Which version do you think is true?
A Gardening Day – Version #1
I want to get the Carex ‘Evergold’ transplanted so I go to the tool rack where the shovels are hung. They are shiny and clean from the scrubbing and oiling we gave them last fall. I take one down and move the Carex, opening the shed when I leave so that the seedlings won’t get too warm.
After these grasses are transplanted I return to where they were located and dig composted manure into the area so that the dwarf conifer I plant there will have an easier time getting established. Once that is in the ground I water the Carex and the conifer.
Next I decide to weed in the fragrance garden where some winter weeds are flourishing. I take my Cobra Head Weeder into the bed and make short work of pulling these unwanted plants. The Dog watches from where he’s settled in the shade.
Finally I water the Red Head Pennisetum that I transplanted last week, return the shovel to it’s rack, close the shed so that the seedlings wouldn’t get too cool tonight, and emptied the bucket of weeds onto the compost pile.
A Gardening Day – Version #2
I have about two hours of unscheduled time on this beautiful day…time to transplant the Carex that has just sulked, refusing to grow, for the past five years. Now where is that shovel? I thought I last saw it in the garage, but maybe it’s outside where the snow shovels still lean against the back door. No such luck…the shed?
After finding the shovel in the shed, where it’s still caked with dirt from last fall’s transplanting session, I head to the Carex. But before I get there I encounter the piles of composted manure I asked my husband to dump on the slope above where the ‘Evergold’ are planted. Might as well use the shovel to spread these piles around a bit. Finally I get to the Carex and move it to a new location.
After digging manure into the area where the grasses used to be I plant a dwarf conifer here. In the process I unearth two perennials I planted last fall…they have barely broken dormancy so I didn’t realize that I was digging in a place where something was already growing.
After replanting these perennials I go to get the watering can to water all these plants in, and while the water fills the can I notice that the plastic covering is still on the window well next to the water spicket. I hate how this cover looks…it’s got to go. So I turn off the water, and remove the ugly blocks that are holding the cover in place. After stacking these to the side I carry the cover into the garage.
Once in the garage I decide to look for the Cobra Head Weeder so that after I finish watering the transplants I can attack the winter weeds in the fragrance garden. I can’t find this favorite tool so I grab a trowel.
Before going back to the watering can I head up to the shed to check on the seedlings. It’s too warm inside so I open a window and both doors, making a mental note to close these later in the afternoon so that some warmth will be held for the night.
After dropping the trowel near the weeds I take the can over to the Carex and water the grasses and the newly planted conifer. At this point The Dog notices the wild turkeys down near the lake and takes off barking, despite my yelling and commands to stop.
Once The Dog is close to the water it makes sense to him to run the rest of the way and take a cooling plunge. The ducks that have paused in our lake on their trip north are outraged at his intrusion, but The Dog is the definition of satisfied.
After toweling off the dog I return to the garden and dig the weeds, missing my Cobra Head Weeder. It bothers me that I’m turning more of the soil surface than I need to because in doing so I am bringing more weed seeds up to the light. At the same time that I’m a weed terminator, I’m also a weed germinator.
I empty my bucket in the compost pile but can’t find where I put down the trowel. Circling the house I look for the trowel and try to remember where I put the watering can as well. I need to water the recently transplanted Red Head fountain grass. The Cool Wave Pansies that I planted last fall draw my attention so I go into the house to find my camera and take some pictures. They have sailed through the long, cold winter and are starting to bloom and grow.
Once the photos are taken I water the Red Head and go indoors. At 9 PM, when I sit down to write this blog post I remember that I’ve left the shed wide open.