Down In The Valley

There are signs of life.

I'm lucky. Between my profession and the elevation changes in these mountains I get to garden in two climate zones.



While waiting for the snow pack to melt up top, I couldn't pass up a sunny 60 degree day when the time for spring cleanup is here down below. It was time to visit Client # 1. All the faded perennials left for winter interest and the wildlife can get mowed down now before the bulbs really begin to show and get in the way of cleaning.



What bulbs will show up is another question. There has been a plague of voles that decimated last year's tulip display. The voles ate tulips, lilies, hosta roots, even a newly planted native azalea. They kept eating the special food I put out for them all year too and at bulb ordering time it was decided not to spend a couple hundred bucks on more fancy varmint food.

The daffodils will be fine of course. They are poisonous to voles. A couple of large bags of daffodils did get planted last fall to add to the ones I had been sneaking in with the tulips over the years.



But this is a garden with many layers of interest. Even with a less dramatic and varied showing of the bulbs, spring will be announced in a blaze of blossoms.



The perennials are all cut down. There is a nice clean slate ready for spring and ready for a fresh layer of mulch to be spread when the weathers next cooperate. Maybe spring will finally force the Sweetgum to drop the rest of its leaves. I don't know why it has hung on to them this winter.



High on the low spot of a mountain top the snow is still melting. It will be another week or two before I start the chop and drop of the remaining perennials and the pick up sticks begins to get cleaned up for the Bulbapaloozathon. At least the snow drops have reappeared.