Flowers 2015

This weekend I finally as able to plant the flowers that have been hanging around our deck and kitchen for almost one month now.  Unlike the long gone days of this day being fun and relaxing, I quickly threw the pots together as fast as I could while Ben flung soil all over the place with the little hand shovel, which I had to fight over with him constantly while Tessa was napping in the afternoon.

The highlight of the afternoon was when I was dumping last years soil out of the pots in to a big plastic tub to mix and blend with some new soil.  On the third pot (out of many, so this could have been worse) I overturned the pot to discover that I had dumped out a fully functioning ant colony, complete with swollen pregnant looking ants, eggs, and thousands of worker ants who seemed very panicked over what had just happened.  Eeek.  It was really gross and I didn't use any of that soil after that but it was also very interesting.  Those ants picked up and moved their eggs so fast.  I don't know what I should do with the tub now.  I feel bad dumping it in the dumpster because I don't want to wreck their colony again but also...I don't want an ant colony in my yard in a tub. 

So here are some of the finished pots.  There are more shade oriented pots that were already moved in front of the house where it is shady.  Get a good look now, because last year 90% of what I planted was dead within two weeks and then I bought some fillers and they died too.  It could have been the heat of the deck but these have all been living out there for weeks in the sun and are healthier than ever. It could have been the soil, which we took from a field, and it could have been the fertilizer we put in the soil.  This year I used no fertilizer besides what is already in the new potting soil so I really hope this all doesn't end up being a waste.  I felt like an idiot for killing marigolds and geraniums because no one does that.  They are very hard to screw up. 
 

 

This one is my favorite.  I have a feeling that sweet potato vine will end up taking over the whole thing.  That little hand in the corner is reaching out to touch a cactus.  Right after the photo he did indeed touch it and get pricked.  Lesson learned, child. 

Meanwhile, in front of the house, Justin was working on his own landscaping project. 

This is the before picture with scrubby looking bushes.  He took out all the rocks in the front, added new plastic and hung some trellis to hide the exposed opening. 

 

Here it is after!  There will soon be some new plants in there. 

 

In the backyard he added some new native grasses. 

These are little bluestems.  They were placed in front of the big bluestems that we added last summer.

 

I can't wait to see how they look in as the summer passes!

 

Last night we went to a carnival and Ben was tall enough to ride on some of the little kid rides by himself!  Justin rode with him on this spinning dinosaur one.

 

He went on this mini "tower of terror" inspired ride.  He looked pretty terrified but he didn't cry!

 

He flew a helicopter,

 

and went on a hot air balloon. 

 

Tessa rode the carousel with me holding her on the whole time.  She liked it.  She kept saying "wheeee" during the ride.