Not Just Another Monday

Memorial Day – a day to remember those who served and gave their lives in that service.  We also remember those we love who are no longer with us.  Today, I remember my dad who served in the US Marine Corps. While he was a fighting man, he was also a gardening man; today, with my hands in the dirt, I thought of him and gave thanks I was lucky enough to have him as my dad. 

We took a trip to Surreybrooke this morning.  Garden Man had never been there, so we met friend Kathy there and took a little tour. Of course, I couldn’t come home without some new plants!  I got a few zinnias to tuck in the front border and two chartreuse ipomoea for my big pots on the deck.  The black ones in there just don’t pop enough.  I also brought home a stunning Husker Red penstemon.  I’d seen them on others’ blogs, and I was so happy to find one.  Then, when we took a tour of her garden, Kathy gave me some baby baptisia.

After we got home and started working on the woodland border again (we’ve been at it all weekend), a neighbor stopped by with some plants to trade.  I gave her some hosta (of COURSE I did!) and she brought me some wild ginger and a couple of other shade plants she couldn’t identify.  Maybe one day I’ll find out what they are.  I tucked them into a shady spot in the side border and headed back to work on the woodland border.  We moved some Krossa Regal hosta to replace the green ones I gave away.  We also planted three Brunnera ‘Jack Frost.’  I’m SO happy to have those, and if they hadn’t been on sale at Dutch Gardens, I wouldn’t have them.  I’d never bought from them before, but the plants arrived in very good shape.  I also tucked an epimedium and a tiarella into the woodland island. 

When that was done, Garden Man put a new curved edge on the woodland border, and we called it done for the day.  Over the last three days, we’ve moved 6 hydrangeas, 5 hosta and a witch hazel; planted 3 Sarcococca ruscifolia, 3 Taxus cuspidata ‘Capitata,’ 3 dwarf skimmia, 1 aucuba, 3 astilbe, 3 brunnera Jack Frost, 1 lamium, 1 thalictrum, 1 epimedium and a Cryptomeria ‘Sekkan Sugi.’  WHEW!  No wonder Garden Man is worn out.  While I do a lot, he does the heavy lifting and digging.  And all the work we’ve been doing is really starting to pay off.  See?