I chose this day to address something minor that has been bugging me for a while. I've tried to follow the same basic procedure each time I plant something in my yard. In addition to the hole in the ground for the plant, itself, I also clear a decent-sized area in the immediate vicinity. Not only does this look better, it also removes any weeds and prepares a place to spread mulch. Everything in the yard follows this pattern except for the first azalea cluster next to the street. Planted in among the cluster is a bunch of ornamental grass. This grass grows in quite thick around and all through the individual azaleas and just doesn't look good. It's been this way since I moved in, and has consistently been one of those nagging issues I keep saying I'll address someday. After putting it off for 8 years, I decided while cutting the grass to do something about it today.

I grabbed some gloves, some clippers, and my small garden trowel and started digging and pulling.

And I kept digging and pulling !

Years of neglect meant a lot of grass had managed to grow throughout the entire cluster, quite a bit more than I had anticipated.

But I kept digging and pulling.

I also pulled a few vines that were mixed in with the ornamental grass.

I still have an abundance of poison ivy/oak in my yard, and will probably never be able to get rid of it entirely.

I pulled as much of the grass as I could.

Eventually, this azalea cluster started to look like the other plants in the yard.

The final step in the process was to spread some mulch.

I broke out the lawn mower and bag and headed to the backyard. Several passes later, I had enough "homemade" mulch to cover the base.

This looks pretty good right now. But I have a feeling that because I'm dealing with a lot of ornamental grass, I'll probably have to do this a few more times before I get it all pulled out.