A Gardening We Go!!!

With the warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine that we've had this week, I've been itching to get out in it all and garden!! Walking around and observing the new growth on trees, watching the flower buds slowly develop and bloom, and mowing grass with the breeze in your face is oh so enjoyable, but something was lacking in it all... I hadn't officially gotten my hands good and dirty and there was no dirt under my fingernails.
Until yesterday afternoon that is...

Working together...
Momma, Sayre, and I had a lunch time discussion about weed control in our garden and planting seeds which led to us deciding to work in the 'big garden' together that afternoon. However, the first order of business for Sayre was to bring a load of pine needles over to the garden. So while Momma and I finished up a few tasks, he and Sawyer found a tarp, attached it to the lawnmower, and went 'pine needle raking' together.

Old fashioned weed control
While they were occupied with discussing various cow breeds during the 'pine needle collecting time', I was busy pulling weeds out front of the shop. The rain that we have received recently had caused the weeds to grow quickly and put on seeds which were on the verge of being distributed. Something had to be done immediately, before seeds were scattered and new growth begun... it's all weeded now and looks one hundred percent better!

Out in the big garden
After our various jobs were completed, we all headed out to the vegetable garden to plant seeds, weed, and hoe dirt up. Momma has the garden divided into plots with paths running throughout the whole garden. I claimed three plots and set to work working the dirt up in each. Sayre was so helpful and offered his assistance in hoeing each plot! I really appreciated that!

To be planted...
One can never have to many sunflowers!!! :o) My idea is to stagger the plantings so that I can have sunflowers all the way into the fall. I did this last year and it was so neat to see!! Now I just need to sit down and figure the logistics behind it all out!

Rest and relaxation!
While Momma, Sayre, and I were out in the garden, Ham-Man was supposed to be taking a nap. Whenever our backs were turned he'd get up and frolic in the grass, pull Jasper around, jump on the tire swing, and in general act like he had never even heard that it was nap time!!! One shout of *Sawyer!* and he would collapse back onto the blanket and pretend that he was trying to go to sleep!!! Little boys....what would we do without them for entertainment?!! :o)

All finished
Finally, after an hour or two of laboring, most of my seeds were in the ground and Momma had made progress on her end of things!!! The picture above is of the two sunflower spots; there are about four rows in each plot, with each row marked by a stake at the top and bottom of the row (so that I don't forget where they are planted and inadvertently pull up a seedling while weeding!)

Can you see it??
This is an awful picture, but there is a mound in the middle of that plot. I planted gourd seeds in there and have two more mounds that I need to form and plant today.
I love to go out and watch for little seedlings poking out of the ground! Excitement and hope runs high as I watch them grow!!

But the big garden isn't the only garden to have been worked in recently!

Yes, my garden is bearing the fruit of last spring,summer, and falls effort!

Garden entrance...
The iris' are just beginning to bloom are a sight for sore eyes after a year of missing them! So far white seems to be the predominant color, but I know there are several other colors yet to come!

New garden art!
Sayre made me a bottle tree!!! He surprised me with it one evening and has been collecting bottles for it! It definitely adds a special touch!

Contrast in color
Oh, and the poppies and bachelor buttons are blooming!! The poppies are from seeds that I scattered last fall and the bachelors buttons re-seeded themselves! How simple is that?!

Going... and going... and going...
This is the third year that my columbine has bloomed! That is neat!

Dew on the rose bush
I love walking out to my garden at any time during the day. Seeing the changes that each day brings, smelling the flowers, pulling the weeds and planting the seeds all bring a sense of satisfaction to my day. I simply l.o.v.e. to garden!!! :o)

Happy Gardening Y'all!