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Warm Sun with a Cold Wind

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend for working outside!

The sun was shining bright but that cool wind was reminding us that we will still have some chilly nights ahead of us.

I started my days outside by planting pansies. Getting little bits of the fun stuff done first helps me to stay motivated to continue with some of the less enjoyable chores - raking, picking up sticks, liming & seeding,...I have a huge white glazed pot that I set on my kitchen steps. This happens to be where most of the traffic comes through so, I like to make it look inviting. I filled this white crock with white hyacinths and white pansies. It is nice to have something fragrant like the hyacinths near the entranceway. I love all this white - it is such a symbol of purity and simplicity for spring. Next to this, I filled my windowbox with pale yellow pansies. Close by the andromeda is blooming white. It is rare that my crocuses and daffodils are blooming together. They are a sunshine yellow. The rest of my various containers I have filled with purple pansies with just touches of white and yellow. These pots are sitting throughout my perennial beds which are slowly waking up. After clearing the old leaves, I touch them up with a fresh layer of cedar mulch.

I also hung a basket of purple, yellow, and white pansies from my lamp post near the driveway. Along the driveway are spirea, weigelia, and lilacs - each will take it's turn at blooming. In the past, I have used cedar mulch around these trees and shrubs. This year, I am trying white marble chip. The lilac prefers a sweeter soil and when cedar breaksdown it can make the soil more acidic. I thought with the marble chip not rich and organic as the cedar mulch, perhaps the "powdery mildew" won't be as aggressive on the lilacs later in the season. If this works, I will switch to marble chip around my phlox and monarda (bee balm) as well.

Next weekend is "Daylight Savings Time"!

3/27/00