It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve done anything in the garden, thanks to a week of rain. I’m not complaining. Free water is a good thing, expecially here in Texas, where I’ve already heard the word drought several times this month

My plan for the day was simply to mow and edge the front yard, which is a huge weedfest. I did that, and then got out the red spray paint and the measuring tape, and drew out my general idea for the next phase of the front yard. I think I’m going to build another raised bed in the front, but not so high, and from stone instead of wood. I sort of have it in my head that I’ll move the plants from the wood box I built last year into it, and replace the wood with stone on that side, too. It’s kinda tall, and I don’t think it’s going to look pretty for a long time like stone will.

While I was mulling the overthrow of the front yard, I started pruning, which led me to this ugly bush. I’ve hated it since I moved in. Not that it isn’t perfectly lovely—it’s just that it was planted right under my bedroom window, and it grows like a weed. Pruning it hard twice a year wasn’t getting the job done, and I’m sort of over forcing plants to be the height I want them to be, rather than the height god intended them.

So, I started digging. I’ve been dreading this, because this bush has been there since I first saw the house nine years ago. Digging up a bush this large and well established sounded like a lot of work. Painful work.

Yep. I was right. It was a lot of work. I dug for three hours, and finally got the stupid thing to rock back and forth. I’m pretty strong, but I had trouble moving it, because it’s cumbersome, and heavy. I was finally able to slide some boards down in the hole, and use them as a very steep ramp. Now the ugly bush is sitting in my front yard, waiting for some Freecycler to come and get it.

These three rose bushes are just sitting in their wrappers, waiting to be put into the ground. I’ve really gotta get on that, or they’ll die. The pot filled with water when it rained, so they’re nice and moist, and even though they’re in the shade, they seem to be happy as clams for the moment.

Four new gazanias, purchased for a whopping $1.99 each at a new (well, new to me) nursery called Green Mama. They have all sorts of native Texas plants, and the people were very helpful. I’m sure I’ll be going back for more!