Goodbye May

May was certainly a mixed bag weatherwise.

We had days that felt more like winter

and some that were reminiscent of the dog days of August.

Some of my garden did very well

(the lily of the valley, the clematis, and the pachysandra)

and some that did very poorly

(the two dogwoods -- pink and kousa).

The hydrangeas took a big hit with a few nights of freezing temps late in the season.

All of the growth on "old wood" had damage and I had to trim that part back.

Thankfully, this year's growth looks hardy and full.

The viburnums bloomed well, but the blooms lasted only a short time.

It made me sad because they smell so good and so strong that you can smell

them in the office and if the breeze is right, in the living room.

The Bloomerang lilac had a similar spring. Lots of blossoms that dropped very quickly.

I didn't do a lot of planting this year,

just one lavender plant to replace the one that died.

The one thing that really excelled this spring?

The weeds.

Steve and I both spent 3 full days weeding.

We both are feeling like we are getting to old for this.

Crawling under the azaleas ain't as easy at 70 as it was at 60.

To top it off ----- bug bites and poison ivy for me.

BUT,

it sure looks good now with new mulch, trimmed plants, and

no weeds.

(For now .... I know they'll be back. They always come back.)