laramie

The Ferns are back! I finally got out to do some yardwork yesterday, and found that seven of the Ferns donated by lsanderson last year have survived the winter and come in again under the Lilacs. The ground was wet enough that I was able to get some of the stinging weeds that still lurk there up by their roots. Others broke off at ground level and will continue to be a nuisance.

I got out my Fiskar Loppers and made quick work of removing the thorny dead stalks from the roses. I wore a stout glove but still took a few jabs. Singer has told me that 'Roses are rocks' and I hope he's right. I didn't do a thing to protect them over the winter this year. While I had the loppers out I cut a couple large bouquets of Lilac for the kitchen and dining room. I also trimmed off a lot of dead wood from the Lilacs, broke it up and added it to the other wood chips.

I was pleased to see that the Lilies, Tulips and Lilies-of-the-Valley are returning, though none have yet put out blooms. I strewed some new grass seed in the shady area on the north side of the yard, but it didn't do much good when I did the same thing last year. New grass came in, but when the trees above had come into full leaf the area got so little sun that the grass died out again. Does anyone know anything else that would be a good groundcover for a shady area?