Uncommonly cool May temps (66 degrees!) has persuaded us to putter in the garden all day yesterday. After paying a visit to nurseries and big box home improvement stores, we brought home several bags of topsoil, compost, landscape mix and garden soil. I also managed to find the first of the season’s Cape Town Blue felicia at Home Depot. It seems this Carrollton location always keeps a good stock of “Proven Winners” plants. This year, I plan on aggressively taking cuttings from the felicia for experimental rooting.

With the tree ring weed matted, we proceeded to put down 4 bags of topsoil and 2 bags of landscaping mix. I then proceeded to plant out about 4-6 of the coral bicolor salvia coccinea and 4 of the Lady in Red salvia coccinea. Incidentally we saw flats upon flats of these Ladies in Red at Strong’s Nursery yesterday, and I couldn’t help but notice how much yellower the foliage is.

I had a brilliant notion to border the tree line with variegated lemon thyme cuttings. I am thinking that will keep the invading grass and weeds at bay as well as maintain a perennial border in the ring. I hope to take several cuttings and give it a try. I was also thinking of purchasing a weed preventer granule like Preen to keep the weeds suppressed until the plant ring is established, but I’ve read using it produces mixed results at best.

With the extra garden soil and with the help of the man, I’ve filled out the remaining holes in the cinder block border of the herb garden. The variegated oregano now has a home, and it’s just a matter of time before planting out the rest. I do have some concerns about the lone Chinese eggplant we obtained last week; it can grow up to 4 feet high, and I’m not sure that our herb garden can support such a large plant.

I also gave the shade bed hostas another heavy dusting of insect repellent granules as well as full spray coverage with the Bayer Advanced system. Much of the Wide Brims have been decimated by pests. Luckily the Prairie Sky hosta is so big and thick that the pest damage is much less evident on it. The Gold Standard hosta also rises higher above the ground and tends to sit out in more sun than the neighbors, so the damage is controlled there.

The first and only Dahlberg daisy that I’ve successfully cultivated indoors is now outside with its 4 other companions. Apparently there wasn’t much of a root stock and it became a disintegrated mess before planting. But I hope to see it do well in its new home.

Finally my man decided to overseed the ugly brown patches in the front yard with a package of Scott’s waterwise bermuda grass formula. He went a little crazy because he managed to empty the package before he could cover up all of the bare spots. I also pointed out to him the unlikelihood that some of the shady areas he overseeded would see any growth. He’s optimistic however, since he did all of the work.