Well if I am practicing social distancing, I may as well garden....

It is 70 degrees in New Jersey today. The day started with heavy rain but it quietly ended and the sun started to come out, so I donned some old sneakers and went out into the garden. I am social distancing myself as much as I can as to not contribute to the spread of, and also to avoid contracting the Covid 19 virus. I realize I am privileged to be able to do so, while many others are not.

On the docket today was the digging of, and transplanting of some variegated liriope. They have been hanging around our house for approximately 15 years now and I do not know the variety. This is them in their somewhat mangy state. It's not their fault, it's mine.

The digging went fairly quickly. While I won't say it was easy, it wasn't too bad either. Liriope have a fairly shallow root system and they are quite hardy plants where I garden in New Jersey, zone 6b.

Up and out they went, then they all got a little trim. Why the beauty treatment, you ask? Cutting off the old growth will allow all the energy the plant has, to be directed into growing new, strong, healthy roots.

Their new home is to be in one of the two new beds I wrote about in my blog post a few days ago. You can read more about that here.

Have I mentioned that our lawn here is crap? Oh no? Well, our lawn here is crap. We are working on it but in all honesty, it's not going real well. That's the reason we decided to make two new beds in an area that was previously lawn. I am using the word lawn generously. We had a landscaper cut in a new bed where he made a nice defined edge, put landscape fabric down to cut down on weeds, and then put on a really thick layer of beautiful mulch.

Do you know what I didn't think of last Fall? I didn't think that I would have to be the one to scrape away that thick layer of beautiful mulch, that I would be the one that would have to pull back and cut the landscape fabric that helps prevent weeds, and that I would have to do this FOR. EVERY. PLANT. THAT. GETS. PLANTED. IN. THESE. NEW. BEDS. No, no, I'm not bitter at all. I did it. I will continue to do it. Lesson learned. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. It builds character. Yada, yada, yada.

Here are most of the new plants (I left a few in a bucket with some water for another day when I have another burst of energy) all tucked in nicely in their new digs. I think they look great and will look better and better as they begin to put on their new growth.

I will keep you posted on their progress, as well as the progress of these two beds as they fill in and develop over the season. I have big plans for them.

This is what I am left with in the area from which the liriope were dug out. Do you know what I see here? WORK. More importantly than that, I see POSSIBILITY.

Have a great weekend. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Cheers!