Natchez Pilgrimage 2013 and Garden Redo

After spending some lazy days of sleeping in and doing little to nothing, I've finished reveling in RETIREMENT and am back living in the REAL WORLD.  I've always dreamed of a large flower garden behind my patio but never had the time to devote to it, so it was one of the first things on my "to do" list.  I couldn't wait for those bleary and drab days of January and February to pass so I could get out and play in the dirt!!!  Johnny and I found a neat little tiller that he felt I could manage on my own.  I'm proud to introduce my new little friend Tillie.........

Isn't she a beauty????  Johnny put her together for me and then promptly started on a huge project at work that's kept him working overtime and on weekends.  So I pulled out the instruction booklet, mixed the gasoline and oil, and filled her right up.  She cranked up like a charm.  I am WOMANNNNNN, hear me ROAR!

When my house was built, we brought in a lot of clay to raise the elevation so the dirt close to the foundation isn't the best.  I shoveled and pulled grass for two entire days and then put Tillie to work busting up all that clay.  Five bags of topsoil, two bags of peat humus, and two bags of cow manure later, I still don't have the bed built up as much as I'd like.....  So it's off to Lowe's I go tomorrow morning.....  Here's what it looks like today.....

Nine additional bags later and FINALLY enough dirt to build it up to the level I wanted......  You'll have to wait on a picture of it cause I was too worn out to take one!!!

There will be a stepping stone path between the two beds going back to my swing.  After playing around with those stones WAYYY too much, I finally have them where I like 'em.

The next thing on the agenda is to dig out the path a bit so the stones are lower and then zap any remaining grass roots with Round Up before laying the landscape fabric down.....

STAY TUNED FOR MORE PICS!!!!!!

Terri