The golden time of year

This past 5 days or so, I've had a hard time concentrating on anything but the garden. I have been so busy with work and other commitments, but my mind always goes back to the garden. Specifically I'm concentrating on what will go in containers, getting the first mowing accomplished, and on dandelions!

The best parts about gardening in this time of the year are that the days are getting longer - I'm able to stay outside until after 8PM - and there are no mosquitoes or gnats out yet. An added bonus is that the weather is perfect for working outside, it's warm enough to be out with just a sweatshirt, and regardless of the work, it is hard to work up a sweat. In fact, the only downside is the dandelions.

Right now, they are blooming like crazy, and for some reason last Friday, I decided to start picking the flowers off to prevent them from going to seed. I have a couple of sections in my garden that seem to be magnets for the seed and I'm constantly digging them out. It is now Tuesday night, and I have removed 1,000's of flowers, and at least several hundred plants. Will they come back from whatever little piece of root is still left, or have I taken care of some of them for good? Who knows; time will tell.

The hardest working man in the garden

Last week I visited the garden of my friend, Roger. I don't know any gardener who spends more time in their yard than he does. Any time I've visited his garden over the past 15 years or so, I've rarely seen a weed. This, in a garden that is about 4 times as large as mine. I don't know how he does it, but the work he puts into the yard is evident. In the suburbs, he has to deal with deer, which are more destructive than rabbits. Right now, he has a gorgeous tulip display on his hill. I'm sure I'll have more to say about his garden as the season progresses, but for now, take a look.

The life of a rabbit

As much as I hate the damage that rabbits do in my yard, it was sad, (and a bit fascinating) to see a baby bunnie hunted down by a sparrow hawk just feet away from my back porch last night. Granted, there is no shortage of rabbits in this neighborhood, and the hawk has to eat.

In fact, I've often wished for a fox that would move into the neighborhood for the same purpose, to curb the rabbit population. A hawk probably won't have a big impact on the numbers, but if it hangs out in my yard, it just might scare a few of the rabbits away.

I planted some Hyacinth beans tonight - they are supposed to attract hummingbirds. I also tossed some lettuce and radish seeds around the garden, figuring that will be up and ready to be eaten before I plant the rest of the annuals later in the month. Last night I over-planted grass seed to fill out the bare spots in the lawn. At this point, it seems likely that we will escape further frost this spring. Rain is expected every day this week. This is great for the seeds I've just planted.

No sign of the thyme...

I was lucky enough to have a day off today and it has been gorgeous. I have been bouncing around different parts of the garden, seeing a plant coming up here, mourning another eaten by the bunnies, and just enjoying the day outside. It does seem like the thyme, which I thought was a perennial, is dead. Same goes for the oregano, but the area still smells wonderful.

Cannas will be appearing in the garden for the first time, at the suggestion of a gardening friend who told me about Horn Canna Farm. A couple of the most interesting varieties I'm trying are 'Pretoria' with a striped green/chartreuse yellow leaf, and 'Wyoming' with a burgundy foliage. Those just went in the ground today and after my break, I'm headed out to plant some Gladiolus and Liatris. We are expecting some rain later in the week, so it's always good to take advantage of the free water.

It feels like I have already pulled out a couple of bushels of dandelions and creeping charlie - I don't think that battle will ever end.

Basking in the sun

Today was a wonderful day to be out in the yard - sunny and warm, but not too hot. I finally turned off the lights and moved all of the plants outside and to the back porch. There's no guarantee, but it is unlikely that it will freeze again this spring. For the next week or so, I haven't seen any forecasts lower than the forties.

The annuals are looking great, so if they make it through the hardening off process, there will be a ton of plants to share with family and friends. I'm starting to think about what goes into the containers this year, but I don't have any great combinations in mind for sure yet.

The daffodils and tulips are starting to bloom, so things are looking good. It won't be long before I need to get the mower out! The rain barrel that filled up last week seems to be working great so far.

Nice evenings - no bugs

It was warm enough to get outside to weed in just a sweatshirt. I tackled 2 of my least favorite weeds to deal with - dandelions and creeping charlie. There will be no end to either of those weeds this year. Too bad the rabbits aren't interested in either of those!

The white magnolia is blooming and a couple of daffodils just began to bloom. I divided the flax and a moonbeam Coreopsis - both were getting a bit large and didn't see to be in the right place. I hope this move will make them fit in better.

Spring came early in 2009

I am amazed when looking back at last year's spring posts how much further along we are this year than last. It has been an incredibly dry spring, but by Easter (April 12) this year, I was out working in the yard for the first time. It is now April 26th and I've been out almost every day since working in the yard after work.

I have moved about 8 trees and shrubs this year, and have managed to clean up the garden. That was a task that didn't get finished last fall because of my shoulder surgery. Who knew it would take so long to recover from that? The more I work outside this year, the better my shoulder seems to hold out, so I'm pretty happy about that.

This weekend it was chilly, and today it rained - we needed it desperately. My big project for Saturday was to make a rain barrel. I can't believe I actually managed to do this myself - though in reality, I barely managed. Cutting plastic is HARD! Also, my tools are not in the best shape, and I'm not good at using them either. Not a good combination.

I spent Sunday working with my seedlings - there are too many! First, I had breakfast with some gardening friends, and then exchanged some seedlings with them. Some of my tomatoes needed a second transplanting already because they were getting too spindly. If the weather cooperates this week, the plan is to weed along the fences and to divide and move perennials. With any luck, some of the seedlings can move outside - that would really help with the space problem I'm running into.