Sunday in the Garden

Saturday was the most beautiful day we have seen since, I don't know.  It was glorious.  Sunny, warm, humidity fine, the light just washes through the branches calling me outside.  But each time that I went outside I would get the most horrific headache.  It would drive me back into the house, take an ibuprofen sit down and close my eyes until it passed.  I opened up the doors and sat in my red chair with sunlight all around and went through my American Horticulture Society seed catalog.  I placed my order.  I love the seed give away.  One year I actually donated seeds.  I pour over the catalog and circle any thing that sounds interesting, then I go back over and over until I finally get it down to the 15 choices, 4 substitutes choices, 2 bonus packs and the 2 substitute bonus seeds.  I don't think that they have ever had to substitute any of my seeds, but I mark them down.


This morning I woke up and took 2 ibuprofen as soon as I got out of bed this.  I did my weekly laundry while I watched Sunday Morning, and then as soon as it was up, out I went into the warmth and sunshine.  I cleaned out 2 gardens, and then worked on the veggie garden getting the big weeds out of 2/3 of the little garden.  The last 1/3 is the hardest side.  I planted some pansies and will transplant more out of the veggie garden into this little garden as time allows.  It was glorious.  I worked slowly, spending a lot of time looking at what I had accomplished and what else I should do.  I cut back the Confederate rose and the native budleah.  Trimmed the dead stalks of butterfly plants.  In the spring new plants will grow up from the roots of the milk weed and some of the salvias.  I found my little forsythia that I thought had been broke off.  it is still small but looked good, its buds swelling with the sunshine preparing to burst their yellow flowers up and down the stem.  My iris are also coming up.  My favorite is kissie, a deep pink and yellow flower.  I go to the nurseries and look at the iris and once in a while I will bring home a different color, but I always find myself drawn to kissie. . I love the name and I love the color of the flowers.  


It felt so wonderful outside, but it was even more wonderful to see the different plants still alive after months of neglect.  In the front yard daffodils are sprouting, day lilies are starting to show their spring green.  I am going to dig up most the day lilies along the front fence line and move them to along the outside of the fence instead of inside the front fence line.  I want to plant azaleas along the inside of the fence to cut back on looking into the yard, and to help keep Bob from running up to the fence and barking.  And then the sun is a little better on the outside of the fence, so maybe the day lilies will bloom more there.  I am also considering getting some Asiatic lilies on the outside of the fence.  I am not sure there is enough sun, but I can always transplant them later if they don't do well.  But I think without the dogs tromping them down and where they will get a little more sun, it could be a beautiful display as you drive up to the gate from spring through the end of summer.  


I have so much work to do to get the gardens back up and healthy, but that didn't bother me like it always has before.  I just felt good to have the time I had today out there.  I enjoyed every moment, whether sitting and pulling weeds, or trimming back the dead or just walking through the yard looking at the plants.  It was wonderful and invigorating.  I feel so much stronger for the few hours I spent outside.  I love spring and summer and even fall before it starts to get cold.  Have I ever mentioned that I don't like the cold?  


But today it was warm, it was sunny and glorious, simply glorious.  And I was happy.  I don't know if I got my perspective back, but I did get my smile back.  I think I must have a cold or a sinus thing.  So no wonder I was in a funk.  Not today.  Today, cold or what, it didn't matter.  It was all about the garden.