Tuesday

We had a lovely weekend all things considered. Saturday was a bit "nenh" for me but Sunday and Monday were afternoons of gardening. aaaahhh...once again its the seasons for moving things around and planting stuffs. The heat of summer is NOT a good time for that. Now that temps are cooler, and moisture is a tad more reliable, tis the time. The suffering hydrangea standard was moved after we(Richard) dug out the spireas from the front of the porch. I don't know why but I am not a goldflame spirea fan. There were 3 crowded together to give a full lush look but I just don't like them, so out they came. Mwahahahahahaha. The hydrangea had been planted under the big tree and it was being strangled to death by the roots of said tree. This was my second growing season of watching the poor thing suffer so it took the vacated spot that had been Spireaville. This just openned up that bed so wonderfully!! Lotsa water (can you say dry as dust??) and compost plus a bit of a pruning later, it looks ok there. Hope it wasn't too late. The dead wisteria was ripped out and an offending spirea stuck there, another where the Hydrangea had been and the third in another spot under The Big Tree. My southernwood plant was moved also because it was crowding a rose and the rhododendron, as was Ben's Golden Marguerite. So now G.M is on the other side of the garden in a spot it can take over if it wants, and the southernwood moved over about a foot or so to fill in where G.M has been and give the other bushes some breathing space. Also moved daisies and astilbes. Whatever landscape company the previous owners used should really be shot. The design was great but their work was not. The garden soil they used had little if any moisture retention and many plants just seemed to be living a slow lingering death. Who plants hostas where they will be dry as a desert?? Who puts stuff under a tree with such an agressive root system??? grrr. All style, no substance.
Ugh..Anyways,, when when my hole digger (husband), soil mixer (9 yr old), and I were done, things looked good and many many many spring bulbs were planted in every front bed (except under Killer Tree). Bulbs: Dutch Master daffs, Blue something or other Tulips, Shirley tulips, Remembrance crocus, and Chiondoxa (blue ones and pink ones). Let me do the math here......ummm...ok lost myself after 76...lemme think..ok..124..I think. Ooh ooh and in digging a spot where I moved a tea rose to, I found my "June Lilies". These are a June flowering narcissus that were rescued from an old homestead's foundation located in a field in NS. No idea how old or how long they were there but the only things left of said home were the foundation and the old well. Every year these darlings came up amongst the grasses and weeds so they were relocated to some gardens where they'd be appreciated. I brought mine with me when we moved but they didn't bloom this year!! Turns out I planted them waaaaay too deep. I worry that where I have put them might be too dry in the hot months so must keep an eye on them. This still isn't all the movings we did! I think betwixt Sunday and Monday we did about 7 hours of gardening and only the bulbs were"new" plant additions.
Yesterday I was bored after all our gardening adventures and while we were at the drug store I bought a hair color. B'bye blondishness. I was just tired of it after a year plus the upkeep is expensive. This always happens! Richard was all"Why bother dying it if you are just going back to brown? Why not go red?"..and "Everytime you dye your hair it turns orange." Ok...those were orange incidents were accidents!! That was me trying to Lighten my color. This time I wanted something darker. So I got a Color Spa in a dark auburn and ooo la la. i am NOT orange but very very red. When I was all done and blown dry I called richard to view it outdoors in natural light. he couldn't stop giggling. Hello? Thats not a good reaction!! "Its just so..so..different..and adventurous!" he gasped in his own defense. And he couldn't stop looking at it from different anglgles..and touching it. So the verdict was that he likes it. Once he stopped giggling. In a nice way.
Made an awesome apple pie for dessert: take your usuall apple pie recipe, add some cream to which you have added vanilla and some liquer (in this case Amarula). Then I brushed the crust with left over cream mixture and sprinkled with sugar before baking. Oh...My..Gods.. delish. You must try it.