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Monday 8 March 2010

The "deed" is DONE !

I went out this morning on a garden mission .. I started at 9:30 and finally had to admit I was totally done in by 2 .. I didn't stop at any point because if you are a gardener who has been locked up in the house all winter .. well, lets just say you can't help but go over board when you finally have a chance to work in your garden ?
I should have taken more pictures of before and after but like I said .. I did NOT stop !
This "pollard" is a bit rough , my poor love .. Staghorn Sumac knows what is coming every Spring and it puts up with it ... growing absolutely gorgeous over the whole season .. how can you not LOVE a tree like this ?
I try to be considerate about its growth where my neighbor keeps a clothes line .. but otherwise it is allowed to "bloom" and grow to its hearts content : )

Smelling the earth .. smelling herbs, even when they have expired a bit ? .. well all of those wonderful scents is the best therapy you could ask for after a long winter.
I know the weather can change on a dime yet .. but for these past few days .. it has been wonderful !! : )

30 comments:

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Lucky you Joy, to get out in the garden. I am stuck in Toronto, and I know by the time I get up on the weekend, it will be cold again.
The sumas looks great, it won't be long before he is breaking into bud (and then into song and dance, but that is another story)!

Anonymous said...

It has been beautiful here, too, Joy -- for a change! And the forecast is for a pretty nice week, too. Enjoy!

Dave said...

It's always good to do something - or anything - in the garden after the long winter break! It was in the 70's here today, I'm loving this weather! ;)

Gail said...

Joy, I am so glad you got out into the garden! It really makes a difference even if we hurt after~ M Sumac looks great~ You folks with pruners are way braver then I! I've made cuts and then said, "Oh, ****!, not that branch!" and quickly retired from the pruning business. gail

Victoria said...

Yay..! Glad the deed is done! Always a joy to come visit here! So much excitement on the horizon..spring will soon be here! THanks for that awesome comment..about the greenman..yay! Wish I was there! So fun!
Have a wonderful night..always fun chatting!
kiki~

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I have been enjoying that wonderful spring weather too. I am so sore I can hardly type. ha..

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Congratulations on a full day in the GARDEN! What a pleasure. Time for a soak in the tub now...I know I always stretch muscles I forgot I owned when I first get out there. I think you did a great job on the Sumac - and I'm sure he appreciates the spring 'haircut'! :-)

Anonymous said...

Great job!

Paz

Vetsy said...

Joy it was 47 degrees here in Michigan today...and I was full of joy!

I can't do much walking around in my yard yet because it is so Muddy!..

might try anyway tomorrow. Yes our weather certainly can turn on a dime so I won't hold my breath, but I had a big smile on my face today..

I think spring is around the corner...can't wait!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I have much work to do on my crepe myrtles. I need to get to it asap(-: Your Sumac looks great!!! I know what you mean about working straight through till done!!!!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Deborah .. this episode was unexpected and it was so needed for my garden soul : ) I really hope you get some good weather for your garden adventures .. I can't get over how wonderful it was yesterday .. almost half the garden done and I am so happy : )

Nancy girl we have good weather until Friday so far in the prediction and I have lots to do yet .. but wow .. it felt absolutely wonderful : ) Sore or not it was fantastic !!

Dear Dave it will be a while before it is 70 here but it was amazing yesterday .. no wind and that made bagging all the garden cut offs so much easier .. I am seriously in love with that spiral garden and I want to do an herb version of it : )

Gail girl I have meant to ask how your poor hand is doing ? I hope it is almost healed by now ? Pruning is second nature to Canadians I think because most of us live in extreme weather so we know to prune back hard ? If you need help .. I'll be right over girl ! LOL

Kiki ! You are very welcome : ) I so wish I had bought the Greenman face .. I can't believe I walk out of there with nothing ? maybe it is because I know the hard scaping is going to be PRICEY ? but it will pull the garden together so wonderfully I can't wait to see what will come of it : )

Lisa girl I am so glad you got into it too : ) and yes .. SORE but VERY happy : )

Ms. S ! That was the best therapy possible for the winter blues .. I work until I almost drop but the feeling of satisfaction is like no other : ) I do yoga .. modified to what I am capable of and it truly helps with muscle tension (which is what I have 24/7) but even that felt great last night ! Yaaahhooo!!

Hey Paz .. make sure to come back when my Sumac is in full bloom .. it is a stunner : )

Vetsy girl .. I could only work on the areas the sun dried out enough of but it is a long border so it kept me busy .. the shade part has snow and yes is muddy so I know exactly what you mean .. but YES ! getting out was such a wonderful treat and that little reservation ticked off in my mind about the possible change in weather is still flashing too ;-)

Hey Cindee girl .. OMG on that story of the finger .. I winced reading it YIKES ! .. and yes .. that is the only way I know .. work straight through because once I stop I fold in on myself ? LOL
Good luck with those crepes !!

Commonweeder said...

You are lucky to be out in the garden. I've got sun today. Maybe I'll be able to make it out to trim the apple trees.

Kimberly said...

Joy, so glad you were able to get out in the garden and enjoy your day! Sore, yes, but happy!!! Right?! Here's to many more days like this one!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey there Commonweeder !
We have been very lucky lately and I have taken advantage of it as much as possible .. those first few days in the garden when you go over board .. they are a bit OUCHY but still great ! Good luck with the apple trees !

Kimberly how true is that ! I don't mind groaning about being sore when it has been such a great time in the garden .. I can't explain how it feels but something like a kid unwrapping a Christmas gift ? seeing signs of life with all my plants .. puts a huge smile on my face : )

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I'm so glad you were able to get out into your garden. Looks like you got a big job taken care of with your tree.

F Cameron said...

You did well!

I was outside from 9am until 4pm. After my shower, I collapsed on the bed and took a nap! Popcorn for my dinner tonight as I was just too tired to eat a meal!

lisa said...

Heh, and I thought I was silly for being sooo happy to rake up under the bird feeders today. Just felt so nice to be out working in a t-shirt, I hope to get back at it tomorrow! The sumac looks terrific, I really enjoy pruning too (once I got over my initial fear :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Catherine .. it does seem a rather daunting job each Spring but I manage it and the benefits are beautiful : ) YES ! garden therapy is the BEST ! : )

Freda you sound just like me girl : ) Work yourself into the ground (literally ? LOL) then collapse .. popcorn is a fine dinner : ) LOL

Lisa girl I think we all have that fear of pruning .. that we may not stop once we get going .. sort of dancing on the edge type job ? LOL YES !! I felt terrific even if I was sore : )

Carrie said...

I am so HAPPY you finally got out of the house and into the garden!! Your poor Sumac, I can't believe it's that time again, boy it has a tough life ;) Will have to write to you, sorry, but see my last 3posts I haven't been good xx

Pat said...

You go girl !!
Will be out there today before noon. Yards a mess...maybe I'll wait for hubby :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Carrie girl !
I'm sorry you have been having a hard time .. I will get right over and see your posts !

Patsi .. I was out again today still working on the back garden .. I have to crawl into bed soon .. phew !!

Rose said...

You must be doing something right, Joy, because your sumac always looks gorgeous!

I've had a very busy week and a million things to do to get ready for a trip next week, but when the temperature hit 70 today, I just had to get out and clean up a little in the garden. It's hard for us not to when we've been looking at snow all winter, isn't it?

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi there Rose girl ! It always looks a bit scary when I do this to my Sumac .. but so far the benefits are wonderful for the rest of the year : )
Wow ! 70 !! It was so warm an sunny here I also got to clean up more of the back garden and I was only wearing a t-shirt and sweater .. it was wonderful : )
We are sharing the same weather !!

Skeeter said...

Oh, the weather has been wonderful but now rain again, arggggg. I am back inside on the computer instead of in the garden. Oh well, such is life I reckon. You are a wonderful neighbor to keep the trees away from the clothes line next door! We must be careful when drying clothes outside. Have I mentioned we have a lot of birds before? Ha, bird poop is something I dont like to find on drying clothes,lol.

What a great picture of Emma taking a bath! I have tried so many times to capture such a shot with my girls. With black furballs, shadows and moving paws, Well, I am yet to get that picture. I need one of those rapid shot cameras for the cats…

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Skeeter girl : ) hope the rain lets up and you can play in your garden soon!
I meant to get the front cleaned up but the landscaper guy was late (very apologetic though .. so that was nice .. pricing is going to be HIGH .. good grief .. this will have to happen in stages I think;-(
Maybe I might win the lottery and can afford the whole shebang ??LOL
Clothes lines .. I really try to keep our plant life out of my neighbor's line .. I can't use a line . we have too many allergies and the pollen would drive us batty .. never mind the bird poop ??LOL
Hey that shot of Emma was a fluke ! she had her paw in front of her face most of the time so I just caught it at the right moment : ) keep trying girl !!

Kathleen said...

I did the same thing today ~ went overboard on garden chores. I think I'll be paying for it tomorrow! Congrats on getting the annual haircut done. I hope your good weather sticks around. It feels so good to be outdoors, doesn't it? Have a great weekend.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kathleen girl .. "OOPS I DID IT AGAIN ! .. has happened from yesterday (Friday)
It was dull and gray out but I knew rain was coming for the late afternoon and I got as much leaf litter off the garden and bagged .. and WOW !! the campanulas and heuchera were incredibly green/fresh looking : ) It was amazing and YES it was wonderful even with the aches and pains of today : )

Unknown said...

It's still sunny here, Joy, a week after the sun first remembered where we live! I'm hoping to get out in the garden this afternoon for a while, and hope you're able to do the same!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Joy!
How nice to get a breath of fresh air! We've got heaps of snow but it's springtime in the valley. We took a long leisurely walk down there yesterday afternoon. Good to see you've survived the dreary winter. :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Jodi girl .. we have rain here for the weekend which is fine with me now .. i did get most of the front garden cleaned out so all of the borders can use the rain to warm up now .. but hopefully ? we will have the sun back soon and my bulb circles will explode with colour ? LOL
Glad you are able to get out and about girl !

Hey there Kate girl .. I still can't get over what a gorgeous place you live in. You and a few other bloggers make me very jealous ? LOL .. but yes .. finally little touches of Spring make such a big difference in our out look eh ?