spring

Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Spring

– Posted in: Meditations

Sights One of the many good things about spring is that without it, and without the absence imposed by fall and winter, we flawed mortals might fail to appreciate the beauties around us. So much of the wonder of spring is found in the return of what was absent. Would the appearance of new leaves [...]

Spring madness: Search and rescue

– Posted in: How-to

If you are short on time, energy, and money, but notably the first two, be conservative. You'll be more pleased with one fair-sized, well-composed, well-maintained bed than with a half-dozen large beds that are choked with quack grass and creeping Charlie. That's excellent advice from The Complete Flower Gardener by Karan Davis Cutler and Barbara [...]

Pruning strategy for forsythia

– Posted in: Forsythia, How-to, Plant info

Remember the forsythia I pruned so that I could force some branches? It doesn't look so floriferous out in the open, does it? (For comparison, check out the forsythias here.) When I'm faced with a plant that's not doing as well as expected, I try to analyze the situation before taking action. In the case [...]

Does this look like spring to you?

– Posted in: Miscellaneous

This was the view out my kitchen door yesterday morning. We had rain which changed to snow as the day progressed. Because everything was wet, the heavy snow stuck to everything. When the wind picked up, the snow didn't blow off the branches but added weight to the force of the wind. Consequently branches were [...]

April Blooms: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

– Posted in: Miscellaneous

In contrast to what gardeners in many other parts of the country have endured, where Spring arrived in full force, only to be slapped down by Winter's last stand, Spring has not really made its grand entrance. It's only been peeking through the window, wondering if it really wants to come in. The snowdrops are [...]

Spring is just around the corner

– Posted in: Meditations, Mud Season

The trouble with that platitude is that Spring is so erratic around here that we often don't recognize it when it comes. For the next eight weeks or so, every time we hit a spell of bad weather, we will repeat to ourselves, and each other, "Well, spring is right around the corner." But we're [...]