I Can't Keep Up!

Due to this horrible thing called "work" that sucks up so much time, the garden has totally gotten away from me. Everywhere I look are weeds and other enthusiastic plants that need removal or cutting back. In the mean time, there are also plants that need planting, pruning to be done, grass that needs to be mowed. And, it's raining on the weekend.

I have a long list of projects, inside and out, but in the garden right now it's a matter of triage - what is the one thing that absolutely must be done? It's never ONE thing, but that's generally all I have time for.

This is the groundsel just before peak bloom,
and where I deadheaded.

The past two days have been mostly dedicated to removing and/or deadheading my golden groundsel (Senecio aurious). It has been way too enthusiastic, spread vigorously in last year's wet, and survived the boots tramping on it. It's actually a good plant - beneficial to wildlife - and the groundcover aspect is welcome in some places. But it is out-competing other things, so a couple of hours Friday and Saturday were dedicated to removal, thinning, and deadheading. I wasn't successful at deadheading without seed scattering, but it's still better than if I hadn't done it. And, I removed quite a bit of it by the roots. Inside the fence, between the log, the silverbell and the arrowwood, I ripped up lots by the roots, Behind the log, it was more deadheading than uprooting. Still, it allows for competitors. Outside the fence, there was an extensive patch behind the copper trellis. I mostly tried to uproot it. There is not a good garden there - I need to figure out what I want there. But there is an azalea that was overwhelmed by the senecio, and there are monardas competing. Planning what goes there, and in other places outside the fence but newly sunny due to losing the spruce, is low on my list, but the weeds move in without waiting for me to make up my mind.

I find I have a great deal of energy around weeding and pruning, more than buying and planting. Must be my love for demo versus construction. See the results instantly.

A couple of hours at a stretch is about the right period of time, I find. My back gets sore if I go longer. I try to rely on a kneeling pad, but it's so much more efficient to stay on my feet and bend over. When I do that, I try to remember not to be a cashew but instead a table. It works, mostly. Getting down on my knees and back up again is also hard, but I figure these are good for me. 

I'm unlikely to do a lot during the week after work. I just know that is the case, it's always been the case, and not likely to stop during my last month ever.