at this time of year, i LOVE getting my hands dirty

 When we first moved to Red Gate Farm, over 9 years ago, there was a show named Rebecca's Garden and her motto was "get your hands dirty"... at this time of year it certainly feels good to get back into the gardens and do just that.

The tulips I planted last fall are looking fabulous.  Cool weather has kept them looking good.  From this...

To this...

And later that same day when the sun came out, this.

Farther down the garden is a repeat, with yellow tulips in the background.

And again, opening up for the warm sunshine.

My hydrangeas and roses in this flower bed are looking good this year.  I even pruned them!  I know, I know that's what you're supposed to do but I must admit I have a difficult time pruning plants or thinning seedlings for that matter.  But I have definitely seen how much better a rose bush does after a pruning and I did a thorough pruning of them this year.

You may notice the lack of grass in the above pictures... my husband likes getting his hands dirty too and has been working on a curb along one side our driveway in preparation for putting in the golf course, I mean front lawn.

Another angle... I think the rose bushes will look quite nice with a plush strip of grass in front of them this summer, as will those tulips next spring!

And speaking of dirt, the many hanging baskets and pots have been planted with annuals and are waiting patiently in the warmish, protected little greenhouse.  A couple more weeks and they will come out of the greenhouse with a bit of a head start in their growing.  I usually wait until Mother's Day weekend to be sure any surprise frosts are behind us.

The impatiens and petunias I planted are still inside the house and I will probably wait to bring them out to the greenhouse for another week or two.  I've planted 100's of marigolds and zinnias in my little seed flats with more zinnias and sunflowers still to plant this week.

I think next year I'll have to add a few more of this pretty little tulip named "angelique"... it's almost peony like and is a bright spot in front of an actual Sarah Bernhardt peony.

And now I'm off to check out Amazon Prime for old episodes of Rebecca's Garden... which makes me wonder how about you?  Been getting your hands dirty yet?