It feels great when one morning works out perfectly. Take this past Tuesday for example. When I arrived on site that morning it was sunny but my work zone was nicely shaded.
Soil amender
Waiting for me on site were a few yards of soil amender; and more soil was on the way. I love soil installs! Soil is important and installing the amender creates an instant upgrade. What was a tired looking bed now sports several inches of fluffy dark soil.
Spring bed makeover
Since I had arrived early and my Starbucks coffee was still hot, I took my iPhone5 and went for a walk. Earlier this spring we had done a nice makeover on three beds at this site. How were the new plants doing? I always feel responsible for any weaklings even though the clients are responsible for watering.
Plant edit
The third replanted bed is in a shady woodland setting and the irrigation system probably isn’t perfect. Some of the hydrangeas, Astilbe and Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium japonicum) looked weak so the strata council jumped right on it.
I replaced the weak ferns and hydrangeas. Since Astilbe are perennials I cut them back and planted the new ones right next to them. Then I hand-watered all of the new plants and wished them well.
Clean up
Obviously, clean up is a critical component of good landscape maintenance. You don’t want the residents to know that you were there. So I used a backpack blower to blow soil of all bed edges and the parking lot.
After that, I grabbed a hose and hosed off any stubborn soil amender still clinging to the road. The cold water felt great on my hands. And without sounding like a lecherous-looking gondolier, I confess to enjoying the view of the nearby pool. Little kids were splashing around, some took swimming lessons and their mothers looked beautiful.
It’s a gift when your morning at work doesn’t even feel like work. This was a killer morning.
