Too Cold and Too Windy

The weather has slowed our progress on removing old paint from the outside of the house. It's a no win situation when the temperature is in the 50's and the wind is blowing 15 mph because of this we have been forced to find other smaller projects until we can get back to stripping and sanding paint.

So for the last two day we have been cleaning out the front flower/shrub bed by the street. This is the area where the tree trimmers removed or trim trees this past winter. Last summer I cut back all the shrubs except for the lilac bushes. I have approximately 15 to 20 feet of fence row left to clean out. Unfortunately for me the remaining shrubs and trees all have large thorns. Once I finish clearing out the unwanted vegetation, we can rent a stump grinder and grind down the tree trunks and what is left of the shrubs I have cut back.

Our plan for this area is to continue adding various varieties of lilacs. The lilacs that are there provide very dense foliage that blocks the view nicely in the summer. Lilacs once they are established are nearly maintenance free, plus there is the added benefit of the fragrant blooms. Nothing smells as wonderful as a lilac bloom....not even a rose.

We have already planted nearly 30 lilac bushes along the inside of the fence. Some are just starting to bloom and some are late bloomers.
The older larger original lilac bushes are now close to 15 feet tall. The first month that we owned the house, R cut all the old lilacs down to about 6 inches. We were then able to remove all the dead wood which has allowed the lilacs to grow back healthier and they are better bloomers now.

Our early tulips are just starting to wind down and the mid to late tulips are getting ready to bloom.
The dwarf irises are just beginning to open up. I purchased these dwarf irises last summer on sale. The tag said the were a deep wine red color called 'Cherry'. Looks purple to me.
I am looking forward to seeing the irises bloom that I received from friends last year. Sandy from Curly's Corner blog sent me a box of blue irises and they are coming up nicely. B & G's neighbor gave me a large tub of yellow irises and they too, are growing nicely.

Irises are a favorite of R. I like irises because like the lilac they are maintenance free and have a great bloom.