Memorial Day Weekend

Sunny High 77° F Precip: 20% Sunny. High 77F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.	Partly Cloudy Low 52° F Precip: 0% Partly cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Ahhh, a 3-day weekend to work outside. The weather is beautiful today, although yesterday there was a chill when the sun went behind the clouds. I began digging out the cut flower bed yesterday and took out the roots of a Russian Olive tree that had taken over the area until we cut it back last year. I also found the roots to a few other bushes that I dug out. Today we are going to finish clearing out the maple and oak saplings that have taken root and hopefully will be off to the garden center for the first row of flower plantings this afternoon!

The iris flowers are all open on the east side of the house. We have yellow and light blues, which have filled in where the daffodils were blooming a few weeks ago.

Jon and I have been trying to identify plants that the last owners had put in, and besides the weeds and this one below, we're doing a pretty good job. One of the plants I had posted on my "Weed or Flower" blog has been identified as Sweet Woodruff. I found it in a Better Homes and Gardens yard care book. If you know what this blue groundcovery flower is, please send an email! It's growing under lilies, next to bleeding heart and myrtle.

It's too nice to stay inside to blog, so I'm off to the flower patch!

Weed or flower?

	Showers Low 46° F Precip: 40% Rain showers early becoming more intermittent overnight. Low 46F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.		Showers High 58° F Precip: 50% Overcast with showers at times. High 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
	Sunset: 8:07 PM		Sunrise: 5:18 AM

Well, according to the weathermen and maps, it's been raining for a week straight. But, we haven't had a drop of rain. While this is great, it's really taking a toll on the garden. Because the weather predictions have been so off, it's hard to judge when to water. The skies look threatening, but it will splatter for a second or two, then nothing. Today we woke up to bright blue skies and sunny weather, and the weather channel said it was cloudy and rainy.
I watered the garden before I left, and am hoping it won't rain buckets now and drown everything!

Some new photos of the garden are here!

The lilacs are blooming, and I brought a bouquet of them inside my house, and into the office to enjoy. We have white and purple iris outside the back door and they looked beautiful this morning [pictures of those to come!].

While working in the garden this week, trying to week out the hordes of dandelions, I've come across some plants that I am unsure of...weed or flower (or plant!)? So, help me out! Look at the pictures here and let me know what is ok to rip out. I'm planning a cutting flower bed, so I need all the room I can get to bring my garden inside to my vases this summer. Nothing dresses up a room like fresh flowers.

Mother's Day

	Mostly Cloudy Low 44° F Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 44F. Winds E at 15 to 25 mph.		PM Showers / Wind High 51° F Monday Windy with a few showers developing later in the day. High 51F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
	Sunset: 7:57 PM		Sunrise: 5:27 AM

Happy Mother's Day! This Sunday Jon and I spent the morning planning out the re-roofing of the porch then going to brunch with my family. We got into the garden in the midafternoon though with a new weeding gardening tool. I spent most of the afternoon digging up the many, many dandelions growing, and much to my dismay, most of the greenery in the backyard were weeds. Oh well, the war has been declared on all forms of weed (unless they are pretty of course) and we will be diligent on the grass seeding until the end of the month. Jon watered the new growth and the gardens overall while I weeded. I then finally planted my sweet peas after soaking the seeds for 12 hours. The seeds opened nicely, and I have great hopes for some flowers. I put two rows in the front of the house at the top of the walk. There are already clematis and hostas growing there, and I made sure to put the seeds close enough to the arbor so that I can string lines, but out of the shadow line of the hostas--I had a guide of dead grass to follow so it wasn't hard. I made sure to transplant the grass that was growing there to around the crocus area. No grass will be wasted. I put some seeds around the back drainpipe as well, which gets full sun. It will be nice if the flowers grew up the side of the house!

Other than that, I began sweet basil, dill, sweet marjoram, and cilantro in pots. I was going to begin some tomato inside as well, but I found out my nephew is selling tomato and pepper plants for $0.50 per piece, so I will have to make sure I get some! Maybe not the peppers, but Jon has been asking when we can plant tomatoes, so they are a must.

I posted more pictures online, specifically the stump removal and more of my tulips in bloom. Lat week I was outside when the school bus arrived and a little boy yelled to me that he liked my flowers. It was very cute :)

The past two nights have been quite chilly, and there is a cold wind blowing right now. Very cold actually! Keep those extra blankets around, but remember that warm nights are just around the corner!