Gardening

Gardening With Babysteps

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This past Sunday was nice weather for a change here in the Midwest. I had a spot in the front of my house that needed a new shrub. Because the area only gets a few hours of sun in the morning I was limited to what I could plant.

When I went to Lowes there were so many beautiful flowers calling me to take them home. My goal was to buy one shrub and some mulch to go around it.

This year I plan on doing one project at a time from start to finish. Usually I have grand ideas and go from project to project, rarely completing any of them.

I’m proud to say I bought one Azalea plant and two bags of mulch. I came home and planted it, spread the mulch, cleaned off the tools, and put them away. That felt good!

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It’s an Encore Azalea named “Autumn Twist”. It’s suppose to bloom in the spring and again late summer into fall. We’ll wait and see what happens.

Now that it is raining again I will have to wait to do my next project outside. As they say, April showers bring May flowers. Hopefully they won’t bring May floods.

Happy gardening.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com (new blog post 4/28)

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Crazy Spring Weather

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“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~Mark Twain

Mark Twain was from the Midwest and knew what he was talking about. April brings daffodils and tulips blooming. Baseball is starting. And this morning it was snowing.

It is cold and dreary outside right now and it’s hard to think about spring gardening. However, this past Saturday it was beautiful. Here are some pictures I took at a local park. Despite the weather today I know it is time to get out and start gardening. But I think I will wait a few days for it to warm up again.

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Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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September Gardening

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Although it is still early in September the weather is cloudy, cool, and damp like a fall day. It caught me off guard when I went outside to walk the dog. I had to come back in a grab a light weight jacket. I’m not ready for cold weather yet but today reminds me to start preparing for it.

I was looking at the weeds that have taken over the front yard this year. I need to spray them this weekend so I can plant grass seed in a couple of weeks. I know my yard will look bad for a few weeks but I neglected it this summer due to my illness and now I need to get back to taking care of it.

IMGP0319 I have also been thinking about where I will put all the large houseplants that have summered outdoors. The house looks so uncluttered during the summer but I don’t want to lose all the plants I have had for years. I can either live with a jungle look all winter or make some tough decisions as to which plants I don’t want to keep. Too many plants can become clutter and that is what is starting to happen with my plant collection.

How do you handle these fall gardening chores? Please share your ideas in the comment section.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Gardening Master List

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About a month ago I suggested making a Gardening Master List of all the things you would like to do to improve you yard. I took a paper and pen and walked around my whole house. I separated the areas into seven different zones. I can then look at each zone to see what can be done now and what needs to be planned for the future.

I have only done a couple of things on my list so far. Now that the constant rain pattern has broken I can start working on some of the things that can be done in the summer heat. The shrubs I wanted to buy and plant this past spring may wait till fall. With short term, long term, big jobs, and small jobs listed there is still plenty that can be worked on. That is the beauty of writing out a master list with flexibility built in especially for gardening where you are at the mercy of the weather.

Did any of you write out a Gardening Master List this year? If so, how are you doing on it? I would love to know how others are handling their yards and gardens with the extreme weather that different parts of the country have had.

I hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day. The rest of June is quiet as far as holiday’s are concerned. The next big holiday is Forth of July. I will be researching ways to celebrate that day with fun and inexpensive ideas. Be sure to check back often. If you have any suggestions to share with fellow readers please leave a comment.

Please share this blog and my newsletters with your friends and family you feel will benefit from this decluttering and organizing information.

Thanks,

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Gardening Master List

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The weather finally cooperated for me to get some things done around the yard. I planted a few flowerpots and window boxes. My husband helped me wash the deck and bring out the chair cushions. We even ate dinner on the back porch.

I walked around the house this weekend to see what needed to be done in each zone. I have the front and each side as separate zones. The back near the house and around the elevated deck is divided into three different zones. I have hills there and one side is shaded and the other in sun. It is easier to work on them if they are in different zone areas.

I haven’t decided what to work on first but with it all written down I can now prioritize it. During the weekdays I will only work on the things that take a short time to do. These will include planting a few vegetables or flowers and some light pruning. The things that require more work will be done on weekends. With my master list in front of me I can plan on what I need for the weekend project.

Having a master list should help me accomplish some of my landscape goals this summer. Since it is written down I won’t have the excuse of forgetting it.

Janice Scissors

Check out my web site at: https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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