SprottHaus: A Gardener's Journey

 So, where were we?  Oh, yes.  The wrap-up of the big crawlspace sealing/drainage pipes installation project.  It has been a busy five weeks since my last post.  (Dang it, that's nearly "a minute" again!)  Like I said, it's been busy.   My husband, Herb, retired, which is amazing!  He has been working a lot in the garden (insert happy dance here), and managing other home improvement projects.  As I type this, new downspouts are being installed.  Next spring, new windows will be installed.  Woooo hooooo!!! Even five weeks after the BIG project, we are still working toward getting things back into shape.  No, I have not begun planting the raked-over bed in front of the house .  I'm afraid that area is a bit of a lost cause, due to my naïveté in a) planting Alstroemeria psittacina 'Variegata' (variegated Peruvian lily) nearly twenty years ago, and b) allowing it to spread with reckless abandon.  The breadth and dept...

I really wanted to include an expletive in that title because that's just how I feel today.  (Oops, that's starting out with a negative attitude, isn't it?  There's probably some Blog Best Practices List somewhere that gives that as the Number One "Dear God, whatever you do, DON'T do THAT" rule.  Well... whatever.)   It's hot.  I mean HOT.  Freaking HOT and soul-smotheringly humid.  The "feels like" temperature is hovering somewhere around 105F as I type this.  Today's weather is a no-go for this gardener; it is, however, perfect for this gardener to stay indoors and watch the second round of Wimbledon. But, since our house is virtually all glass (which I LOVE, mind you), I can't help but look outside.  I can't help but stare at the garden and think about the marathon-long list of things I need/want to do.  Why did I start that new bed yesterday?  Reclaiming part of an old garden bed is better than starting absolutely from scra...