little green thumbs.

The gardening bug has taken a while to sink in this spring. But, after all of the work I did last year with the help of Scott's folks, I wasn't about to let my garden become a mess of overgrown weeds again. Luckily, Cam was happy to pitch in and help with the weeding. And by help I mean, search for snails and put them in the compost bag. Scott said she was a snail murderer, while I preferred the friendlier "snail detective". I lasted two hours before my allergies from the EVIL TREE took over and made me start to cough. There is a lot left to do, but we got a good start on things. I'll post some before and after photos once we get things in ship shape.!

in spring, we'll plant flowers.

My mother-in-law Lorraine (aka Nana) knows a TONNE about gardening. You’d never guess it. I don’t say that because her garden doesn’t look wonderful (oy – double negative), because, it is a very lovely garden. I say that because she doesn’t talk about it all that much. Not until you start working in the garden with her. Then you realize, holy shit, this woman knows her stuff. This summer, as I hacked and slashed my garden down to nothing, she stood back and let me have at it. Once I was done, she let me know what the names of each of the remaining plants were, whether or not they would grow back next spring, or maybe take a year to recover from my plantslaughter. She showed me how to deadhead the lilac bushes. She hypothesized that the tiger lilies that I had trampled on would probably be just fine (and they are). She reminded me to water the transplanted hostas and new cedar bush and purple fountain grass every day. She also knows when each plant will flower, and what colour it will be. When I was tempted to fill in all of the empty spaces I had just created she gently reminded me that I should wait, because “in spring we’ll plant flowers”.

So I want to remind her of that, because I’ll need her help and her guidance. Stay strong Lorraine, and remember – in spring we’ll plant flowers.

Saved: Part II.

Today was my last day "off" before I start work full-time on Monday. I spent the afternoon gardening and despite taking a Claritan, my allergies went bananas. My eyes are red and swollen and itchy and watery. But my garden, looks great.
Before (Front Walkway):
After:

I'm surprised the cedar bushes didn't drop dead from the other bushes encroaching on their space and basically strangling them. I cut one down to nothing and trimmed everything else back so that the walk way is completely clear. Of course, I forgot to take a "before" picture of the front of the house, but picture it all crazy and overgrown and you'll be super impressed.
After filling 4 paper gardening bags I topped up the front beds with mulch. I'm please to say that the mulch pile is GONE. And my yard has that fresh cedar smell I love so much. Now, where's that Benadryl??

Saved.

This month's NaBloPoMo theme is "Saved". While I can't commit to blogging everyday this month (I've been hit and miss for the last while), I do like the idea of writing about saving. Today I'm going to write about something that has saved me, instead of the other way around. Surprisingly enough, it's my garden.

Prior to this summer, I have never enjoyed gardening. It was something that I did because I felt like I had to - it was a right of passage for living in the 'burbs. And then I had Max, and it all went to hell. Between being sleep deprived, caring for a baby, being pregnant again, and then caring for a baby and a toddler, my yard was the LAST thing on my mind. Really, I couldn't have cared less.

This year, I find that I look forward to getting outside to work on the garden. And even when I can't work on it, because I'm chasing the kids, I find myself puttering, picking weeds here and there, assessing what bush needs pruning (all of them), and what areas need...MULCH.

I got 2 cubic square yards of mulch delivered yesterday. That's a lot of mulch. My father-in-law, bless his heart, spread half this pile over the backyard (I took this aerial view from Max's room to show off his hard work). I added another pile later in the day, and yes, there is still quite a bit left over (I'll use it up, not to worry). I only wish I had taken a before picture from this perspective!
The mulch cleans everything up, makes the garden look well kept, and the added bonus is that Max loves the way it feels under his feet. I'm pretty sure he's wondering what the heck I'm up to in the backyard, but likes the fact that we're outside so much.
My neighbours, Michael and Irene are big fans of all of the work we've been doing. They took great joy in sharing some of the plants from their yard with me. Irene tells me that this one (back center) will turn purple in the Fall and be really pretty:
And daisies! Who doesn't love daisies? I am told these spread like wild fire, so I'll have to keep an eye on them so they don't take over:
One of my favourite plants is the hosta. We managed to separate out a really good one from their backyard, and I planted it in a nice shady area next to the shed. I'm willing to bet by next spring this whole area will be full of hostas.
Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the front yard - lots of hack and slash gardening to be done (my favourite). Hopefully my mother-in-law won't hold my heavy hand against me! I can't wait to put my mind at ease and my muscles to work.

Mental Health Monday: I Try.

If you know me IRL (in real life), you are well aware that I give Casper a ride for his money in the pale department. While I often joke that when I'm 50 I'm going to look AMAZING while the rest of my sun worshipping friends will have faces like leather handbags, I do wish I didn't have only two choices when it comes to my skin (ghost white or lobster red). All of this gardening has forced me to find a decent hat to protect my delicate epidermis. I settled on a Tilley because I'm not trying to be stylish when I'm gardening, I just need a hat that will protect my skin. Please excuse the lack of makeup...my allergies are still making mascara out of the question.With a long weekend coming up, I decided that NOW is the time to do my mulch project. Also, I start working full-time on July 5th! Max and I headed over to Agram Garden Centre this morning, which was a complete nightmare. We left, with Max covered in mud and me with their business card tucked in my pocket. When we got home I gave Max a bath and called to order 2 cubic yards of mulch. That's a lot of mulch, and I find myself a little too excited about its delivery on Wednesday.When I am working in my garden, I feel at peace. My mind is clear. There are a few new additions to my garden - a Buddha statue in the meditating pose, and a bird statue (which as my friend Alana points out reminds us that small beings have a lot of power). I like them because they make me pause for a moment and breathe. Breathe.
I wonder sometimes if other people have to work as hard as I do at being happy. I know that part of my sadness is due to the stress of our overall situation with Max. It takes its toll on all of us. I look at my kids and soak up their joy - it is contagious and for that I am grateful.They are never more beautiful than when they smile. But a close second is when they sleep...with chips.

Not a Gardener.

I am not a gardener, not by any stretch. The only plants I've ever been successful at keeping alive are hanging baskets. I even water them on hot days. But this summer, something has changed. My mom told me it would happen - that one day I would have the time and energy to garden. Little did I know it would be because all my kids want to do is play outside. All the time. I figure if I'm going to be outside, I might as well get something done.

My biggest gripe with the backyard is that the previous owners planted way too many bushes. My project this summer is to get a handle on it. Much to my mother-in-law's chagrin, I am ruthlessly cutting down anything I don't like the look of.
There are some plants that I like. This bush with red leaves is pretty, so it can stay. I put down some dark cedar mulch at its base to keep the weeds down.
There have been some interesting discoveries. When I cleared out all of the weeds and overgrown bushes, I figured out that these remaining bushes are half dead. Fine by me, I'll cut them down if they don't shape up.
You may recall that we are cursed by a massive poplar tree in our neighbour's yard. Every year it drops nasty fluff all over our backyard for the entire month of June. In the Fall, we rake and rake and rake some more, only to find even more leaves blanketing our backyard the next day. This year seems to be especially bad - my allergies are going haywire, causing my eyes to swell shut. Last week, Cameron pointed at the tree and said "tree is pooping!". I looked at her and replied, "Yep, it sure is".
This tree is cramping my gardening style. I want to finish my hack and slash project, catch up on the weeding, and top everything up with some more dark cedar mulch. I can't do that until it stops snowing though.In addition, there are some curious things about our backyard. Like these bushes...I'm convinced that whoever planted them put a blindfold on and dug random holes in the backyard and dropped them in the ground.
Stay tuned - there will be more pictures. I'm finding spending time working on my garden is good for my head. It's physical, I don't think too much about the things that stress me out, and when I'm done I can step back and enjoy the results of labour. And man, if that tree ever gets taken down, the possibilities are endless. Hey, I can dream!