Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Finishing What I Start

My English Garden is finished!  It took days longer than I anticipated, which makes the feeling of satisfaction at its completion so much sweeter.  I started this garden in the fall of 2010, laying it out and planting 36 David Austin roses.  Until now, the garden has never been totally finished ... now it has edging, and no weeds and a good layer of mulch ... finished!

I got out early yesterday morning, to take advantage of what was promising to be a beautiful, sunny, warm day.  The weatherguy's prediction was right on target ... it was gorgeous weather for working outside!

Look at that sky!  (part of my personal preparation for the work day was a thorough application of sunblock ... I sunburn really easily.)


In this photo, you can see that my truck is full of mulch, two cubic yards.  If you're counting, this is load #3 for the property so far this year.)


My process went the same as it did on previous days ... pull weeds, prune roses, lay landscape fabric, spread mulch.  Here are a couple of photos to remind you of where I left off last week:

Weeds, weeds, weeds!


Getting there.


After an long day's work yesterday, here is the After!

The new mulch will blend in with the rest after it's been rained on a time or two.


Most of the roses are so small, because this is all that was left alive on them after our unusually cold winter.


See that bench?  I moved it to this spot from another place on the property.  (Got it years ago, cheap, on Craig's List.)  I designed this garden to have a bench there, so I have a place to sit and enjoy the roses, and this one fits there perfectly.



Two yards of mulch fills the back of my truck.  After finishing the mulching in this garden yesterday afternoon, I had used about two-thirds of this latest load.

I absolutely adore my truck!


Shoveling mulch, pushing the wheelbarrow, bending and lifting and scooping and spreading mulch on the garden beds ... done correctly, this is great exercise.  This morning, my shoulders and upper arms are sore, and my thighs and butt are killing me.  (It's an extra added benefit to be sore in all the spots that need some improvement.)

After I spread the last wheelbarrow full of mulch, and I put my tools away, I took a few minutes to sit and appreciate my accomplishment, then I went off to take care of other things.  This morning, I will be back outside again ... working in the miniature garden that I built last year along the fence behind the greenhouse.  Maybe I can get the rest of the mulch out of my truck before it rains in the afternoon.  Wish me luck.

See you outside!

18 comments:

  1. I do hope you post photos of your HPs this Spring. I miss the fragrance and flower form so much.

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  2. When you need help sitting on the bench and enjoying the fragrance of the roses...let me know! I'm really good at the stopping and smelling the roses part of gardening! Job well done!

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  3. It's going to be so beautiful when all those roses are blooming!!!

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  4. Wow, it looks great, and now I'm feeling woefully inadequate!

    xo Kat

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  5. OMGOSH!!! That is amazing. You did a wonderful job. I can't wait to see it all in bloom! xo Diana

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  6. Love your truck,haha. Nice to have one for this stuff. Your English garden is great and I can imagine how you look forward sitting on that bench, to your blooming Austin rose. Hope they give an explosion of growth with that delicious mulch.

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  7. You've done an amazing job. Love the bench for a spot to skt and enjoy. I'm just starting some gardening, but my back doesn't let me do much at a time. Did buy 2 flats of flowers and veggies today, so time to get going.

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  8. That was quite a lot of work! I hope you'll show us when everything is in bloom.

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  9. I LOVE the color on your barn! Your idea of having a wooden walkway around your rose garden is brilliant. I think I am going to copy your idea (if I can figure out how and where to get the wood). I can't wait to see your rose garden in bloom.

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  10. GREAT job, Connie!! It looks beautiful! I can hardly wait til those roses begin to bloom and fill the space with color and fragrance! :)

    I know what you mean about shoveling mulch. Last June before Fifi arrived here for the photo shoot, I shoveled 12 yards of it around my gardens. Talk about a great workout! I lost 8 pounds during those 2 weeks! (Well...not eating breakfast and skipping lunch probably had alot to do with it... lol)

    I think that if we lived closer, we'd spent a lot together in our gardens. :) We have so much in common!

    xoxo laurie

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  11. Wow! It looks fantastic!! I wish I could devote more time to my garden - maybe this year will do it!!!

    all the indoor stuff seems to take much longer than I anticipate...

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  12. Hurray for you! Success in finishing your lovely garden. The bench will be a perfect place to sit and enjoy the blooms.

    I worked for almost 4 hours yesterday morning, still more to do, but I felt good about what I accomplished.

    Thank you for sharing your life with us.

    FlowerLady

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  13. Oh it looks great! This really is the year to to the prep work and maintenance in the gardens. As much as I welcome the warm weather, the cool spring this year has been great for doing the grunt work outside.

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  14. Wishing you much luck, Connie. Looking forward to seeing the progress on the miniature garden. You are a woman after my own heart. Everyone must have benches to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

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  15. Great job, Connie. I have been enjoying your blog for a couple of years now and want to thank you for sharing all your projects, your wonderful house and pets. Last August we moved to a 5 acre farm on Vancouver Island so this is our first spring here. Had 5 yards of garden soil delivered last week so I have been getting great exercise top dressing all the beds.
    I am sure your roses appreciate all the TLC.
    Kathleen

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  16. I had a lot of damage to my roses this year, but they are bouncing back, a few were killed. I was wondering about your figs, my fig does not show any signs of life, wondering if it is a casualty. I have a pickup full of mulch, for almost a week now...will be emptied and new one picked up on Friday! Can't wait. I love seeing progress, even if it's in your yard instead of mine. ;)

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  17. Hi, Kathleen. Thank you for coming to visit here, and I am very pleased to hear from you! Your new property sounds like it holds a lot of promise.

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  18. Hooray for your perseverance. The garden is going to be gorgeous when the roses bloom and that bench is perfect for sitting there to enjoy them.

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