A Cool March Day In The Garden

 Early March is the time when we look longingly out the window wondering if we can venture out to play in the garden.  It was cool this morning but the sun was so bright and the sky so blue that we threw caution to the wind and headed outside. Where  should we begin?  We wanted to stick together and so we decided to start in the garden down by the road.  Since the garden tractors are still equipped for snow, Ed loaded our garden carts and tools into the back of  his Red Ranger.  We started in front of the stone wall and the vibrations from our activity  tickled a big night-crawler to the surface.  Too bad the  flock of robins that Ed saw yesterday were gone.  They missed a feast.  I should have taken his picture, but my hands were cold and I decided not to take off my gloves to use the camera.  Finding the soil next to the wall still frozen, we moved to the Siberian iris that were in the sun.

All of the Siberian iris were need of a trim.  Who know what might be under all of those leaves?

The plant that I was working on had red bee balm growing all around it.  I knew it was there before I could see it because when it was disturbed  it gave  off its amazing scent.  I love my fragrant plants!

We had fun and seeing the bed looking neater made us both felt great, but our hands were getting very cold.  I thought we might be heading back to the house, but once inside the truck where it was warm  we decided to drive to Ed's garden in the back to check on his garlic.

Ed was not at all sure if he should be happy to see his garlic up now.  He mulched it with leaves to keep it from coming up too soon.  In the end the plants decide when the time is right.  I was glad to see it!  It was definitely time to head back to the house for lunch.  Hot soup and a grilled sandwich seemed like heaven to two chilled gardeners.  We were really glad to be inside when the wind started wailing and rain or sleet pelted the windows.  The lights blinked three different times, but the power stayed on.  Still cold the two of us cuddled together for a little afternoon nap.

When we awoke it was nice out again but cooler.  Ed went back out anyway and  trimmed this garden bed.  I was thrilled to see my Dutch iris coming up.  The cage will keep the deer from nipping them in the bud!  Gull's Wing Siberian Iris hold the left near corner.  Three small plants were mail ordered several years ago.  The tiny plant had been given up for dead but it made an appearance last year.

It was good to see this quack grass go from among the crocus.  Ed is a master at teasing these nasty invaders out of his garden soil.  A cage was put in place over the crocus.  This year the deer will not get to eat them before they bloom.
 

Where To Begin? Start Anywhere!

After all the waiting and anticipation, today was the quintessential spring day to work outside.   Ed started early and headed for the back.  When he returned from there, I got my cart and all my other gear and joined him in the garden.  The crocuses are beginning to bloom and it's a pleasure to hear the buzzing of the bees.  There might not be many flowers just yet, but this bee's sacs are brimming with orange pollen.  We have lots of cleaning up to do, but the beds with blooming  flowers  beg for attention and they get it.

Right now my Kathryn Hodgkin Dutch iris are  a delight.  Some of them are open and there are more to come.  These early flowers are always good for a smile.  Cleaning up around something so lovely is fun.  The tree swallows are back and provide a little aerial excitement as well.

Lest we forget the weeds, they seem to have wintered over well.  Here is shepherd's purse already in flower.  Quack grass is making an appearance as well.  The dandelions are off to a slow start, but give you a great feeling if you can get the small plant and its gigantic root out in one piece. We spent the rest of the morning, removing mulch, pulling weeds, cutting back dead stems to make way for new growth.  Ed potted up some Clara Curtis chrysanthemums that he wants to move.  This kept up until lunch time. We were both starved and enjoyed the break for lunch.  After lunch we left our tools in the garden, thinking we would return to do more and took the truck on a scenic tour around the place.

On our stop at the gravel bank, we found the colts foot in flower.  The yellow flowers are one of the first wildflowers to appear.  The flowers always come before the leaves that give the plant its name.  It really is a ditch weed.  These plants are growing on a section of gravel bank that was actively mined last season.  The clump may have slid down to its present location.  Its charm lies in its early blooms.

The buds on the red maple trees are still tightly closed.  We will need more warm weather before they will open.

One of our stops was for me to watch Ed use his new cable and his truck to pull out an invasive rose. The cable has a ring at each end .  Ed puts the cable around the stump and the smaller ring over the hitch ball on the truck.  He still uses his pry bar to loosen the stump, but then the truck pulls it from the ground.  We will see how many Japanese honeysuckles and nusiance roses will get this treatment. I'm betting a lot.  Ed  is delighted with every one that goes!

That's a pretty big rose bush.  It fills the back of the truck. We took it to join the others on Ed's brush pile down at the gravel bank.

When we returned Ed went back to work on weeding a garden bed.  I was out of gas, so I just went out to put away my tools.  We are both tired but happy.  Tomorrow looks like another nice day. I hope we are both up to it!

No Moss !

A rolling stone gathers no moss, but an uncultivated spot in the garden is a different story. It's easy to see that something is pushing this moss up in the air. With last night's rain, however light, the bulbs are on the march.




I removed the moss roof from this area and you can see there are crocus plants underneath. Hopefully they will now grow to their full potential in the sunlight. The moss is headed for a spot outside the garden.