Can I please just get a day in the garden?

Well it is officially the First Day of Spring!  We've had some pretty major ups and downs temperature-wise and I know a lot of folks in the area have been worried about their early flowering plants... either I'm a little cooler where I am or I put stuff in the ground late last year and that is why they are late.  I suppose we shall see next year what schedule they are on.  I have been able to pick some daffodils and they make me so happy!  Just sunshine in a little cup!

I also went up to my local nursery and picked up (finally!) a forsythia and a flowering quince.  I did receive some gifts of each of these from my aunts but they don't seem to have fared well so I'm starting from scratch.  It is so nice to see those bright flowers in the garden while everything else is still brown, though with a bit of green poking around at the bottom of some of the plants.

Because of our temperature swings, I haven't cleared out the garden yet, basically wanting the old plant matter to provide some additional protection from the high winds and cold temperatures.  It looks like in the next 10 days we have one more night that might get to the 20s but everything else looks like 30s, 40s and even 50s as low temperatures.

These two little ones, in between eating dirt and who knows what else, smacking each other upside the head and picking up things that they're not supposed to... they make it a little hard to get anything done.  But, guess what, they did help me plant a rose bush last night... they dug their little holes and I dug mine and they helped me cover it up... progress!

And, of course, my Mike... who puts up with me as we both are trying to figure out all of this and try to get it done right... or just get it done!  He made the planting template so now we just need to get the landscape fabric situated on the beds and Thursday night I am planting my first seed block transplants!!!  I am so excited!  They are probably hating me right now because they should have been planted weeks ago and are getting to such an overgrown state that I'm not quite sure how many I have.. but, whatever, they are going in the ground!  I have some snapdragons too and they might just end up in the same bed as the stock because they are so few (maybe 6).

I have been losing confidence in my Green Thumb abilities with soil blocking... but I have my third round of seed blocks going and I MAY have gotten it right.  The first set was too wet and cold, the second too hot and dry... and this third... not dry... maybe a little too warm... but it's looking okay at least.  Anyhow, I guess some plants are better than none and I've noticed that when I give up on snapdragon seedlings... then somehow those trays start to show a little life.

So I really don't get much time in the garden, and last night I came home from work, kicked off my heels and threw on my boots and went out to the garden... dress and all.  I know my neighbors must wonder what I'm up to but I just needed to get out there and changing clothes takes time.  So, in this cute little number - ha! - I planted two rose bushes, three heleobores, got my dress caught on a raspberry vine and tried to keep the boys away from daddy who was setting up the drip irrigation.  But can I please just have a day in the garden?