I could see them from the road), so I was going to stop there, but they'd already closed for the day. Bother. Got up early this morning, and went back. They were disappointing, and ridiculously expensive. The reason they were expensive is that they were enormous. Every one they had was taller than me. I'm sure they'd flop down some once unbundled, but they also didn't seem to have a lot of leaves and buds lower down the stems. I want bushy. Also, they were $30 each, and I want 4 or 5 of them. No sale.
I took a ride down the road to Agway, but they didn't have any. I even went to Wal*Mart. No luck, either. I finally went back to the Depot. They'd had them last week for $16, exactly the size I wanted. I still didn't any, so I asked someone. Sold out. Rats. They did have some inexpensive small-leaved rhododendrons, the same variety as the ones in front of my picture windows. I got two small ones at $6 each, and the two larger ones for $12. I think the larger one are maybe a year older. I planted one small one at the head of my driveway, and the others went every 20' just inside the property line between my back yard, and the frat boys back yard (the gray house in the photo). I was also able to use the turf rounds I dug up to patch a couple of spots in the lawn, so everybody wins. When I finally do find some forsythia, they'll go in between the rhododendrons. It'll be pretty, if'n I can ever find some. There's still another Depot to try, and also a Lowes. Maybe tomorrow morning.
Saturday and Sunday:
• Weed and feed lawn, in (no doubt) vain attempt to kill off dandelions. Has to be done in the morning when there's still some dew on the lawn. Postponed. Dandelion killer needs to physically sit on the plants in the sun for a couple days to work properly. Applying when rain is expected is just throwing away good money. (If it's sunny tomorrow, I'm gonna be tres annoyed.)
• Plant whatever shrubs get purchased tonight. Done.
• Turn over tomato patch, and plant tomato and muskmelon seedlings. It looks like I have one decent melon seedling. Other than that, I'm gonna have to get some.
• Dig a strawberry patch, and plant strawberry plants. (Note to self: Make sure strawberry plants aren't already dead before starting this project.) A lot of them look dead. I planted them anyway. What I wound up doing was converting the former patch named tomato into a combination strawberry and onion patch. The reason was that all I had to do to get it ready for the plants and sets was to remove the waste from last year, pull up the landscape cloth I used for mulch, and turn it over. Easy peasy. I wasn't going to be able to plant tomatoes today anyway, so I can dig up and prepare the new patch at realative leisure. (Digging the new patch will be a royal pain because the turf is so thick. I literally have to jump on the spade to get it to penetrate. It's tiring.)
• Decide where in god's name to plant onion sets. Plant onion sets. I had twenty strawberries, and eighty onion sets. The original plan was to surround the strawbs with the onions, but since the strawbs looked to be in such tough shape, I planted them much closer together than normal, figuring on a 50% survival rate. That took up only half the space allotted, so I put the onions in the other half. It'll be easier to care for them that way.
• Pot up herb seedlings, if necessary. Not really necessary until I buy some seedlings.
• Prune low-hanging branches on Bradford pears and evil thicket. Remember not to stand under branches while cutting them.
• Go around yard with weed whacker.
Now, I'm showered, tired, and basking in the sunshine at my desk. Thinking about going to see HHGttG, but I'm worried about falling asleep in the theatre. Need to do something. I'm getting hungry.
