Last month, I left for several weeks — several critical weeks when the weather was warmer and rainy and our garden was starting to come out of hibernation. When I got back, it had gone a bit wild:
I quickly got to work wrangling the eager dandelions, digging them out or just popping off the tops when I ran out of time. At least half a dozen still appear every day, seemingly out of nowhere, but thankfully I got to them in time. I also started pruning some of the bushes a bit, mowing the lawn, and killing the weeds growing in the cracks between patio stones (vinegar with a dash of dish soap does wonders on those).
But the biggest progress came this weekend, when I decided to tackle the grass. There has been some amount of grass sprouting in that garden bed since we moved in to this house, and I’ve never been able to fully tame it. This weekend I finally resolved to take care of it. So I got some cardboard, a lot of newspaper, and many bags of mulch. I had two days of full sun and warm temperatures that really helped as I worked in the garden, and although the end product isn’t perfect it’s already so, so much better than before:
Just look at those plants! The azaleas and ferns just pop out against the mulch, and hopefully any grass leftover from my weeding will die underneath there. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the ceanothus is in full bloom on the other side of the yard. I smile every time I look out the back windows now.
Expat Linguist 
Spring smiles her beauty 💕🌿🌸