Sod Fish

So many things to talk about. Let's go for a walk. Where should we start? How about the street corner bed.

Still got a few bloomers. The Crimson King turned from brilliant crimson to a deep, rich red.

I don't know what these are, but they're getting blooms too.

(By the way, a very sincere thank you to all our visiting friends who are gracious enough to share their knowledge of the various plants that we show and don't know the names of. We really appreciate all the assistance you all give on id's.)

There's some new flowers on a transplant from Matt's mom that I didn't even bother telling you about several weeks ago. I thought they were grape hyacinths, but they bloomed a significant white flower. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of these when I was out there weeding today. The small tree that I pruned blindly last fall is doing very well, other than a ugly wart-like condition on the leaves. Surprise -I don't know what it's called, but it has those little seed pods that fall like a helicopter landing.

Shall we stroll into the backyard? The cherry plum tree is fully clothed now. It turns out that all the rain we've been getting lately had really invigorated the thistle problem in the south-side bed that housed the peas. I say housed because we had written them off based on the evidence of being a bunny buffet. However, the thistles must have been protecting the little stumps of pea plants and they grew! There's about 6 going pretty good right now and I sowed seeds all the way to the end of the trellis this morning.

Yesterday was also first mow day for the backyard (and second mow for the front due to a craftily designed dandelion coup d'etat). It needed it. Spring rain is nature's Miracle Gro. Matt, being a manly awesome husband, does the mowing and he saw the bunny high-tail it (pun definitely intended) to behind the compost bin. So I checked it out and indeed there is plenty of room for a bunny bunker between the fence and blocks.

Today there was no sign of them, even as the Cuddle Monster wedged his tubby body under the deck to hunt in what I just know to be a vividly imagined suburban safari in his mind. I expect some funny dream movements from him later. For some reason, every time I work all day in the yard, he thinks that means he needs fed 3 times more than usual. Like he's burning off calories via my work. I love that mutt.

Anyway, I broke the rule. The 'no-planting-before-frost-free-date' rule. Yep, I couldn't stand seeing the Tomatoes suffer any more. First, I dug out 7 of the 9 rows of the new garden. Then, using our old-school manual tilling thing that a family friend gave us...

(Look Ma! No pollution!)

we got 3 of the beds ready for planting. I couldn't help it. Well, frost-free is only a week away, so no biggy right? The farthest row back is Carnival Mixed Bells with one Green Pepper and also 5 Oregano in between. The Oreganos are small and might have problems being out so soon, but what the hey. Second row is Hot Peppers and 2 Marigolds. Third row is Tomatoes and 2 Sweet Basils. Companions, see?

I used Deb's trench method for all but one of the tomatoes, because it was the Large Red Cherry and was just as straight as an arrow. I figured that level of perfection deserved a deep hole. Some of the others were the 2-liter bottle second picks and after the plants were in the ground, I used 2 of the tops of those 2-liters to make small cages to keep them off the ground. A double-recycling. Yahoo!
I still had 5 leftover Tomato plants, so I planted a Yellow Pear in the south-facing pea bed, and the others, along with 2 peppers, are going to Matt's mom in reciprocation of her passalongs.
Are you wondering what we did with all the sod we removed from the garden? Well, a giant pile of grass and dirt is boring, so we made a temporary Sod Fish. This is it's beginning stages. If it stays much longer, I think I'll throw potting soil all over it and give that fish some color.
Pictures can't even capture the spirit of this Sod Fish, so this is the only glimpse of this legendary fish that you'll get to see for a while.

In all, things are pretty darn blissful here in the garden.

High: 64 Low: 40, super sunny; Lunar Phase: New Moon, 0% of full.