garden — Page 114

Buds

April 29, 2018 at 10:11 am by Claudia

Yesterday turned out to be warm and sunny. The thunderstorms and rain came in the evening. So, I got a lot of work done outside, continuing to clear the garden beds, cut back brambles – that sort of thing.

Today is cloudy and much colder. But by mid-week, we’re due for temperatures in the eighties, then back to normal. And so the pendulum swings back and forth. Welcome to Spring.

I was delighted when I saw that the flowering quince is in bud. That, my friends, is a sure sign of spring.

And then I turned to my right to check out the lilac.

Oh boy! With the warmer temps coming this week, these buds will be opening soon.

I’m so much happier when I’m working outside. That needs to be examined, because I should be just as happy when I’m confined to the house or when it’s snowing – again. It’s something I keep working on; finding joy in the everyday and letting go of perceptions and fears that keep me from that.

By the way, one of you suggested BritBox – a streaming service which streams British television shows. The suggestion came because Monty Don has a show that airs on this service called Gardener’s World. So I went for it. It’s a modest amount of money per month and I have been watching his show, catching up on it, and absolutely loving it. It makes me happy, I learn things, and there’s something about it which generates a peaceful feeling in yours truly.

Now, if I could only live in England!

Happy Sunday.

Wrestling with Mother Nature

April 27, 2018 at 9:09 am by Claudia

My journey into the land of poison ivy and brambles is temporarily over. I do have some more brambles to deal with on the other side of the house, but that will have to wait. We have a lot of poison ivy around here, coupled with old trees that have had vines snaking up the bark for years. I bought inexpensive pruners and some gloves and I did my best to snip all of those vines, which resulted in a lot of contorted body positions in order to get to the vines. It won’t eradicate the poison ivy, but it will temporarily stop the growth all the way up the trees. And then I threw the pruners out.

Brambles are a never-ending battle. But I did my best to cut them back where they needed to be cut back. I don’t want to eliminate them entirely as they bloom in the spring and the flowers and scent are heavenly. I wanted to cut them back where they interfere with walking the property and where they send up their shoots and envelop other plants and trees. My hands and legs have several little wounds from my attempts to wrestle with the brambles. To be expected.

All of which made Claudia tuckered out at the end of the day.

Today: rain. Tomorrow: rain.

And I have to recycle today!

A few photos taken in the evening yesterday. These are meant to give you an idea of what is coming up out of the ground. Hostas, day lilies, sedum and coneflowers. Don’t mind the leaves. Since I keep the leaves there all winter, I need more than one pass to get them out of the beds. I haven’t got a chance to do a second pass.

More day lilies and hostas.

This grass is so consistent. Always one of the first plants to come up in the garden, it has spread over the years. That’s a narcissus in the middle of the grass. And the hyacinths are in the distance.

Last night, at the end of a sunny day, I stood at the front door and looked out at the green grass and the gardens, watched the birds flying here and there, caught a glimpse of a groundhog (Henry?) and watched the reflection of the sunset in the waters of the river that is just across the street. Pretty darned lovely.

And Don is coming home on Sunday night. He really misses his home and who can blame him? Especially as winter has departed and spring is here.

Happy Friday.

Pansies

April 25, 2018 at 9:56 am by Claudia

Hostas are emerging from the ground along with ground covers, day lilies, phlox, sedum, grasses, poppies and more. Once the warmer weather and sun kick in, it’s always fun to see how quickly plants start to grow.

I stopped by our local nursery yesterday. There’s not a huge amount of inventory available, but that will change now that spring is here. I picked up some bags of top soil and a flat of gorgeous pansies, since I knew I could plant them in my urns. They’re hardy – just in case we get a freakish cold weather day.

It’s immensely cheering to see some colorful flowers on and near the porch. Pansies make me happy.

I’ve been watching a British gardening show on Netflix called Big Dreams, Small Spaces. The host is Monty Don, who is a sort of gardening hero in Britain. I knew about him via Instagram (I follow him) so when I came upon this show, I was thrilled. He works with people who want to turn front or backyards into a beautiful garden and it’s a lot of fun. Plus, I learn a lot.

Heaven knows, we can’t expect any gardening shows from HGTV. Those days are apparently gone as they’ve locked into an endless stream of House Hunters and “Flip” shows, all of which bore me to tears. I realize they are a cash cow for the network but for me they’re a big, fat yawn. I really only watch Home Town – and that’s over for the season. Remember the days of gardening programming? And a host of other wonderfully unique shows?

Thank goodness the Brits are true garden lovers. I imagine there will always be garden programs across the pond. And thank goodness for Netflix!

Today it’s a ‘rain all day’ kind of day so I’m going to run some necessary errands.

Happy Wednesday.

Buds

Wrestling with Mother Nature

Pansies

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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