Lush

The garden looks pretty good right now. The perennials have filled in finally and everything is full and green. The winter was pretty easy on the plants this year. My Smoke tree and an unidentified broad-leafed vine in the backyard have put out buds earlier than I've ever seen them. One year I thought the Smoke Tree was finished because it was mid-June before I saw signs of life.

The front garden is for my neighbours. The Spice Bush sends fragrant wafts to early-morning pedestrians and I managed to 'plan' the bulbs so they open in relays - there's always something blooming from the moment the Aconites start until the time the annuals kick in.

Many of the seeds I planted 2 to 3 weeks ago are above ground, finally, and look like they'll produce a good showing of flowers in a month or so. Nasturtiums (my favourite), Sunflowers, Cosmos and Morning Glories have put out their first two leaves and I can see a smattering of tiny seedlings where I sowed some wildflower seeds. I'll probably end up with a bed of weeds there, but it's worth a try!

A neighbour had a free load of wood mulch dumped by a tree service. BIG mistake. They couldn't just dump a cubic meter or two, they had to dump the whole truck-load. She was offering her surplus free to whoever wanted it. I've made about 20 trips back and forth with my wheelbarrow and barely made a dent in it. The pile is pretty hot - steam pours out with every shovel-full - so I hope it doesn't ignite on her. She begged me to take more, but I think I've got more than I can use now. Guess she won't make that mistake again!

I ordered mulch from a local company last year and I've regretted it ever since. I've had slime molds, fungus and mushrooms growing everywhere it was applied. Some of them are pretty creepy-looking. I wish I knew my mushrooms better though, because I got an incredible crop of them last week, but I didn't know if they were edible. Pity.