A Welcome to Spring

A perfect first day of Spring.....bright blue sky with a scattering of fluffy white clouds.

I'm usually a little reluctant to show the scruffier side of the garden, but I thought I'd show how it looks on this first day of Spring, warts and all......or should that be weeds and all?

No weeds on here though - just lots of propagated plants that need some TLC - and who better to give it than the master propagator, Richard.

A few hundred trees and shrubs waiting for a home....

...... but first we have to deal with these compost bins. The two smaller ones need to be turned, and the big one is ready for the garden, and needs to be emptied so that we have room for...

..... this large heap of prunings which have to shredded then composted.

All these dirt heaps came from somewhere else on the block. Once cleared of weeds the soil will be spread and turned into new gardens for shrubs, trees and groundcovers - many of those up on the deck. Over the years I've lost count of how many dirt heaps I've weeded, and I sometimes get tired of 'growing my own compost'.....lol.

I've just removed hundreds of tiny thistles from this heap of topsoil - hence the footprints. The thistles were unexpected as soil from this particular supplier is usually completely weed-free.

Much of the heap for shredding came from this garden and others. Barrowloads of Osteospermum (African daisies) have been uprooted, and salvias pruned drastically.

Centranthus, Californian poppies, old geraniums and guara have all found their way onto the heap, and replaced here with multi-coloured grasses. (Click to enlarge.)

Forget-me-not? How could we when they come up like a carpet every year?

The lawn, though a little tufty, is thick and green. If only it would last all summer!

The plum trees are blossoming too.