Had my very own garden flunky today!

Granted, said flunky is related to me, but I did buy his lunch today, so really, I'm sure that counts as payroll,yes? Whatever his pay-grade, he did a great job these past two days. He wrestled with all the leaves that were planning on smothering the lawn while I planted the last bits of plants still in containers. He operated the chipper/shredder and hauled two huge batches to the area we have set aside for an orchard. THEN, he managed to get the big tiller started (no small feat, as it had sat unused in the cellar for at least four years) and tilled in all the chipped up leaves.

Being freed up from dealing with leaves gave me a chance to clean up the old rose garden. Previous years of drought had done in a few plants here and there, so this spring I had decided to put in a couple new ones. I selected a yellow and a double red 'Knockout' type. I know, I know, how unimaginative! However, the Ohio River Valley is a difficult place to raise roses without resorting to sprays, and so these new introductions have really been fun-not something I usually say about roses. So, holes being plugged, I finally got off my duff to finish under-planting the entire bed with catmint [Nepeta f.] after, of course, having to weed out all the cool-season weeds that had just started to come up. As Miss O'Hara would say: "God as my witness, I will never let pepper grass go to seed again!"

The other issue I took a half-stab at correcting was my horrid idea of using variegated vinca vine in the treds of the rustic steps. Heavens to morgatroid, what was I thinking? that crap cannot be contained, dwarfed or made thick. All it wants to do is RUN..away, far far away! It had begun to invade on both side of the steps. I must admit it didn't look half bad creeping through the lamb's ear [Stachys b.] on the left side, but it was truly nasty trying to creep into the catmint on the right. I'm sure I thought it would be a nice fill-in between the steps and the boxwood hedge, but it's back to the drawing board on this one.

The front of the rose bed is edged in Liriope (oh, yes, I love a challenge) and so it was time for nipping it's slow creep up the bed. while I was shoveling it out, I finally dug out the thin leaved clump that had managed to show up and replaced it with a few clumps of the wide leaved type. I think perhaps it grew from seed, as I never bought any of it and always just broke up existing clumps. Whatever, tragedy averted until the next batch shows up.

Let's see, what else... oh yes, I planted my two last rescued viburnums. I just love 'Blue Muffin'. It's not as huge as most and has lovely blue berries in fall and purply red fall color. I planted one at the top of the rustic steps on the left, and the other I planted on the right of the main steps that are on the far left of the hill bed. There is a fragrant type across from it, so it will make a nice allee as one proceeds up the path to the pergola.

It was so warm and sunny today, that I felt I had to water a few of my previous planting jobs from a few days earlier. The 'Sam & Carly' azaleas got a drink and I am so relieved that they look great after transplanting. I scratched in some acidifier and just a pinch of 10-10-10 to keep them happy going into winter.

After I fed my flunky, he took me to my favorite big (blue) box store for four, 10' pieces of rebar to use as a support for that unruly 'New Dawn' climbing rose. Since it collapsed my cheap 6' pillar, I went with rebar as a temporary support until my custom-made pillar gets completed. one of my relatives is into welding art pieces when the whimsy hits him, so the rebar should hold up longer than another purchased piece. Boy, I sure hope his whimsy shows up soon-I'm totally tired of dealing with Dawn these last few years:(

All that's left to do is finish planting the last tray of lambs ear, find a home for a 'Snowflake' viburnum, and gather up the few last batches of sticks and I can finally say the rear garden is ready for winter. After that, it will be time to pay attention to the front garden.

But not today. Today, we celebrated our hard work by kicking back in the adirondack chairs with a refreshing adult beverage and played fetch with Amy and Fi.