New (plant) life

I so so sooooooooo want to garden yet there are many more and more pressing projects that need and should be completed first. However, with the idea of keeping the DIY spirit alive and kicking I do dig up some dirt every once in a while simply to make me happy. Well, and to keep the front yard from looking like ...you know ... somebody's donkey (or its behind).

[Before: Floridian desert life with Vinkas and Crape Myrtles]

August is just so not a month to plant anything, really. It's god-awfully hot, the sun burns down from a hazy sky and the occasional torrential rains wash out what little nutrients are left and mercilessly drown the more tender candidates. You also end up with a case of "fried brains" rather quickly.

I have my heart set on planting perennial peanut for an easy, low maintenance ground cover with cottage charm instead of a lawn (*yawn) but that will have to wait until the fall so the plants will have a chance to get established and survive this climate. Until then, dirt aka Florida sand and some mulch will have to suffice.

[More loot from the nursery]

After a scrumptious dinner the Little Man and I took a stroll through the nursery adjacent to the restaurant and ended up with a cart loaded with plants for a new planter bed in front of the house. We also picked up some no-dig edging for an easy way of laying out the bed.

[After: Still more of a desert but we're getting there]

I should have checked the weather forecast before starting to dig up the front yard but I just couldn't wait to get my hands dirty. In the end - 3 hours later - I was feeling somewhat nauseous and lightheaded and decided to camp out inside for a few hours. That's when I learned that the thermometer had hit the 98F mark with a heat index of 107F. Ugh, too hot!

The result was worth a little heat discomfort though. Some grasses, variegated liriope and Arabian jasmine later my little bed started to look quite nice. You know, when you ignored the mulched desert in front of it.

[After: All done except for some peanuts]

Now I need is a truckload of perennial peanut to bring the desert out front back to live.