If you are a homeowner, April not only brings spring flowers, but lots of chores…check out this link below…just click the photo:
Yesterday was the second time I mowed this month…and edged, and weeded. Sadly, it appears that I will be fighting wild violets again this year in the turf…Boo! Although violets (not the edible violas or Johnny Jump Ups) are pretty, they will spread rampantly and kill all turf in its path. I learned the hard way…last season. I am not a fan of turf, yet since I own 3000SF, it must be cared for. Since the use of chemicals is taboo here, one must be extra clever to stay ahead of undesirables that blow in and take root.

I dream that my gardens and turf look like this, yet alas.
My neighbor’s field is awash with wild violets and the explosion of seeds manages to permeate my stand of thick cypress trees and attempts to conquer my tidy gardens. Last year I resorted to drastic steps. Did this fix the problem? One stroll into the turf last week, showed a healthy stand of the dastardly plants…all abloom and happy. Oh how lawn care products lie!
Three years ago, I nicknamed my house “the needy box.” This month marks sixteen years here (where does the time go??) and always, always, there is something to do. Can one actually divorce one’s home? IF so, I want one…a divorce.
IF I continue to stay, most of my major improvements since 2001 will need a redo beginning in six years. I admit, I am not ready, willing, nor is my pocketbook. “I ain’t in love,” as some country song wails. With real estate currently a seller’s market, I regularly fantasize about moving, even catch myself steering the car into new parts of the county…looking for eureka! Yet the dilemma remains…where to? Little real estate remains affordable in the US (under 300K), and regional taxes or health care deficits can take a bite out of the relocation dream.
When I shop for converted warehouses around the country, they are there. But who wants to live in the snow belt? If the warehouses here in my area are ever converted, they will become, as most other real estate here, half-million dollar abodes.
So for now, I remain on my little half-acre, not far from town, where birds, flowers, quiet, and sunshine are regulars. Deep in my soul, I wish for continued inspiration and stamina. Today, the growing season begins again…in central Virginia, zone 7a.
Let it be gentle.

A rare daffodil in my gardens…Thalia

This is Honeymoon, a fringed tulip which customers fight over at market

And this is a newbie to my gardens…Akebono, a Japanese double tulip. I had high hopes for this beauty, yet the stems don’t seem to support the peony-like blooms.
So I am off to open closets, vacuum velvet and linen draperies, wash cabinets, and polish silver whilst thinking of Cinderella when she “…wakes to find sunshine bright and all the meadows white…”
What does spring look like in your part of the world?
Copyright © 2017 By Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
Garden and lawn maintenance is one thing I don’t have to worry about anymore but I certainly know where you are coming from. This is the time of year that was very busy in our orchard.
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So enjoying your photographs. They make it spring every day! Loved meeting you and hope to do it again very soon. Meanwhile happy spring!
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Reading your posts often makes me glad I rent my house and the landlord cares for the property around it. So … thank you, I guess! (Although I undoubtedly pay for it.) There is always so much to care for, especially when you have a property as lovely as yours. But you are right to be grateful for the peace and quiet, the lovely vistas, the birds and all the wonderful things you DO have. It’s a good thing. 🙂
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Indeed Jeanne, I do adore my peace here.
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p.s. Those Honeymoon tulips are gorgeous!!
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Diane, Wild violets are every where in my area also. I am experimenting with a combination of alcohol & vinegar & straight vinegar. Straight vinegar works very well on thistle if you spray in the sun.& does not harm grass (so far).
I paused while writing this & checked the sprayed violets. The violets, sprayed with the combination is quite a bit lighter in color than the unsprayed, so it appears to be working. I will let you know.
I also have a high maintenance older home & “feel your pain.”
Good luck with your house hunting, Joe
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Thanks for the vinegar tip Joe. I will try on the stubborn ones later today…
House hunting has become a hobby…;-)
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So pretty.
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