Spring planting

I hurt.  


My calves hurt.  My triceps hurt.  My low back - oh JEEZUS my low back! - hurts.  We spent the entire weekend planting our front garden and I got my vegetables!  I'm so excited but you wouldn't be able to tell because I'm presently hunched over and making sounds like a beached whale every time I try to get out of bed, stand up, pick up something off the floor or otherwise move.  It's completely worth it, but please gawd I don't want to do this again until next spring!

Look at how sad and pitiful Yoshi looked when we moved in last year.

Yoshi is our Japanese Maple tree.  

I name everything, remember?

Drew did the research and bought a soaker hose 

and diligently covered him with peat moss and checked on him daily.  

Drew brought him back to life!

I can't wait to see what he'll look like next year.

We had a mix of annuals and perennials in the garden and I was very pleased to see the perennials coming back!  I wasn't sure that this whole gardening thing was actually going to work out but I guess I don't have a black thumb after all!  

We didn't even have to do anything to get the oxalis to come back.

That's my kind of gardening!

Gardening this year was so much more enjoyable since it wasn't Africa-hot like it was last year.  The whole afternoon went by so pleasantly.  We put the harness and leash on the dog, hitched her to a post, had the iPod going, and we were one with Mother Earth!  Or maybe we just planted some flowers like everyone else in the city.  The nursery was packed!  Thank God gardening people are nice by nature.

In addition to the great weather, I got another bonus in the form of our Indian Hawthornes.  We moved in after they bloomed last year so imagine my surprise when I walked out the front door one day to pretty pink flowers everywhere!

What a fun little surprise!

We got some really cool flowers this year.  While I loved my Scarletts, I wanted to do something different.  Drew actually saw these first, but when he pointed them out I had to have them.

The Latin name is Dianthus something but the tag said Cranberry Ice.

They are complete and total awesomesauce.

These now flank the sidewalk along with some vines that I hope don't get out of control.

These are African daisies and I squealed when I saw them 

and immediately loaded three in our cart.

The rose bushes also went insane and I got lots of new blooms for the house.

This was AFTER we clipped five vases worth from the bushes.

And.  AND!  AND!!

I got my vegetable garden!

I'm gonna be a watermelon!

We're tomatoes!  Or to-mah-toes.  

Whatever you prefer.

There's some cucumbers and cantaloupe in there too!

Drew the chef got some Turkish eggplant and zucchini squash.  

We also filled out our herb bed.  The mint, rosemary and oregano are from last year.

We got some more basil, some lavender, and a bunch of varieties of thyme. 

 I'm so excited to eat whatever Drew cooks with all this stuff!

We spent a disgusting amount of money at the nursery but that is it for landscaping and gardening for this year.  While my hand shook writing the check to the landscaper and I nearly choked at the nursery cashier I am very pleased that the yard is done.  For the year.  I'm not doing shit else - you hear me flowers?!  You're on your own, so y'all BEST grow!  I did my part and put you in the ground (actually it was mostly Drew - he was a planting MACHINE), now it's on you!

I may not be so great at growing kids but I CAN grow some plants, dammit!