So after the water sprinkler was installed but while we were still waiting to test if there were any leaks, we started planted our potentillas. The secondary water – which we use to water our lawn and garden here – has not yet been turned on. They say April 19th but as of the 24th it is still in process. There is some water in the reservoir but not enough pressure yet. So we wait. Prior to that planting, there was lots of dirt to move and other dirt to sift through to make it appropriate for planting. There are so many rocks here (perhaps because we live at the base of the Rocky Mountains?) Carl sifts the soil to get the larger rocks out and then combines the soil with peat moss to loosen it up.
So here is the ongoing progress of our planting – I do help some with the actual planting but the bulk of the work is Carl – and he is so good at it. I am very thankful for him and all his labors.
Carl digging a hole for the third of the five pink Potentillas we are planting. The other two we will have to wait to plant as they will be too close to the trenches for the sprinklers.
Here are the three pink Potentillas we are planting. If you look close you can see two posts where the other two will go just behind the large wood piece.
Carl worked on getting the dirt ready for the yellow potentillas to be planted.
He actually got four yellow potentillas planted in one day. The rocks in the front will be moved to become part of a wall somewhere else. They were in the soil as were the two brick pieces sitting on the wall.
Five yellow potentillas now planted, some of the rocks Carl has dug out AND the arrival of the stump grinder.
So sometimes after we moved into our home two years ago we found a picture that showed some trees along the little road going up the hill by our house. Those trees have been taken down but two of the stumps remain. They are kind of a problem in the middle of the garden. We decided to have them ground down after Carl tried all he knew to get them out. They are too big for him to dig out.
Here are the two old tree stumps.
The young man we hired setting up his stump grinder.
Here he is grinding down the first stump. You can see the pieces flying and we could hear the rocks he hit.
You can see there is not much left. Unfortunately, he hit too many rocks and had to take his grinder in for repairs. He came back later that day to finish the job.
He came back and finished the first stump from the other side.
Here he is finishing the second stump. It went much faster and was easier. Less rocks I think.
Close up of the mulch.
Since the secondary water is not yet on we are still waiting to plant the last two Potentillas but while he waits Carl will be sifting through and sorting and moving the mulch. We have some yucca plants in the front yard that are not doing as well as they might as they are quite shaded so Carl plans to move them to this sunny area. He will be busy much of the summer I think. Soon it will be time to dig up the garden to plant tomatoes and corn, but that soil should be easy to turn. I seems like a never ending job to regain control of all the overgrown areas of our yard but it is wonderful to see it when Carl finishes it.