Time is the forgiving nature of gardening. One does not have to do all the maintenance at once. I take as much time as I need to get the perennial beds ready. I take longer now that I am older than when I was younger. I love getting my hands in the dirt. I love digging things up with large, impressive gardening tools and metal implements. I love cutting plants back with both large and small "cutting tools." Mmmm, "cutting tools!" I am a cold-hearted weeding machine. Bring it on!
Here's to spring, my friends. She is already here in Florida, and soon will arrive for you, too. I promise.
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| See - my yellow canna is being invaded by the beautiful, but greedy Mexican Petunia! |
Oh, Lord, those Mexican petunias can be a nightmare. They are pretty, but like water hyacinths, a little go a long, long way!
ReplyDeleteI had never seen or heard of them before moving to Florida. My first thought, was "Oh, they are beautiful!" After a year of fighting them, reality set in.
DeleteMorning glory. Morning Glory. MORNING GLORY! Aka binder weed. I fought it around four sides of my first house. I got three sides under control. On the 4th side it came under the lawn, sixty or eighty feet away, from the trellises of morning glory my neighbor's wife had up the side of their house. Eventually I sold that house.
ReplyDeleteAlmost time to go out and get my line of essential tools ready.
Exciting, isn't it? Best time of the year.
DeleteI am still hoping for spring. Even with a fairly fast melt we still have about 6 inches of snow on the ground since our latest blizzard a few days ago.
ReplyDeleteAaack. Not fair! But it will come in time.
DeleteWe're just starting to see the signs of spring here. Wheeee! We can't wait to get started. Dirty hands are definitely in our future.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pleasure, playing in the dirt.
DeleteBeautiful canna!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been battling invasive weeds....in my case, terrible vines as thick as your thumb covered in thorns that are covering a fence and our (almost dead now) blueberry bushes. I spent several hours last weekend working on them and doing other yardwork, and I was really sore the next day! But I love working outside before the summer heat sets in.
I wonder what the vines are? They sound dangerous. Still, it really gives a person a sense of accomplishment to hack away at these things and ultimately get rid of them.
DeleteBeautiful lily. Soldier onward against those intruders! Impressive. No spring here yet and maybe not for awhile. :-(
ReplyDeleteI wish Spring was there for all my friends up north. It means so much after a hard winter.
DeleteWe have our own noxious weed called creeping bellflower. Looks pretty for about a minute and then reality sets in. I'm looking forward to getting back out into my garden. Right now it remains buried in snow.
ReplyDeleteThat canna lily is beautiful!
I totally know that weed! Campanula rapunculoides. Fought with it in my northern garden. Vicious! Another name for it is rampion. It seems to be the plant that Rapnunzel's mother had to have when she was pregnant?
DeleteAches and pains with a purpose. We have an invasive plant that I stupidly brought in 20+ years ago, some form of decorative shamrock, initially an innocent pot plant with a green ribbon around it, I thought I'd give it a new home in a bed, but it is now everywhere, tiny, nasty, totally indestructible. I tried what you are doing but no effect. I have decided to live with my mistake.
ReplyDeleteIt is very likely my extreme confidence is sheer bravado. I was never able to get rid of the creeping bellflower that lily cedar speaks of in her comment. And I fought it for years.
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