I Finished It and… - April 12, 2026@goldenoakfarm

On Sunday morning I was up at 5:30AM and got my post up. My brother was up early and helped me get the treadmill up and the screens moved. Next I tried to put the fans in the office window for the seedlings, but discovered I’d used all the 3’ extension cords. So I got more ordered.

By this time, it was time for lunch so I made some. It had warmed up and I headed out to the gardens around 11:45AM. I went around to see what had opened and get photos.

The first thing I saw was a white bulb above the foliage in the Back Porch garden. Upon checking it out, I discovered the foliage had grown right through the center of the bulb.

I also found the 1st violet and lungwort flower.

Next I had to plant the survivors of the cold frame. The verbascum went into the New South garden and the 6 pots of Sweet William I put in gardens that had surviving Sweet William. They may make it, or not, but I thought they deserved a chance.

I got all my equipment out and set to work on the New East garden. There had been a lot of grass in it last summer so I was looking to pull out grass roots. Not much had survived the grass or the huge leaf piles.

Two columbines had died, the delphinium had hung on by the skin of its teeth, the geranium was gone, as were all but 1 of the verbascum. And it didn’t look so good.

On the south end, the new bleeding heart, and the tiny old one had survived. The spiderwort had spread nearly to the edge of the garden. The Jacob’s ladder was doing well, the astilbe had survived, and the lovage was doing well.

Most of the daffodils were doing well and 1 of the hyacinths was up. I don’t know if I will have tulips or not. I got the mock orange pruned so it doesn’t grab my hair anymore.

It was after 2PM by the time I put down BulbTone and FlowerTone, got my notes and photos and cleaned up. This garden had nearly finished me off.

My #2 intern had arrived around noon and set back to work cleaning out the Fence gardens. I had hoped she would find ground phlox still in the 6th garden, but alas, it was gone. So she said, “Well, I’ll just have to take you plant shopping!”

She got the leaves off the 7th garden and when she comes back on Tuesday, we will look to see what is left in there. These gardens used to have fences like that in the 7th garden but I haven’t been able to find the tobacco shed poles I need to make rails. So that’s the only garden left with a fence.

My son got this shot of the hawk on the swingset. It was probably after the goldfinches on the thistle feeder.

I went inside and sat down for a while, then went to lie on the couch with ‘Leave It to Beaver’. I fell asleep for a few hours and when I got up; my #1 and #3 interns were cooking their supper.

I made some supper and went back to watching Beaver. I got a fire in the wood stove only as the masonry heater was at 140F still. I was in bed shortly after 8PM.

Flowers my #1 intern brought home from one of her jobs

On Monday I have an appointment and leave at 8AM. When I get back I hope my lawnmower guy can bring the mowers back. I hope to get the Back Porch garden cleaned out and in the evening I have the Zoom meeting for the estate transition class. It’s to be a nice warm day and 80’s are forecast for Tuesday through Thursday.