I can’t access my account with your photos at the moment, but I suspect you gardeners are deep in prep work with much to discuss / vent?
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- A Ghost to Most
- A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
- Another Scott
- BenInNM
- catclub
- Central Planning
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- Eric K
- frosty
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- lowtechcyclist
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- Melancholy Jaques
- narya
- OlFroth
- p.a.
- pat
- Pete Downunder
- Professor Bigfoot
- RevRick
- Rose Judson
- sab
- Salty Sam
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- They Call Me Noni
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Elizabelle
Aha. Not a gardener, but we all worry when we don’t see you posting on schedule. Carry on.
Another Scott
I’m about to cut the grass for the first time this year here in NoVA. I’m sure my neighbors who hire weekly lawn services will collectively mutter “FINALLY!!”.
Lots and lots of yard work needs to be done here, but it will have to stay in stanch the bleeding mode until I retire, which may be 1-3-5-7 years. Hard to say! I should get a sign…
Work gently, everyone.
Best wishes,
Scott.
lowtechcyclist
@Another Scott:
Across the river here in Calvert County, my lawn is finally almost all green. Mowing’s another week off, for sure. The only place it’s long enough to mow just yet is over the septic tank. (Erma Bombeck had that right.)
OlFroth
I have cabbage and broccoli plants in my garden, just directed seeded peas, carrots, basil and sage. Also have tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and lettuce in my AeroGarden.
p.a.
Next job: google “how to make your mud have curb appeal.”😕
sab
We moved into our (new to us) house late last summer. There wasn’t much going on in the yard except leaves from the previous fall and winter. Some hostas, heavily chomped by deer and a couple of taxus bushes. And oakey woods behind us.
This spring all kinds of daffodils popped up and bloomed. A good thing I didn’t get mine in in time, because there already were a lot there.
JAM
I am taking the day off digging the new bed for native plants because it’s too hot and windy and the ground is too dry and I have carpal tunnel in both hands. But I keep finding plenty to do that doesn’t involve shoveling dirt.
A Ghost to Most
Taxes are done. Everything else is optional this week.
Scout211
My winter garden of various greens was late due to our late rainy, cold weather but now I am harvesting that raised bed. We finally have warm temperatures and no rain so I my planted my summer vegetable garden last week. Yay.
Last fall I replaced all the drip lines and emitters so I am looking forward to a good garden this summer.
Ahhh spring, when gardeners have the highest hopes!
pat
That photo, 57% of white women voted against Kamala, can that be true??
satby
Hallelujah, the Sunday garden thread! I’ve been worried about you AL!
I spent last week sick in Florida and still sick at home, though a bit better. Before I left my roses from David Austin were delivered, so I kept them wrapped in the box and put them in the garage to stay cool. I just took them out of the garage, tomorrow I’ll soak them for several hours before I plant them in a pot until I finish getting the rose bed
startedcompleted.This week the big, mostly dead maple in front of my house is coming down, and the shady side of my lawn will be getting a lot more summer sun. There may be several plant relocations in my future, since that side is where I put the shade loving plants.
frosty
I mowed for the first time last Wednesday. As usual, I was the last of my immediate neighbors to get to it so I’m keeping up my standards.
Kristine
Crocuses opened last week. Mostly purple, but a cluster of white and a few that are more reddish than pure purple. More and more every year—love to see that.
Daffs are opening, too. Forsythia is blooming. Looks like the volunteer red twig dogwood survived my hack-the-roots-and-hope-for-the-best transplant—I found it growing along and through the chain link fence in a rear corner of the yard and moved it to the front, where it will be the centerpiece of whatever I decide to do with that space. The volunteer juniper is slowly turning green again—it’s a variety that turns purply-brown in the winter. I found that sprouting in a window well a few years ago; it survived two winters in a pot on the deck, so I figured it would make a good replacement for a pine I had to have removed. Some types of coniferous evergreens are struggling in this area thanks to climate change. The more frequent drenching rains and slightly higher temps make them more susceptible to disease.
satby
I overseeded crimson clover in my lawn in February, it’s sprouting well. Looking forward to it blooming during “no mow May”. I want it to bloom and reseed itself before I start regular mowing.
Shalimar
No interest in gardening but very happy to hear from you, Anne Laurie. You are amazing.
laura
I weeded the raised bed last week and sorted through all the seeds. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be planting and watering in. I need a riot of color and maybe a couple few vegetables and get the spouse to drag the anniversary hammock out sometime in early May.
satby
@Kristine: I was delighted to come home to all my early daffs, hyacinths, and blue squill finally popping up and blooming in my yard. It’s been a long cold spring, but at least a sudden heat wave isn’t going to have everything bloom and die in only a couple of days.
Jeffg166
The early bulbs are done. The tulips are opening. The perennials are popping up. I am far behind where I would like to be but there is only so much energy.
zhena gogolia
@pat: That’s the stat I’ve seen around here.
Professor Bigfoot
@Another Scott: I’m watching the grass in my front yard grow my the minute, but due to last week’s unpleasantness I am precluded from pushing a mower for a while.
So I glare at it from the front door.
ETA— I’m cleared for moderate exercise all right, but my wrist hurts! lol
Kristine
@satby: Yup. I always dreaded that 1-2 days in late April-early May when the temp popped up into the 80s+ and all the bulb flowers got socked.
jonas
Yard up here in CNY still way too sodden to do anything. “Blech” would be the best way to describe April weather around here.
narya
I hiked to the gardening store and bought a whole bunch of seeds. I have to find things that are shade-tolerant, because the back porch faces north and doesn’t get a ton of sunlight. I always buy too much, plus I saved some seeds from last year’s nasturtiums (nasturtia?), so we’ll see what grows. Flax (blue and red), a shade-tolerant mix, sweet peas, basil, bunny tails (because they’re cute and ridiculous), a few other things. Next week I’ll get a bucket of compost delivered with my bucket, so I have plenty of dirt. And I might maybe plant a few beans again. I suppose I could just buy some plants, but I kinda like sowing the seeds, even if I don’t end up with as many flowers as I could. Now it’s off to start the pretzel dough.
laura
@jonas: Man, I sure do miss Ozark Hillbilly’s daily bleac- thank you for that.
catclub
Your brick project was the closest thing for me to a garden project. Bricks reveal
all the topography of the yard. ….. Unless one is actually competent at laying flat brick walkways.
I am depending on rustic being acceptable.
catclub
Yes. We had 7 inches of snow yesterday in Massachusetts.
Not what I signed up for, for mid April.
BenInNM
Spent the morning moving some cacti to sunnier spots – it still amazes me how much heat they can tolerate and need.
Also cleaned out a bunch of plants that didn’t survive the winter. It was a very dry and relatively warm winter except for one really cold snap. I think a lot of plants that would have been dormant weren’t and couldn’t handle the dryness and the cold snap. Originally being from Oregon I still struggle with the concept of needing to water in the winter
jonas
@catclub: Yeah, I know downstate and to the east they had quite a winter squall blow through. Some friends driving up from the city said it was pretty crazy until about Albany. All we got was drizzle and 40 degrees. As I said, blech.
frosty
@satby: We had white clover in the back yard and I’d like to reseed it. I hired a lawn service last year and they’re doing the standard herbicide and grass lawn. The main reason is to get a little more curb appeal in anticipation of selling in a year or two.
When they asked what I wanted I told them “Fix twenty years of neglect. I’m giving them a year – the front is starting to look OK. When they’re done I’ll put the clover in back.
wmd
I’ve been working on a couple of terraced flower beds. I’d been using what will be the upper bed for a couple of years – used redwood deadfall limbs to define the beds and do some erosion control. I tore that out last autumn, as I had slab timber from milling logs from two trees removed the prior year.
So now the lower boundary of what should be a 40 cm wide bed that’s about 10m long is defined with the “waste” timbers (generally rectilinear cross section average diameter about 15 cm). Soil is still pretty workable – I’ll add some chicken manure and compost and get it turned over in the next day or so. Upper bed has unsecured timbers defining a bed about 80 cm wide. It’s been worked and had fertility boosts for 3 years now.
Lower bed will get Celosia, Zinnia, Marigolds.
Upper bed will get Zinnia, cucumbers, kabocha squash.
I’ve got one more bed outside the fence to turn over – it will get peas and melons, maybe some asters.
It’s had manure applied for 2 years now – will add compost and turn it over.
Two beds (30cm x 2m), (2m x 2.4m) inside the fence are good to go. I need to replan the other beds inside the fence, but should have that done in the next week. I’ve got a lot of junk redwood that’s quite useful for garden work. (I also have quite a few nice planks some as large as 40cm x 2.8m.
Fun hard work.
sab
Cannot finish the last of the family tax returns because siblings cannot be bothered to tell me their domicile and current address. Oh well. Taxes are paid and everything is on extension for months.
Rose Judson
British weather has been ridiculously lush: sunny, highs in the low 60s (except Friday, when it was 70). Peony foliage has emerged along with the decorative alliums. Got rid of my former landlord’s giant trampoline, and in the bare patch left behind I planted a magnolia tree—I’ve always wanted a magnolia tree. Took down a ton of dead branches, re-edged the garden beds. Began breaking up some pallets to make temporary raised beds with.
It’s nice to be a homeowner at last, and really nice to be able to garden with my Mom and Dad this week.
StringOnAStick
I’m building raised beds out of custom sawed incense cedar, true 8” by 2”. Odd final configuration like a capital F to maximum space in the space I have; final result will be 75 sq ft. Lots of work leveling land moving soil, moving soil again…..
A Ghost to Most
The weed is growing like a weed.
Glidwrith
Dug out the dead Joseph’s Coat cactus (mites) and popped of older paddles of the prickly pear. I can see a bunch of new growth wanting to take off.
Used the edger to get all the grass coming up between the pavers and found the orchid I banished outside to live or die has TWO blooming flower spikes!
Kelly
Tangentially related to gardening. While at a store we asked our 8 year old grandson what he wanted for his birthday. He really wanted a pair of heavy leather men’s work gloves. None in his size. Mrs. Kelly found and bought a pair that would fit. He has been wearing them everywhere for 2 days.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@A Ghost to Most: amen to that!
scav
Planted 3 Mahonia nervosa and then got sidetracked into still more inevitable weeding. so there’s camassia planting to look forward to tomorrow.
Melancholy Jaques
Today’s gardening program features my sister & a friend giving me contrary advice on how much sun & water my basil plant needs, but both agree that I am doing it wrong.
Pete Downunder
Inspected our garden railroad (G scale, roughly 22:1) after weeks of rain and storms. Only one section of track to repair but a lot of weeding and trimming back overgrown bushes. Should be fully operational by Easter weekend. Any other garden railway jackals out there?
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Early Spring bulbs and wildflowers are done and now nature is blooming the late Spring ones. Early Columbines are blooming, blue Veronica, white Candy tuft also. Peonies putting up foliage, Calla lilies starting. Canna lilies starting to put out growth. Native CA Goldenrod has gotten over its transplant WTF reaction and has perked up. Japanese Maple leafing out nicely. Amarillius leaves growing noticeably every day. I am always astonished at the Spring growth rate of plants once they decide it is GO time
ETA I always enjoy this period when a lot of non natives which sulk with just greenery during the long hot summer actually bloom right now (Candytuft and Veronica).
narya
This thread is making me miss OH…
Central Planning
I was cutting and pulling grape vines from some of our trees, and I really needed some gloves. My darling wife was happy to get a pair for me.
I put them on and tacked on a large vine and felt a pain in my pinky. I figured I must have squished it in the V of the vine I pulled. I took off the glove and looked at my pinky and put it back on.
A few minutes later it was still painful and my wife happened to be walking towards me. I took off the glove again so I could get a little sympathy, and much to my surprise there was a was with its stinger in the tip of my pinky!
I went in and put cold water on it and took some Tylenol. Still hurts an hour later, but as long as I keep my hand higher than my heart I don’t get the throbbing heartbeat feeling. Oh well, no more vine pulling today.
RevRick
Palm Sunday started out cloudy and cold here In the Lehigh Valley, but is now sunny and mild. Our lawn is a lush green, having gotten well-watered by slow, steady rains.
Dan B
It’s peak bulb here with hundreds of unusual daffodils, dozens of Tulips, Muscari latifoloum, Muscari l. Grape Ice, Ipeion, and Frittiarias.
I’ve got pictures if Anne Laurie likes.
laura
@Rose Judson: really nice to be able to garden with my Mom and Dad this week.
Man, that sounds so wonderful, but please, do not interrupt their shenanigans game to do lowly chores in your very own garden. Seriously, enjoy every scintilla of your parental visit and family togetherness. I wish you all manner of joy.
Salty Sam
Heh- I was finishing up a big ironwork job yesterday. Oxy-Acetylene torch and paste wax to do a traditional “Blacksmith’s Finish”. The process produces a lot of wax smoke, not good to breathe, so I went to get my respirator. Just about to slap it over my nose and mouth, and noticed just in time that there was a small yellow jacket nest inside, with a single wasp on it, right where my nose would have landed.
The joys of having an open air shop…
Central Planning
@Salty Sam: You’re lucky. I suspect that would have been horrible. The pain is starting to subside but it’s still achy. I like to think I was able to tough out a couple wasp stings (mostly because I thought it was something else)
They Call Me Noni
Have a few daffodils left, the hyacinths have done their thing and the tulips are almost done. The peonies are about a foot above ground now. They are my favorite. Bought most of them as tubers several years ago so it’s just been the past three years that they really show out. The azaleas and dogwoods are trying to bloom and the redbuds are in all their glory. I need to buy seeds for my newest cutting garden. Zinnias and such I suspect. Too early yet to buy herbs and flowers for my assorted pots. Rule of thumb in these parts is don’t plant anything until after Derby.
frosty
@sab: Couldn’t finish my son’s taxes because I needed 1099 info from his college. He went online to get it and THE SYSTEM IS DOWN UNTIL APRIL 21ST!!!
They took it down for maintenance in the middle of tax season!! Idiots!
So for the first time ever I filed for an extension.
Gloria DryGarden
I have to finish my winter clean up and clearing old vegetation for the tulips. I like when I do it at my own pace, as an exploration , let’s see what’s coming up.
Right now, and for many months, I’ve been having to clear it up on the city’s timeline, w threat of fines. Inspections every two weeks.
between multiple health things, repair things, deaths in the family, and too many problems at once over and over across several years, I got way behind, on a lot of things. Somebody complained. It’s oppressive.
i don’t have grass, it’s all beds, with a very small house. Lots of perennials and bulbs and edible things. And bindweed… I’m working on it, but it feels like stressful urgent have-tos. Has taken a bunch of joy out of it.
The early tulips are so beautiful, the crocus, the Scilla, the chionodoxa. I think my fritillaria died. The allium has become prolific and will need to be thinned. Spring has magic in it..
MCat
Hi. I’m growing a miniature rose bush in my apartment and it is thriving. I’m thrilled. It’s such a pretty little thing that I don’t really care if it blooms or not. So glad you’re feeling better, AL.
sab
sab
@frosty: The world is full of morons. Just saying. It always surprises me.
lowtechcyclist
@pat:
AP says white women voted 53-45 for Trump. White men were worse, of course: 60-38 for Trump.
Eric K
Small world, my first car was a 1973 Plymouth Scamp, which was the Plymouth branded Dodge Dart
sab
@RevRick: I have always had issues with Palm Sunday since I grew up in Florida and saw Black men with their steel shin guards (against poisonous snakes) harvesting those palms.
I learned that Ukraine does pussy willows not palms. That is my new Palm Sunday display.
sab
@frosty: I do my stepson’s taxes, and every year I ask myself why. He is an adult and his taxes are simple.
Yelo
My recently planted flowers have all withered, and life feels a bit slack. Perhaps it’s more fitting to look forward to when Halloween will arrive instead.