On a cold wet and windy day.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
How Many?
We need to count.
How many flowers are in each picture?
Or how many bulbs in this group?
Collar and Crawford agree.
We keep counting 39.
How many flowers are in each picture?
Or how many bulbs in this group?
Collar and Crawford agree.
We keep counting 39.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Walking With Spots
Starting on daffodil hill.
Yesterday's chore.
Today's bit of siding.
Elizabeth's tulips return.
Chionodoxa were suddenly up.
Frances' hellebore blooms.
The Spots inspect the bed preparation in the road side vegetable garden annex.
Ready for the last bit of wood chips.
And we head back home.
Yesterday's chore.
Today's bit of siding.
Elizabeth's tulips return.
Chionodoxa were suddenly up.
Frances' hellebore blooms.
The Spots inspect the bed preparation in the road side vegetable garden annex.
Ready for the last bit of wood chips.
And we head back home.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Mini Spring Frenzy
is over.
It is back to cool wet, maybe a dash of snow up top kind of weather. That's ok. Things were speeding up so fast it was getting a little scary. Another hard freezing spell could wreck things if they had advanced too far in this heat wave.
A little bulb of everything rises from the earth. On each walk across the ridge top garden Bulbarella finds another clump of daffodils she missed in her deleafing and fertilizing routine. "There's another one I missed," an exclamation that comes more as one of joy.
Mini spring has caused another flurry of activity. While spreading mulch at Client #1's, doing actual paid work, I was hired to prune roses and then to design a bed in the dry shade of maples, the toughest of gardening challenges. This bed design must incorporate an existing small pond, shed and large sculpture. There is now a Client # 3 with another extensive garden in the best of neighborhoods. I do need to check in with Client # 2 and see if they would like to hire me again for more work. The gardening season is on.
We must enjoy the Iris reticulata 'Harmony' while we can.
It is back to cool wet, maybe a dash of snow up top kind of weather. That's ok. Things were speeding up so fast it was getting a little scary. Another hard freezing spell could wreck things if they had advanced too far in this heat wave.
A little bulb of everything rises from the earth. On each walk across the ridge top garden Bulbarella finds another clump of daffodils she missed in her deleafing and fertilizing routine. "There's another one I missed," an exclamation that comes more as one of joy.
Mini spring has caused another flurry of activity. While spreading mulch at Client #1's, doing actual paid work, I was hired to prune roses and then to design a bed in the dry shade of maples, the toughest of gardening challenges. This bed design must incorporate an existing small pond, shed and large sculpture. There is now a Client # 3 with another extensive garden in the best of neighborhoods. I do need to check in with Client # 2 and see if they would like to hire me again for more work. The gardening season is on.
We must enjoy the Iris reticulata 'Harmony' while we can.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Now I'm Found
For all the successes on a hillside covered with 10,000 daffodils and countless other minor bulbs, iris, lilies and alliums, there are bound to be a few failures. Some things are planted never to be seen again. Others may slowly wither away. Some may be forgotten or lost in the wild exuberance.
One lost soul has reappeared this spring. Iris reticulata 'Harmony' most likely was discovered today much to the delight of Bulbarella.
The crocus are putting on the best show they have seen in many years. The random, single and odd locations of many of them are convincing evidence that they spread on their own.
Others were planted in cages with a determined purpose to out whit the varmints.
A new daffodil joined the bulb parade today. This may be the Cyclamineus Narcissi 'Jetfire'.
There have now been five warm sunny days in a row. It is shocking.
Bulbarella and the Building Contractor picked the perfect week to come up for their early spring gardening chores. There is a diagnosis for a wet change this weekend.
One lost soul has reappeared this spring. Iris reticulata 'Harmony' most likely was discovered today much to the delight of Bulbarella.
The crocus are putting on the best show they have seen in many years. The random, single and odd locations of many of them are convincing evidence that they spread on their own.
Others were planted in cages with a determined purpose to out whit the varmints.
A new daffodil joined the bulb parade today. This may be the Cyclamineus Narcissi 'Jetfire'.
There have now been five warm sunny days in a row. It is shocking.
Bulbarella and the Building Contractor picked the perfect week to come up for their early spring gardening chores. There is a diagnosis for a wet change this weekend.
Monday, March 9, 2009
They're Here
The first daffodils of the spring of 2009 have arrived on the ridge top garden in the low spot on a North Carolina mountaintop. Some other time I may go back and compare dates with this event in 2008.
Right now I am wore out from spreading mulch all day at Client # 1's and stopping on the way home for another load of wood chips for the roadside vegetable garden.
Spot, Bulbarella and I went for a bulb tour this evening to check on the progress and look for the minor bulbs. The spotlets are still in their who are these strange people phase, but the speed and distance that they flee has slowed and shortened. Mama Spot is just fine with extra petting.
An interesting shelf fungus that is as hard as the oyster shells it looks like grows on a stump.
One patch of the striped crocus bloom.
The adjustment to day light savings time is on.
It has thrown off my sunset rhythm. No kind daylight savings in Hawaii for twenty years. It's a bit of a jolt when your world is run by the sun and the weather.
Right now I am wore out from spreading mulch all day at Client # 1's and stopping on the way home for another load of wood chips for the roadside vegetable garden.
Spot, Bulbarella and I went for a bulb tour this evening to check on the progress and look for the minor bulbs. The spotlets are still in their who are these strange people phase, but the speed and distance that they flee has slowed and shortened. Mama Spot is just fine with extra petting.
An interesting shelf fungus that is as hard as the oyster shells it looks like grows on a stump.
One patch of the striped crocus bloom.
The adjustment to day light savings time is on.
It has thrown off my sunset rhythm. No kind daylight savings in Hawaii for twenty years. It's a bit of a jolt when your world is run by the sun and the weather.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Race Is On
Two freakishly warm days in a row have caused a flurry of growth. Out of no where, swollen buds have appeared on some daffodils. Or maybe I have been preoccupied with things like siding, the disruption of Fred, cleaning, the arrival of Bulbarella and the Building Contractor, much of which has sent the Spots into a complete dither and had the spotlets running for their hidden burrow, poor things.
Bulbarella has come to unbury her emerging bulbs from the leaf litter and to fertilize every last one she can find. Last count before the big snow there were 265 clumps. With these two freakishly warm days in a row there is bound to be upwards of 400 clumps of daffodils showing by now.
Boom. The striped lavender crocus have buds.
Where did these come from?
Boom. The purple crocus are blooming.
A different mood is in the air.
For now the race for spring is on. I know better though. Winter is not really over. It won't truly be safe until the tomatoes and corn can be planted in mid May.
Bulbarella has come to unbury her emerging bulbs from the leaf litter and to fertilize every last one she can find. Last count before the big snow there were 265 clumps. With these two freakishly warm days in a row there is bound to be upwards of 400 clumps of daffodils showing by now.
Boom. The striped lavender crocus have buds.
Where did these come from?
Boom. The purple crocus are blooming.
A different mood is in the air.
For now the race for spring is on. I know better though. Winter is not really over. It won't truly be safe until the tomatoes and corn can be planted in mid May.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
An Airing Out
All of a sudden it was eighty degrees. Three different thermometers, all in bad locations, concurred. It was close or over eighty degrees. Why aren't I hot?
The long underwear was shed. The windows were opened wide and a cleaning frenzy commenced on the first nice hot spring day of the year.
So warm, the anemones have begun to bloom.
I had to clean. The resident gardeners were returning for a weeks stay to put out their pre-emergent weed preventer across the ridge top garden. Three cats and a curmudgeon cooped up in a small house all winter can generate a few hairballs and some major dust gorillas.
In between dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, laundry and other tidiness related activities a little stroll was in order to remind myself of the really important things.
I have no recollection at all of planting these crocus that showed up in the front bed along my driveway. My best guess is that they must have been some unknown bulbs that fell out of the ground at Client #1's. They were a nice surprise to me.
The siding Fred and I did yesterday has covered most of the house of Lowes. I need to get some flashing on above the windows before I go higher and I think I can finish to the lower roof line without the scaffolding.
Once all this siding goes on, then it will be time to climb back up there and paint the whole thing. Perhaps I should keep that in mind while I have the scaffolding up to reach the top. Put it on. Paint it.
The resident gardeners house has a much lower profile than the cozy cabin. Square footage wise it is more than twice as big. The walkout luxury basement accommodations are not really discernible from this side. The View is from their deck.
This view of a living sky.
One day I will have to walk next door to visit The View.
The long underwear was shed. The windows were opened wide and a cleaning frenzy commenced on the first nice hot spring day of the year.
So warm, the anemones have begun to bloom.
I had to clean. The resident gardeners were returning for a weeks stay to put out their pre-emergent weed preventer across the ridge top garden. Three cats and a curmudgeon cooped up in a small house all winter can generate a few hairballs and some major dust gorillas.
In between dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, laundry and other tidiness related activities a little stroll was in order to remind myself of the really important things.
I have no recollection at all of planting these crocus that showed up in the front bed along my driveway. My best guess is that they must have been some unknown bulbs that fell out of the ground at Client #1's. They were a nice surprise to me.
The siding Fred and I did yesterday has covered most of the house of Lowes. I need to get some flashing on above the windows before I go higher and I think I can finish to the lower roof line without the scaffolding.
Once all this siding goes on, then it will be time to climb back up there and paint the whole thing. Perhaps I should keep that in mind while I have the scaffolding up to reach the top. Put it on. Paint it.
The resident gardeners house has a much lower profile than the cozy cabin. Square footage wise it is more than twice as big. The walkout luxury basement accommodations are not really discernible from this side. The View is from their deck.
This view of a living sky.
One day I will have to walk next door to visit The View.
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