Springtime Gardening - the Agony and the Ecstasy

Spring is both a time of drudgery and pleasure in my garden.  I have given myself the task of improving one section of my lawn each year.  Last weekend, I took care of a patch of grass that has never really looked good.

If the grass looks this bad in May, it is going to look much worse come July.  A big part of the problem is that the earth was never properly leveled.   There is a slight rise where you see bare soil.  As a result, every time I mow the lawn, the grass is shaved instead of cut.

I spent  last weekend preparing the site for new grass seed.  First, the easy part.  I bought  five bags of garden soil and  brought it home.  Next, the hard part.  I used two rakes, one with three prongs, to till the soil.  Lucky for me, it started drizzling as I raked, making the soil easier to work with.

As you can see, I dug up a lot of the grass and clover (good for your lawn - it fixes nitrogen from the air and makes it available to the roots.)  Then I used my flat rake to spread the soil and make the area as flat as possible.

At this point, it's  a good idea to leave everything alone overnight.  The next day, I was able to see what sections had dried out, and which were still moist.  The dried out sections are still too high and need to be raked flat.

It has been my experience that a level lawn grows best.  And grass, unlike water, does not find its own level.  If you don't do it, your lawn will not magically smooth out.  I will keep you posted on the scintillating progress of my lawn (I seeded it a few days ago.)

Now, for the fun stuff.  I have been telling people about my tree peonies and discovering that they are not commonly known.  I have two of these woody plants in shady parts of my garden.  Here are some pictures.

 The harsh winter did not kill these buds.

I took this picture today.

This one is a little further along than the other.

The bloom time is not long, and if we get a hot spell, even if for a day, the flowers fall off.  This spring the conditions have been good, and I will be able to enjoy them for a while longer.

I also mentioned scilla in a recent post.  Here is a picture of one in bloom.

This scilla is happily nested in a festuca.  After it finishes blooming, I will move it to the back of my border so that I can enjoy my front-of -the -border ornamental grass.