Every spring there comes a day when I say to my husband, “It’s time to start saving coffee grounds.” He knows why. They go on the plants in the garden as soon as the ground starts to thaw. The slugs don’t like them, the squirrels kind of don’t like them, and some people say they fertilize the plants. And they are free. And the plants have done better since I started doing that – many years ago.
Today was the first application day. I would say probably a couple more weeks and we’re done.
The air at the townhouse is warming and the ground is showing. The gardens need some love. They need the bigger twigs and small branches removed, and they need the rock to move back inside the lines – haha! Luck would have it – I have time! And a need, myself, to to hang out, exactly where they are.
It’s the little things – enjoying a blue hour that gives way to a pastel sky that gives way to a gorgeous early spring day. Listening to the birds sing their first songs of the day. Taking walks around the early spring gardens and knowing a whole season is ahead – to do as much or as little as you want – and to accept that your efforts may or may not be able to be enjoyed by you and by others. More than ever, capturing the little moments and going with the flow are the current season. Planning seems to be the current fun, and flexibility seems to be the current lesson. Or are these really, truly, the big things? When you finally practice that so incredibly much continually changes, and grabbing the beauty and shedding the disappointments is a way better experience? Truly.
We’ll go with that.
This is how the season at the townhouse starts.
We will clean up, put the energy and materials in to give it a fighting chance, and then we’ll see how things progress. New roofs are supposed to be going on, smack in the middle of the very short Minnesota spring and summer. With the materials and labor realities it may end up fall. We shall see.
We’ll share the beauty as much as it occurs and survives. And look for other “little things” if it doesn’t.
It is a day to celebrate! The giant snow pile finally melted it’s last, and it looks like no blizzards in the forecast – hahaha! Wow! It was a long winter this year!
A few days ago I finished hand pulling all the tree seedlings for this spring. 8 buckets! That is a crazy amount of tree seedlings. It was literally a mat this year.
Mixed in were maple, pine and cherry seedlings. Were it not for the location, it would be fun to see what could become of all those seedlings – what would survive. Their contribution each year, however, is a fair amount of exercise. Under the shrubs and hostas and daylilies, not just on the edges, but way into the garden.
In the end, a few had been missed, but not many. There’s always another trip through the garden.
Gardeners worldwide know that we don’t need a gym during the tending season. But did you know that Amur Maples come complete with free spring nail filing?
Let me explain. Our Amur Maple out front is delightful. When it blooms it is heavenly. No scent like it. In the fall, the seed pods turn a lovely pink color, and the leaves form a multi-colored carpet.
Then the seed pods fall and blow all over. Helped by our squirrel friends, in the spring the seedlings can be found by the hundreds in the rock gardens and the lawn. The pines have nothing on these guys. Left to mature we could start a forest.
So every spring I get in garden shape, and also get a free nail filing, by going around and plucking out hundreds and hundreds of Amur Maple seedlings. Bucketfuls.
What the hey – may as well grab linden sticks and the occasional pine or cherry volunteer too. But mostly Amur Maple seedlings. Like these
Is it a pain? Yep. If the Amur Maple had to be replaced, would I hope the replacement would be something less invasive? Yep. But I’m used to it. I love the spring blooms, the fall color, watching the squirrels “harvest” the seeds, and the spring tradition of getting back in shape and getting a “plucking” nail filing!
Susan's Daily Garden 