Out in the yard - things are coming up

Jupiter's Beard shoots (these are coming up all over the place) Artemesia shoots
Day Lily shoots
I could not resist. The temperatures have been so nice all week, the snow is almost gone, and my tour of the yard last weekend revealed all the many things that need cleaned up after the winter. Today was the day. I raked, trimmed, cleaned up after my neighbor's dog that visited my yard during the winter. Just worked in the front gardens and the side up to the garage. I spent just over an hour as the ankle is still sore and weak, but am very satisfied with the result. That's how a woman my age cares for a yard this big - an hour or two at a time.

I need to devote a full hour to the wisteria and trim all the lower vines away to continue my efforts at shaping a tree. It's certainly a lot easier to do right now with all the foilage off and the limbs clearly exposed. That will be a high priority for my next warm day. Same with the low-hanging branches of that tree on the uppermost level. I don't like that corner where it resides, and I need to do some trimming so it's not such a scary place.

Apart from that, it's just the usual cutting back of all the drought-tolerant plants. The Russian Sage is so fragrant as you cut it, and then bagged up in my garbage can, it provides a pleasant aroma when you lift the lid or even just walk by.

And I'm still trying to kill gophers. Three new larger hills yesterday, but I found the burrows easily and put the gopher bait well inside. Two small hills today, and the same thing. I will win this war!

Many shoots are already coming up: day lilies, daffodils, the silvery artemesia. But the winner and still champion is the Jupiter's Beard. It is the first to bloom after the tulips, stays lush and green all summer long, retaining some of the red flowers even late into the fall, and it produces many baby plants, even in its first year. I do love that plant. I will have plenty to give away this year.

Oh, it was hard to make myself come inside. But a girl's got to pace herself - especially when injured. But they say snow is coming. So I needed to do the outdoors things early. Then after lunch with ReNae, perhaps I'll get some water softener salt and a new comforter I've been wanting. Then settle in and do the Janke web site and some laundry. And then a little relaxing.

It's March! Let it snow.