I am tempted to start humming ‘Rain, Rain go Away’, but I know if I do, I may have to do a rain dance at some point, so for now I just dress a little warmer.

From our bedroom window we look out over the patio below and this week – all of the leaves were raked away – the flower stalks left for the birds for the winter were cut down and I pulled just a couple of weeds.  The mulch really works well for suppressing the weeds.  The new growth on our Golden Yews is such a pretty gold right now.  It fades a little as the season goes along – but the color in the spring is almost electric.

As we come down the driveway right now, the blossoming of the Redbuds and the Purple Leaf Sandcherry welcome us home.  In a couple of weeks I will plant annuals around the edges of the bed and that color will replace the spring blossoms of the trees.  The shrubs need to be pruned, so as it dries out this week and we can walk across the dirt of the annual bed, Leif will get the pruning done.

The end isn’t in site yet – but a few of the beds did get cleaned up and are awaiting a fresh dusting of mulch.  We have many plants that we do trials on out here in the woods.  I have tried many “Full Sun” plants and know which ones really are “Full Sun” and which ones actually tolerate part shade or even a little more than part shade.  I also am observing my part shade / shade perennials on locations that work the best and have drawn a few conclusions and will be re-positioning some plants and when I plant new ones – they will go in different locations.

The forecast for the next 7 days is wonderful!  Can’t wait now to get more done with the longer days!