Surprise Garden

Well, spring is here and this past weekend brought 80 degree weather to SE Washington! 

It also lured me into my garden. 

Look what was there to greet me:

Last year's Parsley wintered over!

 Along with the chives and a few perennials.

There were also many, many bugs. Some were unwanted, like the aphids and wasps. 

Ugh!
While the tulips are certainly bright and sunny,
the aphid infestation makes me want to gag and leaves my skin crawling!
They were all over my roses too. Pruning was a nightmare. 

The ladybugs have been ordered and should arrive this week. 

(Lady bugs will be a first for me, wish me luck)

 Some bugs are VERY wanted. 

Can you see the Praying Mantis egg on the fence? 

I get one every year, and it is always fun to discover each year's nest.  

This year, it didn't take too long to put in the garden. I'm trying to go a bit more low-maintenance (i.e.: cheaper!) by using more perennials. More up front cost, but lasting results. So I dug up bulbs last fall, added a few additional ones to my collection this spring, and put them all in the ground. Along with moving a few herb shrubs and planting a few veggie seeds the garden is already in good shape. I even have salad greens sprouting! Mmm, mmm, good.

I do have a few more things to get, but I am thrilled with how easy it was to get the garden set this year. Still to come: I'm going to try ordering a Bay Leaf tree and try it in my garden (anyone have any suggestions on how to help it winter over?). I'll be picking up some chamomile and echinacea for some planters and I'm still debating a tomato plant this year. The growing tomatoes for canning didn't go as I expected last year, but the idea of fresh summer salsa is sure appealing (any suggestions on varieties?).

Oh, and BIG bonus share. I found a cheap, eco-friendly weed killer! In the past I have just gone the old fashioned route and pulled them out by hand...but with my sensitive skin and grass allergies, this has always been a challenge for me (I'm talking rash-city--yukka!). I recently read that plain ol' white vinegar will safely kill the weeds. I tried it out this weekend and am quite pleased with the results. The weeds are drying up. However, I do have some "burn" marks in my lawn, apparently the vinegar will kill all plant life. But hey, grass comes back with a vengeance this time of year!

Any surprises in your garden?