Anticipation!

I'm getting excited to get our garden up and running. After hail and a late March snow storm last week, it's nice to be able to get out and enjoy some beautiful weather. It's a little to windy to do much outside, but I am enjoying the sunshine.

I've been looking through my pictures from a few years back, and came across some of my backyard flowers.
These were my Grandma Carman's favorite irises. I moved them to three different homes, and they continue to be my favorites. I'll be sharing some this year with two sweet widows across the street. They have a beautiful built-in pool, and these irises will make a lovely addition to their gardens.

I don't think this Golden Flame Honeysuckle, pictured in 2005, survived the winter, but I'll be able to make some nice wreaths with the tangled vines, and I'll replant with something free, probably gourds, since the birds like them so well.

This is pretty close to what the garden looks like right now, except that the beds have been turned once already, and we have a few weeds that need to be sprayed. I haven't used any weed sprays in years past, but this year I think we will RoundUp all the way around the beds and lay down mulch so we don't have grass invade the raised beds.

Plus, this is the lowest place in the yard, and when we get the spring rains, it's hard to work out there without sinking to your ankles in mushy ground.

Here's a link for a compost tumbler that I'd love to have built. Last year we purchased a truck load of mushroom compost from J&M Mushroom Farm in Miami, Oklahoma, and we incorporated it into all the beds. Since hubby is not working in Joplin any more, it doesn't make sense to drive that far for compost. But, it's hard to garden without it, and get results like these...

Don't forget to take some time over the next week or so, to get outside and enjoy the sunshine in your area. We like to string the hammocks in the backyard, and relax with good books and our favorite pets. We finished Pride & Prejudice, and are working through the last of Mere Christianity right now.

Enjoy these cooler temperatures! Summer is just around the corner.