Spring continues!

High 54 F
Low  45 F

The garden is getting another cold soaking today and tonight.  Golf is canceled this evening and it is quite chilly outside.   The flowering plants are caught in suspended animation and I would much prefer cool moisture than hot dryness.  The river of bulbs continues to delight and I am enjoying this bright tulip after the subdued but elegant color of the 'Accent' daffodils. This is hot, bright, and very visible from two hundred yards. The small crabapple is blooming by the fish pond which is still requiring a bit of work.  I did pick up a biological filter today so perhaps the EM will have time for hookup this weekend.  The pond still needs a good cleaning which may mean emptying it and refilling it before fish can arrive.    The crabapple is only a year old and my 'organic' lawn is looking pretty bad behind it so reseeding must be added to the list of chores for the spring.  The Carolina Silverbell, Halesia carolina, is starting to bloom but I did see a pink version today and it is truly lovely.  Carol over at May Dreams has a pink one she blogged about on April 28th.   I can see why she is happy with this tree.  Pictures just don't do it justice.   My white one has been in for about seven years and it is covered with blooms.    I am now lusting after the pink one though.  Another plant for the list.  The list never ends.   

Wordless Wednesday!

High 76 F
Low  50 F

Zen

High  77 F
Low  39 F

Early Monday morning I went out to the garden early with the idea of spreading a bit of mulch.  Since the wheelbarrow had some potting soil mixed with compost already in it ready to fill pots for the garden club plant sale in a few weeks it had to be emptied before mulch could be spread. I filled the pots rather than dump the mix and then have to clean that up at a later time. Since the pots were filled with soil it seemed only logical to divide some perennials and pot them up which took a bit of time.  Once the perennials were potted up I needed some compost to fill in the holes left in the garden so that little task was accomplished.  I noticed that the entry garden, which has a bit of ledge running through it which divides this garden into two sections, was looking a bit weedy.  The portion of this garden abuts the walkway and it is difficult to grow plants here as the water runs and settles here compacting the soil.  I have thought about this little area and what could be done to make it a bit more attractive.  I decided to dig out some of the soil and add some stone dust, rocks and moss for a tiny little 'zen' garden. Two wheelbarrows full of soil and two wheelbarrows full of stone dust took some more time and then there was the trip to the swamp for some moss.  I like moss.   I find its' cool, green softness easy on the eyes and soothing to the soul. The moss was added along with a few little rocks.     I think I need to add another small rock or two but otherwise, for now, it is pleasing to me.   What do you think?  Oh, now a couple hours had passed, I needed to get to work and the mulch did not get spread. Mama said there would be days like this. I'm happy she was right.

Hoe down!

High 46 F
Low  41 F

Stone wall
It is not a very pretty day here for 'Hoe Down' with Carol at May Dreams.  Sounds like we need a checkered tablecloth, some barbecued chicken and a bit of watermelon.  It is a bit too cold here for that but the hoes did come out to play at least for a little bit.  The big hoes posed earlier in April and of these hoes there is the traditional hoe, the stirrup/scuffle hoe which is my favorite and then this other no-name hoe which is on an interchangeable handle. I guess it is a 'hoe with no name'.  Sad!   I do have a collection of hand hoes and they wanted the company of my favorite trowel which I have had for years and which seems to have a loose handle this year!  I included the weeder on the left because that band acts as a hoe and a pivot point to remove weeds.  The second from the left is a handy little tool although I would prefer a square head to the round one.  Still, it works pretty well.  The next one is really a fork...artistic license.  The favorite trowel and then the grub hoe.  One escaped and had to be captured and held down for this picture.  It is a triangular headed hoe.  This one has a sharp tongue.  I generally prefer red handled instruments and you can see that I have painted the trowel handle and the sharp tongued triangle so they are more visible while lying in the dirt.  Sometimes they are quite lazy and try to get out of work by hiding.  We cannot have that now can we?  I seem to like to match my tulips to my hoe handles as this is the first color showing on the spinel red tulips in the river of bulbs.  Now that I know what spinel red looks like, I can call some of my hoe handles spinel red.  Thanks to Carol for her hoely unique inspiration for the Hoe Down!

Ice follies!

High 49 F
Low  43 F

The temperature dipped dramatically a couple of nights ago.  I have been hearing people ask for basil, tomatoes and peppers at the garden centers and have cringed at the thought of putting them in the ground while spring is still so unsettled.  The above picture tells the tale.  I made it out to the back field just after the sun and it is interesting to note the frost pattern on the grass following the shade, clinging to it and not wanting to give up the crystals.  The violets in the field had a sugar coating as did the bee balm in the garden.  The bleeding hearts have such succulent stems it is hard to believe that they can recover from the cold but this one is pretty much back to normal.  On another note, I am excited about the last pair of garden gloves I will ever have to buy.  These are from Smith & Hawken and the sign said 'Guaranteed For Life'.  Well, they were not cheap but were on sale and that was a challenge that I just could not pass up.  Even my favorite gloves rarely last more than a season.  I did ask the sales person about the guarantee and they said that they would replace or refund these gloves.  Let's just see how long they last.  Any bets?