Spring is here!

I was able to get outside today and continue to work on the front and back.

Front: I bought three flats of pansies and 10 pots of petunias. I put the petunias along the front row by the stone wall. The pansies went behind. I had to dig under the mulch. I am not sure whether they will get settled well in this soil, but the mulch has definitely cut down on some of the weeds. Unfortunately, I think that short of a total scourge, the weeds are going to be hardier than anything I might plant.

I fertilized the rose bushes and the newly planted flowers. We'll give them a week or so to see if they take. Next up is to plant the dahlias in the front. I'll mix up the ones that I pulled up from last year with the new ones that I have on order.

Back: I bought 12 1-cubic foot bags of potting soil and arranged them around the cherry tree. Then I cut a strip down the plast and pulled it apart. I put 10 impatiens into 5 of the bags. I need 2-4 more bags of potting soil and I will need about 16 more impatiens to complete encircle the tree. I covered the impatiens and the bags with mulch to cover the bags and to protect the impatiens. They were watered and fertilized. This is a big experiment. I have been wanting to put something under the cherry for a while and this was an idea that I read in one of my magazines.

I also fertiziled the hydrangeas, which are not doing well. I will pay more attention to them this year. My question is whether I should be breaking off the apparently dead branches or not. I have read somewhere that they should not be broken off, but I can't figure out good it does to keep dead branches on the bush.

My big problem spot is the rest of the back yard. It is just covered with weeds. It needs to be re-graded, new topsoil and a heavy grass or other cover to keep the weeks under control.

Next Week: My plan for next week is to plant the dahlias in front, if they arrive from Michigan Bulb. I ordered several other plants for the front, but I can't actually remember what at this point. Get the tomatoes planted and put into 4 new strawberry plants. I'd like to do something with the strawberry planters that I have, but I am not sure that I have the patience. Maybe herbs or something easy to plant.