Working Over my Flowerbeds

Say, nearly two and a half weeks have passed since my friends came to help me seed my garden.

Since then I've been working on the flower beds, and it has been taking longer than I imaged. Especially on the days when the rain crowds in, and I'm held back. However, I AM truly grateful for the rains, and every sighting of plants bursting up through the soil. They are so encouraging!

The first week I worked at weeding the 3 foot borders inside the west and east fences, and then sowing mostly perennial flowers. As I've explained to a few friends, that's so that if as I age, I can no longer do the full gardening project, at least I can look towards the fences and my other flowerbeds and see bright flowers come up again, without any real effort on my part.

West side: radishes and zinnias and some poppies (if I recall correctly).
East side: sorrel, lavender, painted daisies, mini-multi-colored zinnias and more lavender with the long-standing morning glories climbing the fence behind these.

Last week I began in the front yard flowerbeds:
On the west side: dill at the back, white zinninas in front of those, then closer to the sidewalk - columbines (remember the dainty bells dancing by the rain barrel), and at the street edge by the tree stump, red pom pom poppies and the single petal-California poppies.

On the other side of the path, after pulling up a lot of grass, I filled the center of that strip with fresh daisies and vivid marigolds along the sidewalk edge. A helpful friend had fixed my weed eater (electrical tool) and mowed down the long-standing-always blooming daisies along with the grass; so I am starting them over again.

Next to that, right at the front edge of the yard where neighbours walk by all the time, is my floral circle about 6 ft across. I've tried growing different flowers there from year to year. This year it was white zinnias (tall with big white balls of flowers) - with a ring of vivid marigolds on the outer edge of the floral circle.

On the west side where my neighbours yard and mine meets, but with only one elm tree as a marker, I have already in the past got some of Mom's Kaiser Kronen (lilies that grow in out-facing crowns) coming up regularly along with some tall yellow daisies, that start blooming in July and carry on until winter comes. After weeding there, I sowed a few small patches of white zinnias to fill in some gaps, and then around the curved edge towards my 'lawn' I sowed more of my VIVID marigolds. (I had a huge crop of flower-head seeds from the garden last year).

On Saturday I started weeding the flowerbed that goes around my front porch, and in front of my bedroom window. However, it was a very hot day! 33 C. So I only lasted until 2 pm when I went in for lunch and I nearly fell over for a nap. It was even hotter when I woke, so I decide to do some of my indoor chores, and go out again in the evening when the sun would be behind the buildings to the west side. I got in some more weeding time among the lily of the valley and peoney shrubs, from about 8:30 to 9:15, but then it was so dark I was accidentally pulling up desired plants instead of weeds! So I had to quit.

It rained on Sunday and again yesterday, so I've had a 2-day rest from the flowerbeds. (Believe me there is always work to do inside!) I'm watching now for a spell in the afternoon or early evening as I think I can finish the weeding in about half an hour and then another half hour to sow more flowers in that longer, curved flowerbed.

But that's not the end! I still have plans for clearing the thistles and weeds almost as tall as me inside the back fence, (a watermelon patch!?) and some sunflowers outside the fence in the ally. Also in the area that has become my raspberry hedge! Then there are the flower pots to refill with dirt and sow some pretty dainties to place on the ends of the back steps. When I've dug up the small patches under the elm trees and sowed some perennials there, it will be high time to go weed the garden again! And each of the flowerbeds after that.

Weeding will be on my agenda all summer I suspect!

Maybe there will be some photos to share next week - or in July.

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