Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Green, Mulch & Books

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Photo taken from the porch this morning. (It was cold, I was in my pajamas, so I shot it quickly.) An impressionistic view of the big garden bed which has been almost completely mulched. Just a bit more to add today or on the weekend.

I not only mulched this bed yesterday, I also took a break to buy more  mulch. It was very windy yesterday, much windier than I thought, and it was just plain hard working outside. The wind and all the pollen flying around are not a good combination for yours truly. I’m trying to pace myself – but I’m not always good at it. Anyway, today is lovely so far – tonight and tomorrow will bring heavy rain so I’m going to try and accomplish a bit more today before I am forced to take a day off tomorrow.

At the nursery where I buy my mulch, I explored the plant selection. Nothing was inspiring me. I think I’m a bit overwhelmed at trying to fill in the gaps in the big garden bed. This garden has been 13 years in the making, and since I favor perennials, I have to remind myself that patience is key. I’ll add a few plants this year and few next year. Preferably self-seeders. My favorite self-seeders around here are coneflowers, which, since I planted them many years ago, have spread and spread some more. So: they might be my first additions. Besides, I love the look of them, they are so evocative of a cottage garden. And they stay in bloom for a long time.

This is the bed right next to the porch. You can see sedum, day lilies, hostas, coneflowers and some Star of Bethlehem. Eventually, the hostas will be so big and wide that they’ll cover those stepping stones.

We watched Random Harvest  a couple of days ago. I’d only seen portions of it before. What a beautiful film! Based on a story by James Hilton, who wrote Lost Horizon, it stars Greer Garson and Ronald Colman. Their work is exquisite. I’ve long been a fan of Colman – I think he is one of the finest actors ever to grace the screen. And Garson is luminous. I could watch it again and again. If you’ve not seen it – I’m rather late to the game on this one – I urge you to watch it. Impeccably directed and acted.

I’m reading one of Donna Leon’s mysteries. I’m having a somewhat difficult time getting into it; I don’t think that has anything to do with the story, but more to do with my attention being diverted to the outdoors. I got a couple of her books from our local library. I also ordered a couple of Ian Rankins, which just came in. So now I am faced with the dilemma of trying to read all of these books in record time. This is what happens almost every time I check books out from the library. I run up against that darned deadline!

Happy Thursday.

Blooming

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In the midst of shoveling mulch onto the soil in the garden, I moseyed on over to the lilac bush. It’s full of flower buds! More than last year. Huzzah!

Our crabapples are also blooming – the one next to the catalpa bloomed first.

I cannot tell you how all of this makes my heart sing.

As I said to Don yesterday, “I’m happier in the spring.” That’s just the way it is. I’m in the middle of a lot of the physical labor that is required to get the gardens and the property in shape, so my muscles are complaining; nevertheless, I love being out there.

There are challenges this year and some that will test my ability to do things on a very small budget. When we lost the huge limb on our maple, that part of the big garden bed was no longer in shade. The lovely crown vetch that worked as ground cover for approximately half of that huge bed gradually died off. Crown vetch only thrives in the shade. Consequently, I have large sections that have nothing growing and that was made clear when I was mulching yesterday.

I added a couple of plants last year, but I need to step up my game and add more this year. On a budget.

Then there is the unexplained absence of a couple of perennials that just didn’t emerge this year. One is the oriental poppy; it’s happened before, though. I remember a few springs where I just assumed it had died only to have it reemerge the next spring. It decided not to show itself this year.  Also not showing itself – the scentimental balloon flower.

I think it has to do with the kind of winter we had. Ours was warm, then unbelievably cold, then warm, then cold – and many of the snowfalls started off as snow, turned to rain and then turned to ice. I suspect this has something to do with it. If I was more industrious, I’d track it. Anyway, I miss those plants.

On the other hand, the lone tulip that has been on this property for years and years has a flower about to open. For the past few years, only the leaves emerged. Go figure.

Gardening is rewarding and mysterious. And sometimes you just can’t come up with an explanation.

Blooming all over our lawn.

Soon, the buttercups will also be blooming.

Today is the fifth anniversary of my mom’s transition. I miss her every day. Not only was she my mom – the best mom – but she was also my friend. I really liked her. I miss talking to her. She adored all her sons-in-law, you know. One of my favorite memories: when she knew I was out of town working and Don was home by himself, she always called him. She looked forward to these nice, long chats. It was so sweet. Don loved it and I loved knowing that they had ‘their talks.’

I miss her. We miss her.

Happy Wednesday.

An Outdoors Kind of Day

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We’ll settle for a photo of an indoor plant until all the green things coming out of the ground get a bit bigger. And there are so many green things sprouting up here and there and everywhere (including weeds!) I bought some mulch yesterday and this morning, I will start adding it to the big garden bed. I’ve trimmed the boxwoods and cleaned out the debris in the bed in front of the porch. There’s much to do, of course, but every day I get a bit more done.

We got our new wheelbarrow, which helped enormously as we dismantled the raised bed by the kitchen door, which has been there since before we moved here. The sides were made of railroad ties and the wood had rotted so much that they were barely staying in place. Dismantling it meant shoveling out a lot of soil and depositing it up in the woods – several trips with the wheelbarrow. I’m not sure what I’m going to do there now – I’d love to buy some sort of sizable galvanized tub in which I could plant some hollyhocks and lavender – the plants I routinely had in the raised bed. A vintage tub would be even better. But they can be pricey and pricey won’t float this year!

Today – hallelujah! – it’s going to reach 75 degrees and be sunny most of the day. Of course, the obligatory thunderstorms will follow, but the trade-off is worth it. I see tiny leaves on the maples, the hickory and other trees up in the woods. The big bush in the garden bed is in full leaf and the danged brambles are too, which means I have to do some trimming – which is putting it mildly.

All in all, a nice day to work outside.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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