Finally! done with the leaves!

This weekend I got some much needed and appreciated help from my garden flunkie. He chipped up the last pile of leaves in the back garden and also in the front. While he was doing that nasty chore, I was free to do some other much needed tasks.

• I got the shade bed 90% weeded and about 1/2 of it mulched.
• I got all the chipped up leaves transferred to the '10 bin (compost bin for this years' leaves)
• the last-or, shall I say, current-batch of sticks bundled up for recycle.
  
• got the last logs of wood moved from pruning/culling trees over the raised beds.
• cleaned out the leaves from the sidewalk bed.
  
• planted the physocarpus shrubs along the driveway.
• planted the last bag of bulbs in the ribbon bed alongside the sidewalk
• gathered up all the plastic containers for recycle day.
• got the grass mowed on the 2nd level-looks really nice except for the pigpath that the gurls have carved into it!
• stopped our rickety, temporary outdoor kitchen counter from wobbling.
  
• replaced the door stop on the sliding glass door in the hot tub room.
• cut back the russian sage, the grasses, and caryopteris in the front.
  

Lastly, I tidied up the area to the right of the raised beds. I had already re-located the metal lawn edging to curve around to the rear of the beds, so I planted three boxwood 'Green Velvet' and trimmed out the edging with the red daylilies. I also re-planted all the bits and pieces of perennials that were waiting for a permanent home after I had gotten them out of the way of the raised bed install. Now all I need is some mulc and it should look fairly decent over there.

Since I was in rehab mode for this area, I decided to pull out the ivy from the steps and re-plant the treds with dwarf mondo grass. Hopefully this plant will fill out better and faster than the ivy-which was quite dissappointing, I must say.

And, the best work of the whole weekend? A New Gas Grill!
We were too impatient to wait for the store to put it together, so, after a solid two hours of assembly, we are happy to announce that we can actually cook on this thing!

I will post some images later, when I have more time. Also, check out my new blog page : Image of my Father"