Saturday, April 29, 2006

It was a beautiful spring day here in Massachusetts (we live on the border with New Hampshire). I went to run errands today and enjoyed driving around pass greening fields and woods and through quaint towns. I hit the garden center today. I will have 5 yards of bark mulch to spread come Monday. I picked up a couple of additions for the shade garden (2 hostas, 2 lenten roses, and 2 lungworts) and the sun garden (a blue bearded iris a reddish-pink day lily). Worked on weeding the garden, raking and creating a path through the shade garden. It's coming along.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Starting to Bloom



I'm excited because the azalea bush buds are starting to turn pink. Within a few days I should have blooms. Yesterday afternoon I was out weeding and picking up downed sticks. Even after a winter of snow and wind there are still dead branches falling from the trees after every windy or rainy day. The raspberry bushes along the woods are starting to have leaves now.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

The sun is trying to peek out today. We've had several days of much needed rain and cool temperatures. The transplants that I made last week are looking healthy and should do well. Now I'm out doing dandelion patrol. This morning I saw four, that's four, herons fly over head. Usually, I only see a solitary heron flying (we have a swamp/pond behind our yard). The small birds are also out in abundance this morning. The robins are probably finding worms easily in the wet ground and the song birds are eating steadily from my feeders. It was nice to have a couple of wet days so I could catch up with work indoors. When you're doing chores inside all you can think about is getting out into the garden, and once there thinking about all the stuff that piles up inside. Somehow the stuff inside isn't as important, well then again it can be a real pain when there's no clean underwear in the drawer.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Garden Books

I am in the middle of reading French Dirt:The Story of a Garden in the South of France by Richard Goodman (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060975059/104-6192017-6381543?v=glance&n=283155) and loving it. First, it reminds me of Peter Mayle's work which I enjoy; second, my summer exchange student trip to France when I was 17; and third, my own work in the garden.

Now that Spring has finally arrived (I believe to stay here in New England), my perennial garden is going gang busters. The daffodils have doubled up over the years and are making a nice showing (always buy from Brecks). I don't do tulips since my yard borders conservation land (which are also wetlands) and am often host to night time deer maraudering in the garden. Must spray to keep them from making a salad out of my hostas. I am in the process of expanding the garden. Many of the plants need to be divided and moved around. I'm also trying to fix up the lawn, but as any avid gardener knows who cares about a green lush lawn, it's all about the blooms. Don't tell that to the three lawn crazies up the street from me. One of them is one his hands and knees with a basket checking grass blades one by one and pulling out the strays that don't belong. Must finish my cup of coffee and get out there before the promised rain arrives, and we do need the rain after the dry week we've had.