Spring comes with a bound, Spring the deliverer*

The Saint and I work like the proverbial dogs for about four weekends every spring. He primarily tackles the yard, trees and shrubs. I handle the gardens.

I enjoy it for the most part. After having been cooped up in the house for many long months being outside just feels so darn good!

But there always comes a point: having divided/transplanted/fertilized/dug up one to many perennials or having planted one too many flats/pots/borders of annuals that one begins to question the whole concept of gardening.

In particular one questions the wisdom of having two large flower beds, an herb garden, a vegetable garden and various and sundry plantings in pots and smaller beds.

Just when you think you can't do ONE.MORE.THING. you realize that all that's left is a bit of maintenance.

and simple enjoyment of all the hard labor.

So worth it.

*Robert Lewis Stevenson

The Waiting Game

I have tomato and cucumber transplants in the sun room hardening off. I've been leaving the windows open at night to adjust them to the cold and taking them outside for a few hours of direct sunlight (when we've had it!) to get them ready to plant.
I'm expecting some heirloom tomato transplants from a co-worker of The Saint's any day now and I'll do the same with them.

While not a good trait for a gardener, I am, by nature, an impatient person. The rain and cool weather we’ve been experiencing is killing me. If there is a window of opportunity to plant this weekend; weather forecast be damned I'm going for it!

Snow? In April?

Oh, flower petals. Never mind!

Mother Nature is my Bitch

Ha! Mother Nature caved and did my bidding! Soft rain through Thursday night into Friday morning. Clearing skies and a pollen count below 800. Weekend forecast? Sunny and warm!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Dauntless

Remember this scene from Saturday morning? That wasn't the half of it. It snowed the better part of the day and we ended up with over six inches of snow.



I took THIS picture Monday afternoon



I took THESE pictures yesterday




I can't believe it either!

Spring? Really?

I took Friday off. It was beautiful. 60 degrees and partly sunny. We uncovered the table on the patio, put up the umbrella and enjoyed a nice Al fresco lunch. The crocus were blooming and all was right with my world.


This is what we woke up to today; the first day of spring


My poor daffodils!


What the hell Mother Nature?

So.Damn.Tired

Stupid job. Our largest fund raising event was Tuesday, I had a sponsor event last night and have another one tonight. Guess what? I'm OLD for crying out loud! Running around a theater coordinating sound checks, cocktail receptions, meet and greets, coddling artists - this shit is exhausting I tell you!

Feel free to feel very sorry for me and marvel that I showed up here AT ALL!

BUT - More signs of spring! Last weekend was actually sunnyish and warmish.



Time to get a little gardening done.










Everything looks dead doesn't it?









But look, daffodils!








Crocus!










Daises!








Geum!









The Saint rototilled (hmm, might not be a word....) my new garden plot!





We had precipitation this week that WASN'T snow, sleet or frozen rain! Despite the fact that today is gray, cold and dreary seeing hints of green is making my day! How do things look in your neck of the woods?

More Signs of Spring

New shoes! Don't you love the color?

"Sun"



Now I just need it a tad bit warmer so they can leave the house!

OMG - picture totally makes me look like I have cankles!

Spring Hopes - Eternal

Yeah, yeah, I know that isn't quite how the saying goes BUT after this endless farking winter of COLDSNOWICEBELOWZERODARKDARKDARKDARKDARK there is hope that spring is coming:


6:45 AM leaving the gym

6:50 AM pulling up to the house

All I can say is: Let there be DAYLIGHT!

* Updated to add that I hadn't seen Frank's comment on my last post before I wrote this I SWEAR.

Things that make me go HUH?

This past Saturday we had a winter storm. No matter that is technically spring. The temperature dropped and we awoke Saturday morning to freezing rain which turned to sleet at mid-day. Everything was coated in ice. Beautiful, but when limbs on trees appear ready to give way pretty doesn't cut it.

About the time I started thinking we were going to loose some tree limbs the sleet turned to snow. Enormous snowflakes that looked like thousands of Kleenex had just accidentally gone through the wash cycle.

Sunday reached fortyish degrees. The ice melted and most if the snow disappeared. By yesterday afternoon there was no evidence of the winter storm whatsoever.

Here's the weird thing. The forsythia, daffodils, hyacinth are still blooming! So are the Pear and Magnolia trees! The daffodils may be drooping slightly but you would never know these flowers had spent twenty four hours completely encased in ice.

Perhaps when I emerge from my ice cocoon my teen-aged thighs will reappear cellulite-free?

Perennial

The poppies were beautiful this year!

So were the daisies.

The front bed is filling in nicely.

It's my shade garden.

Done in hues of Purple

(Spiderwort and Canterbury Bells)

And Pink

(Astilbe)

(Dianthus)

What's growing in you garden right now?

I tried to warn you

The next time I tell you I have nothing in draft mode but a bunch of whiny, self indulgent shit? Run for the hills people! That said, this would be a good time for you to offer up thanks that even I'm tired of my own whining. So I'll be moving on.

Spring is very pretty here. I have wonderful pictures of all our flowering tress. Still in the camera of course, but I'll try to get them up soon. The weather was decent enough over the weekend for me to work in the gardens. There is still a possibility of a frost, so I have to be careful what and where I plant. I have a ridiculous amount of garden area which requires an early start if I want to get everything done. The majority of my gardens are planted with perennials, but it's almost impossible to keep color here all summer without throwing in some annuals.

I got all of my pots (Begonias, Verbena, Vinca) planted because they're easy to move and protect if the weather turns. I also got most of a flat of Sweet Alysum in the ground; they don't seem to mind a little cold weather. As anxious as I am to put the tomatoes and herbs out I think the ground is still a little too cold. The asparagus, on the other hand, is producing like crazy!

Come the heat and humidity of August I'll be cursing the upkeep of all of this. But right now it just feels good to be outside in the fresh air - anticipating warm weather, fresh flowers and the flavors of summer.

Disappointed

I have a bit of a mystery on my hands. None of my crocus bloomed this year, and some of my daffodils are sparse or lacking blooms at all. In past years the rabbits sometimes eviscerated the crocus; munching on buds and blossoms. But this year I never saw any buds at all. Seeing THIS didn't help my disappointment at ALL.

These are all well established plantings that have bloomed well for ten plus years. I don't cut the leaves back too early, I feed them and I try to divide them every few years. I'm at a loss. If anyone has some insight as to what the problem might be leave a comment. PLEASE.

Cacophony

Yesterday was mild and I decided to grab a book and eat lunch outside on the patio. I was joined by what seemed like every bird in the neighborhood. Sparrows, Cardinals, Titmice, Blue Jays, Robins; you name it, they were out there. The chattering was so loud it reminded me of cicadas in August! The male Cardinals were going berserk. I saw two of them spar in the garden for five minutes over a piece of dried pampas grass!


We have two pair of Northern Cardinals in residence on our property. One pair nests in the back yard, and the other in the hedge in the front. They co-exist peaceably for the most part, but in the spring, during mating season, their territorial nature takes over and look out!


There was so much activity I didn't read a single page of my book. I just reveled in bird calls, green shoots, and a breeze that didn't send me scurrying inside. It may still be gray, but it appears spring is coming to my corner of the world after all.