Like many of you, when the weather gets warm my thoughts turn to the garden...and the lawn, the weeds and the dead leaves from last fall. It can get pretty overwhelming, especially if you haven't really established any perennial growth in your yard yet.
This is the second spring I've spent in my house and I can honestly say there are still a lot of blank spaces in my yard, rapidly filling-in with weeds. I have read dozens of gardening books and magazines in an attempt to determine what to grow.
While one must be mindful of what type of soil they have, their yards' sun exposure and the climate of their region, they must also be true to what they like and what they do not.
Evergreens such as cedars and junipers are nice because they retain their colour all year long. On the other hand, they don't give you that shot of bright colour that one wants to see after a long winter.
Petunias are bright and colourful and do very well in Saskatchewan's hot, dry and windy summers. However, they're an annual flower and must be replanted every year.
Last summer I planted gladiolus and was delighted when the tall plant bloomed large, colourful, cone-shaped flowers. I soon learned, however, that the bulbs must be dug-up each fall and planted again each spring; far too fussy of a plant for a forgetful and lazy gardener like me.
Of course, before any planting can begin a general clean-up must be done to rid your yard of last year's dead growth. I am sure that more accomplished gardeners do this in the fall, but if you're anything like me there are still a lot of dried-up leaves to dispose of.
Not only must a person get rid of the dead plants but, quite often, there are things that have been left outdoors during the long, harsh winter that have become ruined. I was using an old table as a gardening bench last summer but after several months of freeze and thaw during the winter it has fallen apart. I know there is no saving it now and it will have to go to the landfill.
I keep waiting to get a citation from the Clean-up Committee asking me to dispose of the broken table at the end of my driveway. Don't worry guys; it will be long gone before the Golden Garbage Can competition on June 21!
