Dan got me a new 6 horsepower back tine tiller for my birthday. Of course, after we picked it up there was snow on the ground for 2 days afterwards. But yesterday I was able to use it to complete the shade garden beds by the dog fence. 1/2 of the area already has super loamy soil. The other half is clay so I added 8 wheelbarrows of compost, a bag of pine bark chips, and 13-13-13 fertilizer.
In order to till it all up, I had to move the plants that were there. The helleborous (sp?) seemed OK with it. It was blooming - the first of the season - and the bloom is still holding on today.
Yesterday we also cleaned the shed and put up peg board. It is a lot easier to get to stuff.
Today, Dan is working on the grape vine trellis, trying to make it look a lot better. It was a big mass of vines previously so I trimmed it way back. It will take about 2 years, but now we should get a good crop of grapes each season instead of a good crop of leaves.
Ashley and I planted 9 Gardenia 'Radians' today in front of the house. They are low spreaders and evergreeen so they will look nice in front of the Nandina. Also, they will smell amazing in the spring.
We also planted a Japanese Hlly Fern in the back woodland garden.
Click here to see the BEFORE pictures