when work is fun ...

Yesterday, I had a day off and I spent much of it working in the garden.

I chopped back chives that are past their blooming, and are too long and leggy, crowding out other plants.

I cut back nepeta (catmint), loping off long leggy spires that are mostly spent of blooms. They will re-bloom again.

I cut back blackspot leaves on a couple of my roses, as well as japanese beetle eaten limbs, and I sprayed Safer fungicide on the roses. Then I fed them with Rose-Tone, an organic food.

I placed Plant-Tone around other perennials, and I watered the beds, allow the food to soak in.

And I weeded, pulling out more yard violets, various grasses, and yard ivy.

I finished cutting my front viburnums -- in truth, I'd like to let them grow as big and wild as they would like, but there is no room where they are planted to indulge them. I only did light pruning last year, so it was time to cut them back.

I also trimmed my yews, which are ball shaped, a more natural look than square boxes, particularly for stand-alone plants. I pretty much hate square-boxed topiary.

I cut a few branches on my beautyberry that is crowding out soon to open Black-eyed Susans. I pinched back Asters.

This is how a good day can be spent in the garden, doing this physical work. Our temps are below normal, mostly quite cool to warm, and with the exception of mosquitoes, fairly perfect to dig and work doing maintenance.