It's been awhile.

Just in for a long winter's nap

It might have seemed like I died. I actually didn't. I just had to set aside a full year for a recovery for spinal surgery. I had to put in a resignation to my beloved job, not because I wanted to, not because they wouldn't have modified the job for me, but because it's just one of those signs in life where your body says stop and you need to listen. I've done my garden center work since I was sixteen years old. I have extensive knowledge in perennials and annuals (especially the quirks of growing and maintaining annuals, who to buy from and who does the best). Does this mean I'm out of the garden center retail life for good? No way jose! I may not be able to be the greenhouse's worker anymore, but those bloodlines are still coursing through my veins with a passion.

Currently, I'm going back to school. I have my diploma for highschool and I'm going to bring up my grades in all the sciences, refresh my mind and dive into University for a degree that I've always wanted. There's always an intense hunger for knowledge and learning and though the changes are drastic over here, it's never been the type of drastic that I can't handle. I've always been the look before I leap type of person and while I might not have the body to leap, I certainly have the passion for it and the drive to take the change and mold it into nothing but a positive experience. Can you tell I'm chomping at the bit?

Spring is upon us. After long days of extensive cold, we're finally having a break with predictions of rain, warmer weather and the promise to melt away all those high snow banks we've build up on either side of our driveways. I know I look outside right now, out my front window and take in my beautiful weird looking beech tree that all my neighbors seem to loath. They don't understand why I planted this ugly weeping beech on the front of my property and I've said to them a hundred times, Justttttt wait. Wait and you'll be eating those words in five years. The birds certainly love this beech, because its the wirey type. One summer, the branches are going one way and then, before you've realized it, that branch has flipped over and gone the other direction. It's weird and I love it. I loved it so much I twisted christmas lights all over it. I didn't love doing that so much. Now I'm impatient to get them off. Much like the same way I'm impatient to see what survived last years drought. Now I say drought because we had a dry fall and it was slightly unforgiving. I remember this because I was turning my sprinkler on in November for my other very ugly looking beech that is also on the front of my property.

With that being said, the sun has been making sporatic appearances but I foresee this soon being a regular thing. The moon was out last night and it's a good sign.

Let's hope for a wet spring people!

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

We, the unknowing....

...led by the unprepared....

....are doing the impossible....

...for the ungrateful .

I, Andrea Scott, dug to china (with my husband and baby) as threatened and woe to discover more clay! (And interlocking underneath). While I was sick, I thought it would be a good idea to move the soil pile to the garden. Good idea? Wrong!

I'm paying for it now by being sicker and sore. Amen to Nyquill.

New Layout, new boots and TGIF

We're enjoying our Friday. TGIF.

Simply put, I hate my new boots. Maybe hate is a harsh word because I don't usually say it and yet when I do, I usually reserve it for the latest 80's song I've heard on the radio, or asking myself how many times Pitbull tells me I should know he wants me. My other coworker has them and though I know she got blisters countless times, I thought that I could pass this unfortunate rubbing by wearing two pairs of socks. Now given, I always wear two pairs of socks, even on the hottest days of the year. It keeps my feet nice and cool.

Side note here: if you work outside or in any kind of heat, wool socks over sweat socks is the way to go. Sweat socks absorb the sweat and the wool pull that sweat away from your feet, keeping you cooler. In all my years (since I was 16, I'm 29 now), I've never once had a foot problem, nor do my feet EVER stink (nor my footwear either). Try it. It's a beautiful thing.

Carrying on, these new boots rub the top of my foot and it rubs the back of my heel, wearing down my sock in almost one week. I think Im going to end up taking them backand you may see a new website thinger up above, replaced.

Originally I tried hydrangeas (City Line Venice) in my picture but it looked funny. I tried our spot, the duck pond and it looked busy. This one also looks awful but I dont' have another picture, that or I'm too lazy to go and find one. Either way, I don't particularly like my layout or the pictures or the colours but Im making due with what I have at the moment until I do something better.

Right now I'mtrying to write something up for a grant and its going very slowly, if not happening at all.

Wow Factor lacking

It's wedding season so I thought I would do up two wedding planters. Pictures never do them justice and at first, I hated these but I got the flowers down right and now they look okay. This is the second one.

The first one didn't turn out as well obviously....

A bit boring but that's what wedding planters are. Wow Whites without the WOW factor. Boring.....

Pink Skies, pink Hydrangeas and tons of plants

These are all sitting at the side of my house, watered and getting a lot of sun but honestly, I havn't planted anything. ha! I'm going to rip up the front and do the garden there, but its going to take me a bit.... a bit....

this is my fullshade hanging basket that seriously, I only ever water once every three days, if that. It's doing amazing

This is the hydrangea group at work. I bought three. I think I need three more.

our my backyard...

Trials Date

I know! I have a lot to post but I can't wait!!! It has to be now and I've a lot to catch up on!

Grower Trials are coming up August 12th! LOTS of pictures to follow and information! I WILL keep you posted on varieties to look for, for 2010!

http://www.focusgreenhousemanagement.com/sawayagardentrials/

Lots of growers there. Looking forward to it!

New Annual grass for next year - you know you want it

Pennisetum Fireworks. We planted it. We're waiting to see what it does. 2 feet, zone nine which means we need an insane amount of heat in a zone 5 to get this baby flowering. So far, slow as hell due to cooler weather conditions and rain. Like we're in august now people. What the heck is happening? We're having October weather here! Anyways, I think we're going to heckle our grower to do this one. VERY excited.

The rain storm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ip-N0H1Ig

HOLA from the grave!

I finally cut the garden in the back. FINALLY. It only took me from April until the end of July to do it but I got it done! Ten bags of soil later, mixed into clay and I was able to finish planting the veggie plants I got free from work (end of season stuff). It has my Jap maples in it but you can't see them so well.

It nearly killed me.

My son is learning to mow the lawn now.

The dog run! We finally built it and YES we know its crooked a little. One of the posts didn't go in very well and we couldn't get it out. Solution? Just build the damn thing and shove an arbor in front of it. Now... I just need to build the Arbor (and put caps on the middle posts because the two I had, I broke). Otherwise, Stain, finished and EFFECTIVE. ha. The dog hates it.

The before picture, just so you can see how it looked.