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Springing Up!

My daughters have kept me busy watching soccer games and Irish dance performances for St. Patrick's Day.
But now. . .

I finally got a chance to get out to the garden!!!

I'm not getting a whole lot done, but little by little the plans will be set in motion. It's actually good that my time is limited because the weather is still too cold at night to be exposing all the perennials and the ground is too wet for raking.

So, with newly sharpened hand clippers, I set out to cut back the dry stalks of my ornamental grasses, iris, and phlox.

I am thrilled at all the crocuses popping up! I push aside old leaves to help the muscari, hyacinth, daffodil, and tulip bulbs make their way through the soil. Later, as the weather warms up, I will remove the old blanket of leaves I had used to cover these bulbs. Where the soil has heaved and forced bulbs out of the ground or rodents have dug them out, I gently rebury them.

I also get out my bottle of Bobbex and spray liberally to protect from deer and rodents. I like Bobbex because it is a natural product and also an organic growth stimulant. I originally bought it to protect my tulips but at this time I also spray my rhododendrons, lilies, azaleas, iris, and phlox. Once the hostas push through, I'll hit them too.

I took down all my faded evergreen roping. I need to remove the juniper branches from my window box and think about what color pansies I want to fill them with. They can tolerate the cold, though a few blossoms may be lost if there is bitter cold weather. I think it's worth the risk.

I need to chop up all my scraps and add them to my compost heap-hopefully this work will help get me in shape for some of the more exciting and heavier chores to do in the months ahead. . . . .

3/15/00