Gardening Challenges and Successes

It seems like the more work I do to improve the soil, the worse the rodents get... Stupid voles are having a population spike in spite of anything the cats can do... and they do plenty...

Looking for prey?

Actually... Mom caught this one...

They took turns questioning the prisoner... before eventually eating the evidence...

Got some taters up... trying to out-wit the voles by planting this patch next to the house in the foundation planting... Where the cats poop... 

Poppies are up...

Magenta spreen (chenopodium giganteum) seedlings... Gotta 'preciate food that self-sows...

Returning verbesina virginica ... Yall remember the frostflowers

Peaking Hellebores
And camellias

Spreading Mountain mint (pycnanthemum spp.)

I'm a real fan of this stuff...  it spreads very well, and is a valuable resource to the native pollinators...

 as seen on this video

This winter I found that It worked beautifully to clear my lungs when I had that bug that went around... I googled expectorant herbs and then went out and harvested the pitiful offering of leaves... This year... Ima dry some ahead of time...

Theory

I have a theory about compost... 

Seems like a lot of weed seeds are ending up in the pile... And spreading the compost simply plants weeds all over the garden...

What about piling the weed pile in a section of the garden where the veggies don't grow well, and after the compost happens, level the pile where it sits?

Then... 90% of the seeds will be buried... just like God does it... and you only have to pull the weeds from the top layer...

These magenta spreen (growing in the freshly spread compost), are ready to eat...

Saw a hummingbird today, visiting the coral honeysuckle...

Sulphur yellow visiting the eastern columbine...

The iris are starting to bloom...

As is the wild indigo (Baptisia lanceolata).... This indigo is a natural... was here when I got here...

The kudzu bugs have found my fava beans...