Winter just won’t totally yield to spring here in Minnesota. It reminds me of a small child who starts to drift off to nap, then wriggles, cries, and tries to stay awake one … more … minute.
Is the solution to just sit quietly and wait until sweet slumber is undeniable?
Do we have a choice?
Up next in the spring garden work is the swap out of seasonal items in the gardens. Since we are getting new roofs at the townhome this year, and the schedule is very much tbd, I will not be putting out many garden decorations there. Things that are sturdy, things I can pull back inside easily will be it. The frogs playing checkers have already found a home. The concrete welcome frog stays inside this year. So that only leaves the frog on the swing and a few little frogs. Good enough. For this year.
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 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!
Spring is here!
Wait, another snow storm.
Yes! Warmer weather. The snow plow pile is almost gone!
Wait, an ice storm followed by more snow.
Such is a Minnesota March. But we have arrived at April! Hallelujah! Although we have had snow at the beginning of June – on the irises I was cutting to bring to our kids teachers – it is super rare. And, in fact, when we were out raking the other day, we discovered the ground is beginning to thaw and a few sprouts are starting to come up.
Over the winter up north we had a dawn and dusk deer parade – anywhere from 3 to 16 deer coming through. Usually around 9-10. We discovered their pattern and where they meet up. There were many wonderful hours of deer watching. And unfortunately one coyote, and one night yipping. The does will drop their fawns soon – always a vulnerable time. And the bucks are starting to grow their antlers – just starting.
I told my husband that for all the wonderful hours of deer watching we have had, it will be hard for me to be upset at their hosta browsing. But maybe stay away from the daylilies ok? We shall see.
The first clematis bloom opened Tuesday. Always a wonderful sight. Hopefully many more blooms to come.
I am reminded of the years where we kept a very tall trellis in that spot. Funny thing about clematis. They are kind of like work. They expand to fit the time (or space) allotted. We let that one get so big a bird built a nest in it, and we could see inside the nest from inside the window. We called them the “trillers” because they would trill each time Mama approached. Eventually we watched them get big and strong and leave the nest. It doesn’t take long, but it was fun to watch.
This year, I hear something that sounds like a bird in the gutter. I wish I had a drone. I could fly it high and zoom in. I don’t want to climb up on a ladder and try to see. We’ll just wait. Time will tell. It doesn’t seem like an ideal place to nest, but we’ll see.
It has been a long wait for the lilies to bloom this year. But yesterday, the first Asian lily bloomed in our townhome garden.
This morning, another very welcome set of new blooms
And yet another set will soon follow
A very wonderful time in 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!
The tulips I planted out front last fall came up beautifully.
A single survivor out front from years past and another bunch out back were mysteriously cut off. The ones that were cut off out back totally disappeared. Bunnies? I did see a deer wander through the neighborhood very early one morning a few years ago.
There are a few more bunches still coming up. We’ll see how they fare.
We’ve had quite a few gorgeous days in a row, and the landscape is starting to sing.
The cherry trees are starting to flower, and they smell soooo good!
The lindens finally leafed out.
And the tulips are starting to bloom.
Susan's Daily Garden 