Never Ending Preparation
I am SO excited that Mulch King came and ripped out those ugly rhododendrons (sorry to all of those readers that are a fan of the bush). Our house already looks a lot cleaner and we can almost start with a clean slate in those flower beds. Our new doors and windows make a HUGE difference, too.
Here's a closer view of where the roots used to be. See all of that black stuff on the bricks? That's the aftermath of years of rhododendron bush against the house. We power washed the house and it still won't come off. We'd love suggestions!!
Last post I had mentioned that we had a few plants that we wanted to save. Well, we transplanted the lilies in April when we discovered them during our rhododendron demolition. Lucky for us, the lily plants were small and just starting to sprout for the season. They are about ready to bloom pretty orange flowers.
We have yet to transplant our small trees (you can see them in the photos), but we have a dedicated spot for those to be moved to. In a perfect world, all of this prep work would've been done in the spring so we could transplant all of the plants in a better environment to thrive for the summer.
Mental note for the future: suck it up and freeze your buns off to prep your garden beds!
We want to enjoy those plants for the summer, so the sooner you can get them in the ground after the final frost, the better.
Speaking of frost...Pennsylvania, much like most of the northeastern states, had a weird winter. We had snow, freezing temperatures, and a lot of rain in April. Prepping flower beds wasn't on anyone's radar in this area at the time this year (that's the excuse I'm going with...).
One thing to remember - Bob and I have almost NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING when it comes to gardening! Remember when I said this healthy living thing was a journey? It's definitely a journey, but also an incredible learning experience. I'm keeping my own gardening journal to keep track of all of the plants we discover. A lot of great gardening tips can come from family and friends, so reach out and ask! Our mothers and Bob's grandpa were such valuable resources for us as beginners and we're continuing to learn every step of the way!
We were able to find some other goodies in our garden. We have STRAWBERRIES out the ying yang. I am not joking! Our family contractor actually pointed the strawberries out to me around the back of our house. I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to free plants. If you're new to gardening, you know that plants are expensive. Seed packets are the most economical, but if you're new, I don't suggest starting from seed. There's an art to seed starting and I have yet to experiment with, but there are a lot of good posts out there, like this one, to get your started.
Strawberries aren't technically a medicinal plant, but wild strawberries are both healthy and ORGANIC! The little garden critters also enjoy them. More about those strawberries in our next post.
Until then...
Be Natural. Be Honest. Be Healthy.
Bri
