by Kat W.
Member since:
September 19, 2008

Adventures in gardening

April 19, 2009 05:53 PM UTC
views: 0 | comments: 33

Last year I worked on average 58 hours per week so when I had a day off my "to do" list didn't have gardening on it.  So my backyard gardens overgrew with weeds and honeysuckle.  Between the rain and taking care of other projects I have been trying to bring some order to the flower beds.  The beds run the perimeter of my yard so they are quite large.

I have been making good progress and decided I would do nothing but working in the flower beds this weekend.  I spent all day Saturday digging up honeysuckle, blackberry plants, privet bushes, wild strawberry plants, poison ivy and such.  I made some good progress and I have the sunburn and poison ivy to prove it. 

Today I stepped in an ant bed, was bonged in the head by a shovel (my husband swears that he didn't realize he was that close to me...yeah sure!) and twisted my ankle.

So, what did I accompolish in my garden?  The right side of the yard is now weed free, for the moment and I have planted the following seeds: petunia, zinnia, forget me nots, cosmos, purple cone flower, rudbeckia, morning glories, moonflowers, 3 varieties of sunflowers and canterbury bells.  I even have that bed completely mulched (35 bags of mulch).  Man, I'm tired!

Phase two is getting the flower bed along the back of our property completed.  More poison ivy, blackberry and wild strawberry plants. I can't wait, not!

I'll post photos later.  My arms are so sore that the only thing I want to lift is an ice cold beer.

Comments: 33

Vicky Duggins Apr 19, 2009, 6:10pm UTC
I'm looking forward to photos of all the pretty flowers you planted. I want to plant some, too, if it ever stops raining around here. We have wild onions that try to take over and have to be pulled up. They smell good, though.
Vivian P. Apr 19, 2009, 6:13pm UTC
wow you deserve a break HUGS
Pam S. Apr 19, 2009, 6:19pm UTC
Wow, you need to relax, I got tired just reading everything you did this weekend.
j - Frugal Mom - r. Apr 19, 2009, 6:30pm UTC
It sure sounds like quite an adventure. It sounds like you need another weekend to recuperate from the first one:)
kathleen w. Apr 19, 2009, 6:46pm UTC
well dont you feel better knowing how much you got done...only hadto ask once and my jaw almost became unhinged when my boyfriend dug the grass out of our garden plot...going to "work i" every few days until i plant as we have clay like soil....
Elizabeth B. Apr 19, 2009, 6:49pm UTC
I wish I had all your wild strawberries :>} I have tons of blackberries to murder myself!
I think you need a bubble bath, a couple of cold beers, and your hubby needs to give ya a massage for bonking you on the head :>P lol
Lucky Stars Apr 19, 2009, 6:55pm UTC
Sounds like you've been working hard all weekend Kat!
Here's hoping it all pays off in flowers.

I got all my beds cleaned out but not completely weeded on Saturday.

I garden for a living. You have my sincere sympathy and must be a few years younger than me! That sounds like more than I could handle in a weekend.
Van N. Apr 19, 2009, 7:15pm UTC
Good job, I can't wait to see the pics from your garden. I plan to work in my garden too, but my allergy is killing me :(
Nana to Seven Cutiepies Apr 19, 2009, 7:15pm UTC
Gardening is a lot of work but I'm sure you'll have a beautiful garden and flowers before you know it.
Marianne R. Apr 19, 2009, 7:20pm UTC
35 bags of mulch for 1 bed? How big is your freaking yard? I only need 4 and that's for 3 beds. We get a lot of poison ivy here too. I simply kill that with Roundup. I'm not messing with that crap. Have you tried Buji products? They're a hikers dream. There's a lotion you wear if you think you'll be around PI that keeps it from getting on you and spreading. There's a wash that you use right after you touch the stuff that nutralizes the urushiol oil (or whatever it's called). The stuff is awesome.
Marianne R. Apr 19, 2009, 7:20pm UTC
Looking forward to the pix after your beer, lol
I bet it was a lot of hard work, but rewarding~
Carol V. Apr 19, 2009, 8:16pm UTC
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm proud of you. I'm sorry that you got hit in the head with the shovel and hurt your ankle. Tonight in your sleep - kick the Hubby (with the good ankle) and blame it on muscle spasms. That's what I do!!
Sandra H. Apr 19, 2009, 8:30pm UTC
LOL, I think Carol V. has the right idea!......I CANNOT imagine doing all that in one weekend! I would need more than a cold beer! .......Can't wait to see your photos and your flowers once they come up!
Kay M Apr 19, 2009, 8:33pm UTC
Sounds like you'll have a beautiful flower bed later to help makeup for your bunged head and sore ankle.
Deb A. Apr 19, 2009, 8:47pm UTC
I can relate to the sore muscles part. I rototilled our whole garden (just not patient enough to wait for the hubby). That machine drags me along behind, vibrating the daylights out of my arms.
ʚϊɞ Kim K. Apr 19, 2009, 9:05pm UTC
LOL Carol V. Photobucket I can relate with you with the muscles Kat. I lugged large rocks out of one garden to line another garden and weeded ..etc. But I'd rather have these sore muscles from gardening than from shoveling snow. ;)

Thank you for posting to Gather Gardens!
 
Lisa C. Apr 19, 2009, 9:27pm UTC
I'm sure it will be gorgeous! You must have an enormous yard! Take a nice hot bubble bath, you deserve it!
Kat W. Apr 19, 2009, 9:41pm UTC
LOL, I don't think I am the only one with spring "must get the garden ready" fever.

Marianne, I usually only mulch once per year and I use a shredded mulch. Since last year was skipped I had lots of mulch to replace. The bed I worked in was 25'wide and 10' deep and is the largest of all the beds. I did the worst one first, the rest will not take as long, hopefully, lol.

I've had my long hot bath, a couple of beers and I'm heading to bed now. I am worn out!
Marianne R. Apr 19, 2009, 9:51pm UTC
Okay, I think my biggest bed is 5' by 3.5'. But that only takes a bag and a half.
Jo N. Apr 19, 2009, 10:58pm UTC
Looking forward to the photos, get some rest!
Trish A. Apr 20, 2009, 2:38am UTC
Impressive work. I can't wait for your photos.
Carol B Apr 20, 2009, 9:43am UTC
Oh Kat, I feel for you. Hubby and I were out there all day Saturday and Sunday. Luckily we don't have poison ivy any more in the yard but we do have weeds. I will be doing a post soon of all the work we are doing. We have a 1/3 of an acre and the whole yard is outlined in beds of bushes. So even with mulch being added every two years, it is still a lot of work.
Hope you are not hurting today.
Marge H. Apr 21, 2009, 4:54pm UTC
I'm tired just reading all that. Sorry to hear about the poison ivy, the sunburn, the banged head, the sore muscles, and the sprained ankle. Whew! Did I miss anything? I think I would just tell the husband the yard work is his for the rest of the year.
Renita P. Apr 21, 2009, 7:26pm UTC
LOL I ache just thinking about all you did! My "garden" is just a strip of dirt around my cement patio and it's always overgrown with weeds. I can't grow anything. ARgh. I can't even keep the darn leaves from the black olive tree swept off my patio - it drops them so fast!
Lisa M. Apr 22, 2009, 2:59am UTC
gardening really is so much work!
Sheila Deeth Apr 23, 2009, 1:32am UTC
I've been doing tons of weeding, but it seems every time I turn my back the weed-frees turn weed-full.
Courtney C. Apr 23, 2009, 1:08pm UTC
Wow, that's a lot of work! I bet it looks wonderful.
Rose Hill Apr 24, 2009, 4:43pm UTC
Wow - that sounds exhausting. I can relate, I have one more thankfully relatively small section of yard to deal with and then that is all she wrote - I'm not dealing with any more garden projects until fall or spring.
Still got a shed to clean another to get and I'd love to paint the other side of my little shed lime green.
Tina Coruth Apr 25, 2009, 12:40pm UTC
Wow! You accomplished a lot!!
Kelly M. May 2, 2009, 8:30pm UTC
Thanks for stopping by to comment on one of my articles or pics! I am returning the favor by “hanging ten” and dropping by 10 of your posts today!
Tory H. May 18, 2009, 7:51pm UTC
lots of productivity!

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