Yep. The fleas are back. It has been exactly 14 days since I dosed the critters with Advantage. So this morning I hit them with the Frontline. I've been itching like crazy because I have seen two fleas. They don't bite me, thank God, but just the sight of one of these nasty things sets me to itching. As we speak all the dog beds are in the washer. I'm serious about this. I really, really hate fleas. Update in two weeks.
After I dosed the girls and brushed their teeth, I could not wait to get outside and take advantage of the rain free mild weather we are having. According to MJ, the weather lady, this weekend could be dicey, with temps dropping down into the 30s during the day, so I decided to get out there and finish up the daylilies.
Above is what my daylilies used to look like. Now they are all orange and I'm not sure how this happened, but I suspect neglect on my part. I've never cleaned them up for winter or divided them but this year has been different. I actually kept them watered and dead headed this summer and they were lovely and lasted a long time.
Today I cleaned up five stands in the front flower bed, overfilling my big pink lugger. It was really easy as they had all died down. When I was done, I stood back and made a plan for dividing them out and new placement. Dividing is a cinch.
All you do is dig up the clump, put some compost and organic fertilizer in the hole, hack the clump up with your shovel, and plant the piece that you want to keep. Water it in. Easy peasy. Then put the other pieces into a cardboard box and leave them on your neighbor's doorstep when they are gone.
While I was out there I was again charmed by the barberries. Now you know Miss MoneyPenny is on a mission to get more barberries into people's gardens. These plants really earn their keep in a flower border and there are many different varieties and colors. Barberries require very little in maintenance, maybe a little pruning of dead branches or to keep it to your desired size. They don't care what kind of soil they are in and don't get all mad if they are not watered. They are beautiful and really serve as a backdrop to your more flowery flowers, really setting them off, and the birds eat the berries in fall and winter. Plus, and this is a big plus, DEER HATE THEM!!
Here is a picture of my barberries. The first one still has its leaves. The little green barberry has lost his leaves but has stunning red berries.
And since we are showing pretty pictures of flowers, here is what arrived on my birthday from my sister, SmartyPants:
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