Week 21 - Maybe This Year?

Those who know me know I’m a big planner. I love the whole process – looking things up, evaluating options, buying supplies, etc. Then when it comes to the actual doing, I’m pretty good at starting but then not so good on follow through. This is most apparent in my garden. Love the seed selection, love the preparing and planting but maintenance during the season? Not so much. Part of that is the weather being so hot here in the summer but that’s not a good enough excuse and so every year is the year I’m going to keep up with things and have the best garden ever. EVERY YEAR! And yet it never happens. Well, I’m thinking this could be the year. Seriously.

Now in reality it probably won’t happen but here’s why I think it might work out. First off, I didn’t go to Europe in the middle of May so here it is May 22^nd and I’m already done with all my planting. With storms forecast every day for the entire 10 day forecast and plans for Memorial Day weekend and the weekend after (both with out of town visitors – Connie and California cousins), I had a deadline to get it done. And we all know I’m better with a firm deadline. But I was still proud of myself after working all weekend.

I went outside Saturday and worked for hours on my containers. This may sound like too much time but I do have ~25 containers and mix my soil by hand with screened compost, potting soil and peat before I even touch a pot. By the end of the day, all my planters were planted and arranged around the yard. I had a few lantanas from the house yet to repot but those would wait for Sunday. 

I was outside before lunch prepping my last 2 raised veg beds, which again might sound like nothing but I till by hand with a garden weasel then break up all the clods by hand as I pull the weeds out so it’s a long process but results in gorgeous soil ready to plant. Check it out. By mid-afternoon I was planting the beds and then I repotted all the lantana. I was pretty beat but talked myself into acting like an adult and put everything away – the potting table, the pots, even the rest of the potting soil – then I raked the grass where I’d been standing for 2 days while potting. I hooked up a hose so I could water and everything was done. Like I said, I was pretty proud.

All this makes me wonder if this could indeed be the year when I have the time to get things in order before the heat sets in. Because it’s only May 22^nd and I’ve got 3 weekends between now and Scotland. So, see? Possible. Very possible. Wish me luck.

On the non-gardening front, after skyping with Eileen Thursday night, I finally made hotel reservations for the night in York after the tour is over and the following night at Manchester Airport so we’ll be on site the morning our flight leaves. There was some misunderstanding between Eileen and me that lead to a flurry of emails on Friday afternoon but by the end of the day, Eileen and Gail had made reservations in York too so we’ll all be together after the trip for a couple of days. We even have tentative plans to go to Harlow Carr, the Royal Botanic Garden outside of Harrogate. If we can manage to see Jean and Philip too, which is hopefully going to work out, that’ll be the icing on the cake.

So all in all, it was a good week. Progress was made on many fronts and I ended the week hopeful. I’ll call it good and chalk it up to spring. Whatever works. : )