All before morning coffee break

Having a nursery is essential when you have more than a small urban lot, unless you have an unlimited budget. I moved some echinacea plants (a medicinal herb, but we grow it just to enjoy the flowers) from where they seemed surprisingly happy growing in gravel into cedar planters next to the front walk, where I hope they will be even happier. I was shocked to have this many (16 starts) left over. May they happily root in our nursery.

Mark does not always take the easier jobs. Here he dug some holes to plant some rescued bamboo, and is screening the dirt. Lots o rocks, big, little and medium - he figures the soil is about 20% rock near the house. Most of the topsoil was excavated away when they built the house, or has since washed away. Until now, there has been almost no vegetation around the house, and the difference in soil between here and back in the trees/brush is incredibly instructive.