Now That It's Been Raining For A Week

I keep thinking that I should be out working in the garden. But aside from the problem of my injured shoulder, the heavy clay soil should not come in contact with any human feet. Wandering around in the dirt will compact the soil, eliminating the little spaces that allow the plant roots to grow. So I sit in the living room contemplating the changes I'm planning for this year. First the eucalyptus tree in the front yard has grown and one side of the yard there no longer gets enough sun to sustain the Agastache rupestris planted there. I'm planning to replant the area with ferns backgrounded with either Loropetalum chinense or Camellia sasanqua, both of which can survive the almost full shade except for the few sunny, hot hours during the hottest part of the day in the hottest part of the summer.

I also have to decide what to do about the driveway strip. The plants there mostly didn't do well last year, and while some of the herbaceous perennials like the cone flower will come back next year, the gaura did nothing but host aphids and probably won't be allowed back in the spring. Some of the erigeron has gotten ratty and will be replaced with fresh. And I need something that will look good next to the Cecile Brunner on the back fence.

Oh, and the hellebores have put out their first flowers. Still buds, but clearly there.