Tangled Tulips

I can't begin to tell you how many years it's been since I wanted to dig this whole mess up and move it but it's nothing I'm really able to do myself so I've made peace with just appreciating the struggle between the roses and the tulips as I document it with photos, drawings and paintings.

Many people want some of the rosebushes but none of them are willing to come over here and dig them up themselves.

I've gone from being upset about the situation to noticing the amazing contrast between the thorns and twisted stems of the roses and the fresh colors of the tulip leaves and budding flower.

So many birds and animals live and shelter in the thicket that these bushes have become that it would be a shame to disturb them so for at least another season things will remain as they are.

Getting started in the garden

I'm glad to see warmer weather and am deciding where to start on the garden. I haven't ordered anything in because there's so much here that really needs trimming, transplanting and clean up.

The large containers I used by the studio last year for peas and carrots will be put to use for my strawberries. Having them up near my worktable will make it much easier to check on them often and it's easier for me to walk on the driveway than it is to cope with the uneven ground in the back yard.

I'm in no hurry to drag the walker out here so I'm setting things up so that I can manage a lot of the work without it.

We are hoping to build more raised panting boxes but those plans are on the back burner for now.

Meanwhile, it just feels SOOOO good to sit out in the sun...

The snow's gone in the front garden

The snow has finally cleared out of the front yard and I've finally been able to be outside again.

 I'm starting small by moving some of the decorations around and deciding which of the furniture needs a bit of retouching or repainting.

The squirrels are having LOTS of fun swinging on the bird feeders and chasing each other around the yard.

I'm having less fun in the yard just picking up small branches and trimming back old grapevines.

It's a bit wet out today so I didn't want to take my old camera out but I'll take pictures for you as soon as the weather drys up a bit.

Yesterday was warm and dry enough to get some spray painting done so I experimented with some different finishes on the butterfly wall hooks I started a few months ago.

A bit of transplanting as the season wraps up

There's not much of the gardening season left so I took advantage of the good weather today and moved some of my lilies up to the front garden. I also got the liogonberry planted and and moved a bit more hosta.

There's so much to do before the cold weather sets in that I'm quite sure which of the yard work to tackle first. So far I'll begin my cleaning up the side of the garden where we have company and sit at tea time. It is after all the place that we use the most.

There's very little blooming here to paint except for the sunflowers and as you can see from the rest of the blog I've already done quite a lot of that this season.

I still love the sight of them but I just can't work up the energy to draw or paint them anymore.

The theme for the garden next year will be roses. Mine are all pinks and will be a refreshing change from all of the yellow I've had this year. They're a huge tangle of several different varieties that have been needing some attention for years and will be more than enough of a challenge to keep me busy next season.