Taxes Out, Gardening In!

Anacacho orchid tree from Ladybird Johnson
Wildflower Center Photo Archives
Photographer: Lee Pace

It is Hump Day, the middle of the week, the transition from the beginning to the end, the fall after the rise. Many thing came to a finish today: I got all the tax papers together and mailed them off to our accountant, The house is clean (except for folding the laundry), the front beds are almost all weeded and ready for new dirt and planting, and I sent off soil and water samples to be tested. These were all tasks hanging over my head for a looong time--the taxes were my own personal sword of Damocles. Now they're all done, and tomorrow I get to garden all day GUILT FREE! Wheeee!

Tomorrow the first trees go in--Anacacho orchid trees right by the front door (white), and the white turk's cap, the white beautyberry, and maybe some of the fragrant tea olives. tropical sage (in white), pigeonberry, frogfruit, maybe some shrubby boneset (if I can find some well-drained areas) and some confederate jasmine. One thing I learned from the front yard in Atlanta is how wonderful it is to have fragrant plants along the walk to the front door and ringing the porch. There we had confederate jasmine, gardenia, and fragrant tea olive and they all bloomed at different times so the fragrances were not overwhelming. I'd love to put the jasmine by the front door too, but there are no structures there for it to climb... Might have to design something for the guys to build.

Oh it feels good to contemplate gardening instead of taxes!!! And doing so with a clean house is the cherry on top of my sundae. I'll save the big gardening post for tomorrow after a lot of the work is done--and I'll include pictures. Can't wait to get my hands in the dirt!!