A Short Time Of Order

The snow melt continues. I continued on with the chop and drop of the dried remnants of the herbaceous perennials. The entire three acres is near complete. The ridge top garden was finished this morning. One section remains in the sunny utility meadow and the roadside vegetable garden needs to be done. There are remnants scattered around no doubt. I will find them and chop them down.

The garden becoming is all tidied and ready for spring. The baby bone structure is revealed and a short time of order prevails.

This winter is proving a real test. The temperature has gone negative four times. There have only been single negative events in winter's past and not in all of them. Some of the baby shrubberies have been burned. I can handle leaf drop. Death will make me sad.

All of the evergreen clumping bamboos are looking ever crispy. It is my hope they will put out a fresh crop of leaves in the spring when the new canes come up.

The two holly trees are looking a bit piqued with some minor burn. I think they will be fine. Though they are rated to zone 6, evergreen hollies are not recommended for this elevation. To bad. I was willing to risk it.

There are even two rhododendrons that still have curled up leaves despite the fifty degree temps two days running. I hope that means the ground is still too frozen for them to get enough water. Other wise that is a bad sign. Yes, even totally zone and elevation appropriate plants can get winter burn if the conditions are wrong.

A tidied garden awaits the arrival of the bulbs.

Gardening is always a site specific experiment. After this winter I may lean back to my initial preference for plants rated to at least zone 5. I felt I was slipping when I succumbed to zone 6 plants and I am listed as a zone 6. Only one zone 7 plant slipped in and they were a gift. I'm sure those are toast after this winter.

Elevation changes things. Up here we are more prone to dramatic swings and the extremes of my listed zone. The plants must endure. Gardy ain't gonna be babying anything, not with three acres to tend.