Landscaping & Garden Tools
Spring has sprung and Summer is here. It is this time of year that we love and enjoy working out in the yard. If you are anything like me, you’ll find something new that you want to either add or remove from your yard. It may be some new rose bushes that you want to add or a part of your yard that just isn’t working anymore.
I have discovered my love or preference to Daylillies, the regular and dwarf sizes. They are so easy to take care of and I have added several to my yard this year and plan on several more. It is getting late enough in the planting season that I have a dozen more to set out and the rest are bulbs that I will plant for next year in my greenhouse and then set them out.
I have found that to plant these, after they 
are about 4-6 in. high, it is easier to use a spade shovel. It makes the hole large enough and it is much easier on my back to set the plant in and cover. I planted over two dozen last year and this summer they are just beautiful.
Another project is my patio. It is covered with river rock and does have a weed problem in the Spring. It takes a couple of times of Round Up to be rid of those. I then keep it nice looking by using a yard rake to keep it leveled out from the dogs and keep the leaves and limbs off of it. It has a country feel to it when we entertain and has enough sand in the rock foundation to keep it pretty dry even when it rains. We had discussed pouring concrete but, there are tree roots so close that it causes caution to go through with.
I have finally decided that the rock foundation is okay and that I can decorate and landscape just fine. I recently added some hanging plants and will be purchasing an octagon picnic table for the area. I have a potting table off to one side where I prepare my plants for my garden and greenhouse and a bench that fits around the tree close by to sit on. I have my water bucket close to my table and a rain barrel that catches the rain water off the house. The garden hose is hanging within working distance to help with the watering of the garden and plants. I have surrounded our home with plants and bushes of all kinds.
With my son’s help and my garden tractor and wagon, we were able to bring my plans for a rock garden, at the back of the house, to life. We hauled several loads of rock to accomplish this task. My partner was good enough to provide all the rocks I needed in different sizes. It took some laying of weed control fabric and muscle to finish this project but it looks beautiful now that it is done.
The other projects like planting Inpatients, Gladiolas, Marigolds, Black and Blue Sage and etc. required a little help from tools like trowels and small rakes and buckets for water. You never know what tools you may need so I keep mine in a handy garden tool organizer to carry with me as I go from one job to the other. The smaller tools fit great in an organizer and the larger ones I can lay in my wagon. When I am done, I clean and hang up the shovel, rake and hoe and I can then hang up the organizer and keep all the small tools together.
I love the outdoors and can’t get enough of it. There is always something to do outside in the fresh air and having the right equipment is a major plus. If you don’t have what you need, borrow from your neighbors or rent from a local garden store. There are many possibilities.