Good Buddies - More Gardening

Yesterday was a near perfect day. Sunny and not too hot. The high was 76° and everything was nice a fresh after our little rain.

I did more cleanup of flower beds, pruned a couple of roses and buddleia and tackled the corner planting by the garage.

I worked my way around the yard to the much dreaded garage wall border where the weeds had taken over. It wasn't as bad as I thought ... until I reached the last 6 feet or so of the bed. The brome grass is so infested that I am just going to spray with herbicide today. There is a clump of iris ready to bloom and a daylily that concern me.

When the sun got too hot to pull weeds, I unhooked the garden cart from the mower and mowed most of the yard. I found the other black snake, another 4-footer. When you find one, you know another is in the area. Took care of that problem and finished the mowing.

While back by the milk parlor I spotted the stray (very pregnant cat!) laying in the shade of the apricot tree with Ginger (Willow's baby).

From Farm and other Miscellaneous Pictures

My husband said he has seen her sleeping on top of the heifer and also Ferdinand when he was in the pen with her. The cat lives out in the barn and does not come down to the house at all.

GARDENING
I am beginning to harden off the tomato plants.
Today I will start some annual salvia inside; I should have done it sooner. I will also do a trial planting outside.
The vinca are not growing at all. It is either very bad seed (Park Seed Co.) or potting soil. I doubt the soil since the tomatoes look good and other plants do too.

Blooming now: two iris, lunaria (money plant), late daffs, white hesperis just showing color, white rugosa rose (l bloom), three early clematis, dogwood and lilacs, weigela showing pink tipped buds, garden sage is budded heavily, perennial sages just starting. Next month should be a pretty one.