May Gardens...

...are my favorite.  Of course I still don't have produce from the vegetable gardens (the lettuce is close) but my flowers are blooming and we've had a cool spell and I am happy.

I am also exhausted.  We have done so much work on the yard and gardens this year.  When I say I've yard work, what I really mean is landscaping.  When I say exhausted, I mean of the type that when your husband gets home, he takes one look at you and says "I'll do dinner tonight."  Generally I enjoyed every minute, but there were a couple of low spots.  I can't decided if the worst of it was accidentally eviscerating a muskrat while dredging the creek or transplanting a well-established Oregon grape.  The muskrat was grosser, but the Oregon grape left me covered in tiny puncture wounds that resembled a rash from a tropical disease on my arms.  My husband meanwhile has completely redone the patio, which involved hauling tons of dirt and trying to find places around the yard to stash it!

My Mother's Day garden--the north bed redone!

The infamous Oregon grape in the corner.

We are still not done. This is the pile of debris from the creek, as well as the wind storm last night that wrecked havoc on the willows.  I have a suspicion that I need to dredge out at least one to two more tarp fulls of creek detritis before the creek is completely free flowing again.

Meanwhile my husband still has to tackle this little project to finish off the new patio (a.k.a. my Tuscan plaza!).

But I also found some time to be crafty.  I have a tiny little obsession with succulents and I made this little planter in a cassarole dish that was given to us a wedding present but was cracked in shipping.  It's the perfect size for a table centerpiece!

I've also been trying to weed and thin the south perennial beds, but have not made as much progress as I would like.  It hasn't stopped the flowers from blooming wonderfully though!

One of the last of the tulips

And the first of the iris!

And then there is my little potager.  I am still somewhat in shock that almost everything (except the squash and beans) is planted.  This could be my best year ever!

Tomato growing in the wall o' water!

The workhorse of the garden.

Salmon swimming upstream through the garlic!

I finished up today by cleaning my "woman cave."  My potting table isn't quite as pretty as the ones I have on my Pinterest board, but it's functional and was made with love by my husband (Ok, it was actually his work bench until he wanted a new one and gave me this one, but he did make it and it is great)!

My succulent centerpiece that I made last summer.