Before The Frost

IT was time to put up or shut up, so after laundry was well on its way and the bed linens were changed I got dressed to go outside. The sun was shining and the weather forecast promised not many more hours before the rains came again. The sky in the west was threatening, but the day was warm - in the 60s - and the spring bulbs that were languishing in the garage absolutely HAD to be planted.
And the oak leaf hydrangea in the front yard, that has been doing worse and worse every year, really needed to be moved to see if it would do better in richer soil. (I thought it was better to move them in the spring, but recently read fall was better. This way they can build up some stronger roots before the spring growing period.)
Of course, instead of warming up with a couple of turns around the yard and making raking a few leaves or picking up fallen branches, I went right to digging a hole in the back yard for the hydrangea! Whew! Out of breath fast and my shoulder muscles tightening up. I walked to the front yard, got the wheelbarrow and rolled it into the back yard to dump the leaves that were in it. Back to the front yard with the empty barrow and shovel and I got the plant out of the soil just fine. It was almost like it was ready to come and gave me no trouble.
Warmed up now and ready to do more.
I got the bulbs and started digging holes for them. Our Oregon soil has so much clay, I incorporated some compost in with the soil I put over the bulbs. I didn't have any bulb fertilizer, but I am hoping at least doing this much will help them. This part of the garden gets a little soggy, so it's either mold, rot or bloom. I'm hoping for the latter. In this photo it looks like I've buried the tulip bulbs in wet volcanic ash. These pink tulips are now planted with pink hyacinths. I really, really hope they brighten up this area in the spring.
I planted lilies, too, for the summer, and just remembered this minute that somewhere out there in the back yard (!!) I left a bag of calla lily bulbs. I'd better go look for them and take a flashlight. It's dark outside, even though it's only 6:30 p.m. (Today we turned the clocks back one hour and now our bodies are going to have to try and figure out what the heck's going on. Do they have such a thing in other countries?)
It is really damp outside and, like I said, the rains are going to begin again soon. It's nice to know, however, that the plant I've wanted to move for so long is in a new home and beginnings are planted for spring. It was good to be outside, moving around and being close to the earth. I got caught in a "leaf shower" when the wind came up and then it really rained for about five minutes. I kept working though, remembering my one time goal to be a professional gardener. No wimping out just because of a little moisture from the skies.
Well, I found the bulbs outside! Rescued! Now I think I will spend some time with NaNoWriMo - femminismo