Of myrtle, maples and Mildred.

Myrtle.  How do I love thee? Not at all, actually, myrtle, not at all.  I spent much of the last week yanking myrtle ground cover out of my way, out of my rake, out of my plantings.  I am so over myrtle.

 

Maples.  We know I love the maple tree.   The lovely maple will provide shade and homes for birds, bugs and beetles.  The “soft” maple that prolifically populates my woods is basically a weed.  When I am not pulling out myrtle, I am pulling out little maple trees, sometimes little oak trees.  I did quite a bit in the area of the moon garden over the weekend and have piles of maple tree saplings from trying to make a clearing for Esmerelda and her white blooms.  More on that next week, but, the moon garden is shaping up.
    

But, Mildred, ah, Mildred, the beautiful hot pink azalea with blossoms almost as big as my hand.  I got braver than brave on Thursday and determined that I could move Mildred on my own.  I equipped myself with the plastic wheelbarrow, 3 shovels and 2 trowels and went to work.  I first had to roll a short section of a railroad tie out of the way, dug in and around to clear roots.  Stood in the flower bed to lift her out.  She fell divided in two large clumps into the wheelbarrow, and there was a heartbeat of panic. Then, a realization -  I have two! Two Mildreds!

The first section, once released from the flower bed seemed to spread open her arms and grow in girth.  Huge.  This thing is huge! I wrestled her into a pre-dug hole by the new shed and prayed I had loosened enough soil to accommodate her expansive drip line and far reaching roots.  Fertilizer, water, dirt, repeat … I hope she makes it.  Say it with me “I hope she makes it”!

The second surprise section took a moment to place.  Where should she go? I decided on a place out from our bedroom window and dug.  This is when some of my most frustrating myrtle removal happened.  This side yard has been largely ignored for years, so much so in fact that our contractor friend, when talking our remodeling plans, said about this area of the yard “There’s nothing to look at over there”.  Ouch.  So, the side yard has made it onto the list, and it is a huge project, filled with nonsensical plants and miles of myrtle.  I need to make this area worth looking at.

 

It’s been five days for Mildred and Mildred II and they still look good.  I will know a lot more after a few weeks and even going in to next spring about their adaptation to their new locations.  I am worried about Mildred II; I’ve tried a couple things there and have not had much success as it seems the soil is great for myrtle but not so much for other things!

The little cart that could.

When we were first married and moved into our house, which is where we have been ever since, I really thought I was a country girl.  Like straight up farm life.  I planted a garden, I made things grow that, quite frankly, my in-laws thought I could not do.  I remember the first year I planted peas - my father-in-law thought I was nuts because I planted in March.  But, I had a garden companion book, “Victory Garden”, and it said to plant peas on the ides of March. So, I was out there clearing snow off the garden to put my pea seeds in.  That’s right, I said seeds.  I was so hardcore that I didn’t use starts, I used seeds, right in the ground.

    

So, I had peas and they were great but few.  I had no idea how much to plant.  I was one of those novice gardeners that had way more zucchini than one household needed and not enough peas.  And, it was so much work!  My interest in gardening waned a bit after a few seasons of such hard work, my little children and just not enough time in the day.  My father-in-law gardened for many years and kept me in tomatoes, which was really all I cared about.  We had an occasional crop of pumpkins and flowers, particularly zinnias, but my gardening days were short lived.

However, I received a fancy garden catalog and drooled over a cart.  I really wanted this yard cart, not a wheelbarrow, not a wagon, but an Agri-Cart, because I was so agricultural you see.  I decided it would be the perfect Mother’s Day gift and ordered it for myself, announcing to husband and children they were off the hook.

 

I loved that cart from the minute I opened the big box to assemble it, with only a little help.  Hauling stuff around the yard I felt even more country than before.  I loaded it up with gardening tools and fertilizer, buckets for water and pushed that cart around my two acres with pride.  While I have moved away from vegetable gardening, I still have those needs for my flowers and trees.

 

I use a wheelbarrow a lot for chores because it’s usually out in the yard somewhere and I think of it as more rugged.  The cart has become a secondary, almost like a classic car stored in the barn for special appearances.  I would cringe when hubs would ask "Where's your cart?" not knowing what he had in store for her.  It has deteriorated a bit, and hubs has left it out in the rain a few times.  Which caused a finger wagging if there ever was one, let me tell you.  This is my cart and it is loved, and that pressed board construction just can’t take those wet conditions.  The paint is faded and the wood is swollen in parts, the tires are flat, but she is loved.  

This weekend, after promising her for several seasons that it would happen, I gave the cart a fresh coat of barn red paint, covering the national park green I used when I took it out of the box many years ago.  Since I was also putting a second coat of paint on our new shed, seemed like a good time to give my cart a shiny new color.  Now, if I could only find the bicycle pump to put air in those tires, this cart might have a chore or two left in her.  

No worries, it goes on the list.

Finished out last week with special visitors – two of the grandkids were here for their “spring break”.  It was a big treat for us, a big help to their folks and, at least I think, big fun for them.  Last year, along with their cousin, they started calling our house Camp GiGi at PaPa Lake, even have a little song to sing about it and we love it!

We have some work to finish on the shed we built late last summer.  There is a second coat of paint on the gable ends, a ramp to build to the double doors, trim work to go up and I may be winning the discussion on a gutter and downspout.  Or, at least a rain chain.  We started a bit of the landscaping that’s needed, but because we also need to tear out the deck and landscaping on two sides of the house we’re stealing materials from there.  Moving landscaping timber is also exposing the roots of the azalea that is to be moved and my twisted Harry Lauder bush.  So, the list grows and grows, the weather remains chilly and wet, and I want to begin on the house! But, I need to focus on the shed and moving those plants.

   

The moon garden awaits clearing of the fall and winter leaves and debris, and a protective coat on Esmerelda.  I tried last year and chose the wrong product so I am giving it another go this year before she moves out onto her throne, which is a stump.  She wintered in the shed so she should be nice and dry and maybe in better spirit to accept the protective layer, or at least I hope.  I noticed a nice clump of beautiful bright white Hellebore that I will divide, to move some to the moon garden. There's a lot of clean-up to be done in that area,  the winter was pretty rough on the trees over there.  

The fairy garden is underway, but, through landscaping a bit around the shed, we decided on a different spot for it and will move the old bird bath that is to be its home.  When the 4-year-old asked if we were buying gnomes or fairies to put in the garden his sister responded “No, because we want real ones to visit!”  The grandkids left before we could really get going, but, we are closer, and have all the supplies. My 7-year old-granddaughter, excited over using rocks from the driveway as little stepping stones in the fairy garden, drew out a map for their placement.  Ran up to me, even though she was sent on a different task, map in hand, with a very excited voice and a face full of anticipation, “I have an idea…”

The lake is waking up for the summer and our project list is long, and growing.  It’s going to bring a fair amount of craziness to our days.  The gloom of winter and early spring is lifting but the bright days of summer are not yet here.  Sunny days are a treat at this point and certainly not every day.  I hear there is even a threat of snow for tomorrow, for example, and I noted a fine coat of ice at the lakeshore on my morning walk.

Don’t rush, don’t rush, my beating heart tells me, but oh, the list, the list…