We borrowed a rototiller from a buddy at work (Thanks, Dave!) and Dan cleaned it up yesterday. It needs some transmission fluid, oil, and a new belt. After the tune-up we'll be tilling the sides of the house for the new gardens. We won't be bricking unless we can afford more bricks.

I'm attaching another photo of the lilac bloom that's half-open. I wish I could share its scent as well.

The Lilac Blooms!!

March and April have been very good to my struggling lilac. It's now got all the leaves open, and has 14 blooms trying hard to grow. You won't recognize this photo compared to the stick with green buds from early last month! There is one bloom half-opened, but enough to get the heavenly smell that reminds me so much of my Grandmother's house. I'm so happy to finally have a lilac in my own garden!

The Lilac is still alive!

Spring is here! The nasty Bradford Pear trees are blooming, daffodils are up, my lillies are well on their way. The new growth that makes me most happy is the lilac! It didn't get watered well last August, and I saw a bunch of dry sticks as the fall approached. I guess the watering it did get was enough to keep it going, because it looks pretty happy now!

Dandelions in winter?

Gardening has gone into hibernation. The gardens are mulched, flowers are cut back, and the mulch pile is full and cooking away.

The weird thing is the dandelions. They just won't quit! Normally I keep an eye on them, and email Mom whenever I see the first yearly bloom, and first one gone to seed. Well I saw both during Christmas break, and also on New Year's Day. So I guess this year will be a tough fight against dandelions.

We're trying not to use pesticides, since the Neuss River is where the run-off goes. We might try the citrus spray since digging hasn't done month lately.

I've transplanted a lot of indoor plants, and have already started a few basil seeds to see if I can get some plants going for spring. I'm ready for Spring!!

First Freeze!!

When we returned from the beach the weather report looked like the first real freeze would be before the weekend. But there was frost on my car windows this morning! It was 37 degrees when I got up at 6 am.

So this afternoon was the rush to pull everything from the garden. I got a few batches of basil from what's left of the 4 scraggly basil bushes. They were almost 4 feet tall, but I'd pinched off the buds religiously to keep them from getting too woody. Hopefully the leaves won't be too bitter. It'll be fresh pesto this weekend!

I gathered two more odd items. I squat little zuchini, and a HUGE cucumber. This cuke climbed in back of the lillies and I lost track of it. It's 16 inches long! (Photo will be added...I promise!)

The small potted herbs are inside, and we'll shred the leftover plant stubs for the compost pile. Now that things are quiet, we'll build the 3 remaining garden beds and get ready for spring.

GetReady for the Day of the Dead!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, but Raleigh doesn't do it up. I've got the usual for this area: lights, fake spider webbing on the boxwoods, and we've got rubber rats around the front porch. But I miss the sugar skulls, marigolds, lots of paper mache skeletons. So I dug around and gathered as much as I dared (some is too precious, like the skeleton cyclist). I found some tin skeletons that I taped to the small window above the front door. We bought a tacky purple skull that lights up, and I'll do my usual little altar with favorite beverages and snacks for my ancestors. Yes, I put up a gin and tonic for my Buddist/Episcopalian Gramma. I also put an African Violet on the altar, to help her find her way here.

It may sound strange, but el Dia de los Muertos is a very special time!

Mulching for Fall

The week at North Topsail is one of my excuses for not much gardening, but the truth is winding down for Fall has been a bit of work. We bought a chipper/shredder and cleaned out some branches, plus ground up the 7 foot tall tomato plants.

We carved pumpkins with the kids two weekends ago, but they weren't cleaned out real well, and after a week away they were pretty gross. I chopped up two for the compost when we got back. Dan tried to run the last pumpkin through the chipper/shredder, unfortunately it was the soggiest, moldiest one. It made a mess, and Dan had to clean the innards of the shredder manually.

We've fertilized and mulched, and things are ready for cool weather. My neighbor Ann gave me a ton of lillies that she split up. They're planted in every garden, all scattered about.

I'm bummed that we didn't get more gardens built. The fall would have been the perfect time to plant the shrubs.