I always think I want to get here and post something, but then end up doing something else. Oh, well. That’s the way it goes. This is just a disorganized post of what I have been doing.

Despite the fact that time zips by too quickly and keeps going faster, looking at what I’ve actually managed to get done, I can’t say I’m unhappy. For so long it seemed like I planned to do a lot, but actually did very little.

My spring TA-DA! list (not in any order):

1. got wood chips for the north, grassless side of the yard (looks so much better!)
2. thoroughly cleaned the balcony and removed two extra chairs
3. repotted two rose bushes
4. got the front trellis up and anchored
5. got the would-be vegetable garden half weeded and
6. removed lumber
7. made a place beside the big shed to store garden lumber
8. started removing dried moss from stone walls and driveway
9. am getting rose garden section of driveway better organized (so it looks like a garden rather than just a driveway with pots of roses in it)
10. repotted & mulched Crepe Myrtle and Chaste Tree (both now thriving!)
11. cleaned deck
12. repotted my (now 8) amaryllis bulbs and put in the hot sun (If I remember to keep them well watered, they’ll be happy and maybe bloom.)
13. put the sun sail over the deck hung some potted flowers on the front porch
14. put put plant racks on balcony and put out the Angel Wing Begonias
15. planted flowers in swan pot
16. inside, I got the folding table in the laundry room cleaned off and functional
17. started the hand embroidery for the appliance “garage” doors (this will take a while, because it’s awkward to stitch)
18. turned rusted out firepit into a flower planter!

This photo shows #1, #4, and #15. Also, my fairy roses have multiplied, so I’m going to put a couple of them into the humongous (too heavy to lift) blue pots my sister gave me, on each side of the trellis above. I don’t expect them to have trouble transitioning, since they’re easy to grow anyway and are in a relatively dry area of the garden now. Front pots are watered better than in ground plants.

#2 before I put out the plants.

This shows #8–This section of the wall is half done here.

#16 in use

#18 I kept this old firepit when my son moved from Portland to Michigan. I knew this is what I wanted to do with it. I took out the rusted wood bowl and replaced it with some small grid fencing I had. Then I lined it with cocoa fiber and added soil and flowers. It was all very simple. This is the photo I took when I finished planting. It’s much fuller and prettier now and the area is also tidier now.

The To-Do list still has a lot. (Also in no order.)

1. cut back old fashioned rose bush next to deck — before July!
2. cut honeysuckle back to no more than 12 inches and
3. dig out all the St John’s Wort that came back
4. make sure there are no squirrel planted walnut trees under the deck (poison any there)
5. dig out any honeysuckle runner plants
6. raise the wall around the deck garden to keep the soil level with what’s under the deck and not sloping
7. raise the wall around south corner garden so it’s level (not sloping)
8. patch wall where rocks have fallen out
9. add a small wall next to patio and sidewalk around tree mound (to keep ferns in dirt, and dirt off sidewalk/patio)
10. clean big shed (wash inside & out, seal joints, throw away trash)
11. clean small shed, reinforce floor if necessary (start saving for non-metal shed)
12. finish weeding would-be vegetable garden, add good compost and cover with straw (plant as reasonable)
13. get the rest of the summer-outdoor house plants out
14. build wisteria trellis
15. I found the boards today, so a balcony screen door is high on this list.
16. add more dirt added to a few roses in pots–most of it needs to be under the bushes.
17. ??? There’s always more, but that all I can think of right now. (above)

I’m now in the process of cleaning below the balcony. I’ve removed the old cat porch. That’s now on bricks (to keep it from standing in water in the rainy season) next to the big shed, to hold all the bits and pieces of lumber. By the end of summer I’ll have a waterproof tarp over it to keep it dry. Getting all the wood, and other junk, out from under the balcony means I can put my garden cupboard against the wall again, and we’ll have room to walk along the sidewalk without bumping into or tripping over something. I’d like to put some kind of cover on the front to keep out the dirt and leaves, too.

I have a skinny pyramid trellis that I’d like to plant morning glories under. And I fixed some old pots to plant annuals in. That should happen this week.

It probably won’t happen this summer, cos $$$, but I hope by next May or June, I’ll have an electric outlet on the balcony, so I can work on my laptop out there.

I’ve spent more time at this than I planned. Hopefully, I won’t wait as long between posts in the near future. (Or it won’t be all that “near.”)