I can't keep myself out of the garden.

I seriously piddle around the garden a dozen times a day, testing soil moisture, pruning, dead heading, picking, moving, training, gawking. I take pictures, fill birdfeeders. I have issues. Those of you know me are laughing outloud and saying "duh." I have been so sore, and my body is exhausted, yet still, I step out the door, and I forget I'm hurting, and I putz around for hours, contorting my fat ass into awkward positions to reach different spots. I'm guilty of not wearing garden clothes, and then trying to plant something without getting too much dirt on myself. Then I come in in agony from back ache, knee ache, joint ache, etc.

Last night the pain was so bad that I woke up in the middle of the night and my knee was throbing! I couldn't move it. At ALL. I felt like my knee was the size of a beachball, although it was not. I had to ease my knee back into a more natural position. I would not have been able to stand, or anything like that. What if I had to pee, or tend to one of the kids? Thank goodness they sleep through the night. This morning, my knee is fine, but both legs ached all day. I actually called Theo to ask him about the curious pains in my hamstrings. He said I was probably dehydrated. Another thing I forget to do when I'm out in the garden? Drink water.

So, if I'm out there so much, what's going on in the garden?
One of the Clematis that was new last year was not surfacing this year; I returned it, and with my store credit got...

This Aunt Dee Wisteria, although it gets 25 feet tall, and I don't quite know where it will find to go once it dominates the trellis, LOL:

And this Star Jasmine (not hardy in our zone, but can be brought in and placed in a sunny window, or stored dormant in low light with minimal water). I had one in California on the porch beside our bed. We'd sleep with the sliding glass doors open, and the scent of Jasmine would waft in resulting in pure heaven:

I wanted to show my mom this yellow impatien, it's a new variety this year. This basket is my favorite hanging basket this year:

I have a new birdfeeder, from a store credit at TJ Maxx. I put it right outside the front window:

The birds have really been enjoying the bird bath. I've been filling it daily, and washing it out often. I love watching them.

This is my mailbox:

This Clematis will usually bloom first, and I have discovered it is Etoile Violette. I was wondering about it's variety and I finally found the tag.

I love the choice to make the patio blue, green, and orange. Can't wait for the mini-roses to bloom. I have been sitting out here at night and burning my candles, enjoying the warmer nights.

My front hanging baskets needed some "oomph." I went to Home Depot sometime a week or so ago and added some new goodies. Some are shade lovers, but two are part-shade lovers. We've pruned the trees a lot, adding more sun so I'm testing them out. I added Clown Rose (wishbone flower), Lysimachi, a plant trails up to 18 inches, and Iresine, a dark burgandy plant that also looks like it will trail considerably. I tucked in some magenta verbenia, too. I am hoping to see if these plants thrive and move them if I have to, before it's too late.

My mom is one of the only people who will not only look at my blog and read about my garden, but also spend time on the phone listening to me talk about the garden, too. Bless her heart. She asked why I did not put the rhubarb plants in the veggie & herb garden? This is why: it's a little full out there, and nothing is at half it's full size.

Specifically, the bazillion bean plants emerged in the last two days:

The herbs are thriving. Here you see Parsely, Cilantro, Sweet Basil, German Chamomile, and Oregano:

The tomatos, peppers, squash, zuchini, cucumbers, and cabbage take up the rest of the space, mom? May not look full now, but each pepper plants will get 3 feet high x one foot wide, and the tomatos 2 feet wide x 4-5 feet high sometimes. Cukes grow 10 feet long, zuchini can get 20 feet long, and squash can be massive, too. I'm already cheating b/c I plant to try to make them grow up on sticks. Where would you put 2 huge Rhubarb plants? Silly.