I'm going to be smart, this year, and pace my garden clearing to avoid back strain.

[Siwsan]

The house is surrounded by flower gardens, and there are several more outside the garden fence. Past years I have totally wrecked my back by losing myself in the work.

This year I'm limiting myself to one or two hours at a time, take a break and then tackle another area. I'm trying to thin out the Grape Hyacinth (I know - good luck). The back corner of the back lot will be the dumping area because if THAT gets taken over (it's a slight incline and hard to mow) so much the better. The Grape Hyacinth will choke out the weeds, making one less place to maintain.

Tomorrow I am going to mow the house law and then Friday I will mow the back lot. Or at least the front half. Lots of small limbs are scattered across the back half. I should drag out my old fire bowl and just burn them.

But, DAMN it feels good to be out in the fresh air and sunshine, surrounded by fragrant Daffodils and Hyacinth. The Tulip buds are starting to show so very soon my front garden will be ablaze in color.

[Ocelot II]

1. Too late for me.

It got warm all of a sudden on Monday and so I started doing a little clean-up. Amazingly, there is still some snow. There was so much that it had to be piled up, and the piles are still melting. But the glacier in my back yard is almost gone, and the front yard is clear. So I started clearing up some of the most unsightly dead stuff, but now my back is sorry. The ground is still too cold and muddy to do much more, though, so I will have time to recover.
And some materials should be left in place for the native bees that nest in hollow stems, so those won't be cleaned up for a few weeks.

[Siwsan]

2. We have a chance of a rain/snow mix on Monday

Temps are going from the high 70's and low 80's to the mid 50's. Hopefully the dip doesn't last too long.

[vanlassie]

3. Me too. I have been suffering for three weeks

after a short burst of weeding from a low stool. It’s a wake up call. 🙁

[Ocelot II]

4. We have no weeds yet. The snow is still melting.

You had weeds three weeks ago??

[vanlassie]

5. I'm in Central California. These weeds were 18 inches high.

Some type of godawful grass that has flourished in our heavy rain this spring.

[vanlassie]

6. I have an update.

The weeds (grasses) are now 30” tall. Or more. I have to hire someone asap!