Sunday, March 17, 2013

Working in the green for St. Patrick's Day.

Now that's what I'm talking about! Highs in the mid-70's,  sunny and clear, a light breeze. This is the spring weather I've been waiting for. The joy of stepping out my front door and being greeted with the sweet scent of hyacinths.
Of course, spring also means yard work, but I love that, too. I have been clearing dead leaves from the flower beds and dumping them by the tub-full into the woods or on the side of the road to be picked up by the city. This morning, the little boys next door helped haul tubs of leaves up the driveway after I lopped the dead stalks of the Japanese false bamboo that has to be cut to the ground each year so that it can re-grow. It's an insanely invasive plant put in by the equally insane former home-owners, but I deal with it as best as I can to keep it from consuming the yards of both myself and my neighbors.
As I worked, the kids peppered me with questions: "What is that flower?" ("Those are crocuses.") "What about these little ones?" ("Those are called grape hyacinth.") "What about this little flower that I just picked?" ("That's the bud of a Bradford pear flower. And now it's dead. Please don't pick them. And while we're on the subject, please don't ever again pull the red berries off my nandina bushes. Got it?") "Okay. And what about those Easter flowers?" ("Those are daffodils.") And so on.
I spent all of Saturday evening clearing out the bed by the far driveway. Soon the azaleas will bud out and the lilies of the valley and the hostas will emerge. I worked in short-sleeves until seven that evening. It was glorious.
Today was mostly spent in the tiered bed by the first driveway. I dug up wild onions, removed a million dead leaves, and even uprooted some dandelions.
In the front bed, the bell-like flowers of the pierris are out, and the candytuft surved the snow and continues to bloom.
Yes, my back is a little sore from all the work. But so worth it!

44 comments:

  1. nice...it was in the 70s here yesterday...was amazing...went to the park for a bit to take a break from the paper i was writing...ah...guess i will be out next week working in the yard...

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    1. I am happy, happy, happy to have outdoor time right now.

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  2. Beeeeautiful photos!

    And can I just tell ya that my favorite flower smell is hyacinths? So I would have been oohing and aahing over the aroma. Whenever I smell them, I'm instantly transported back to my childhood and Easter. LOVE those flowers!

    Sounds like you had a glorious weekend in the garden. Doesn't it do the soul good to be out in nature; mingling with the earth?

    "Yes, my back is a little sore from all the work. But so worth it!"

    Amen!

    Enjoy the rest of your evening.....X

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    1. Thank you!

      Isn't it a wonderful smell? So sweet! It does me good always - I love having my hands in the dirt. Spring makes me feel so hopeful.

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  3. It certainly feels like Spring at your house. I love all the bulbs you have coming up!

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    1. Thanks. We're just beginning - I have plenty left to arrive.

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  4. I wish! The greenest thing we have around here right now is moss. It's amazing how hardy moss can be.

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    1. My yard is positively filled with moss from a very rainy warmish winter!

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  5. oh i am aching for spring. we had another inch of snow this weekend and i am just sick to death of winter this year. mainly because i have to commute in snow. yuck.

    anyway, i appreciate seeing spring ahs arrived somewhere. it gives me hope.

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    1. We had a little snow last weekend and I admit I was not pleased with it. Especially when my car was sliding in the driveway!

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  6. You have quite the variety of flowers around your garden. Your growing is probably at least a month ahead of us up here.

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  7. How cute you had helpers in your work :) Looks like a lot of work though, but glad the weather cooperated so you could get a big chunk of it done this weekend!

    betty

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    1. They are funny kid. And I really do enjoy the work.

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  8. Oh it's definitely Spring for you, how jealous am I? All we have is a few snowdrops, some Polyanthus and daffodils that are barely 2" high. :(

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  9. This is what my March work should be like too (except that I compost and wouldn’t ever dream of giving away good mulching material) but here it’s cold and wet and nothing much dares peep out from the occasional snow showers. I envy you.

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    1. The city mulches it. I have a compost bin, but it can only hold so much.

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  10. Still 40 degrees here. I have to walk through my grocer's florist section to smell Easter. Those kids sound............interesting?

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    1. Interesting. Sometimes a wee bit annoying. Mostly it's okay I like their mother - she often comes over to make sure they aren't bothering me.

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  11. Keeping your garden in order takes an awful lot of work! But I guess it's very satisfying when everything's tidied up and looking its best....

    We're expecting more snow at the end of the week. Eeeek!

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    1. Yes, very much so. And I enjoy it. I hope we're done with snow.

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  12. We had that kind of weather on Saturday and the Bradford Pears are just on the cusp of exploding here too!

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  13. Sigh. We're expecting a 30cm snowstorm tomorrow and Wednesday.

    I am SO ready for winter to be done.

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  14. Gee whiz SAW, we had a snowstorm this morning. Spring is a myth.

    Lovely, lovely garden, I want to visit, even just for an hour.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I'm doing my best to send it your way!

      If you are ever in these parts, you MUST visit.

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  15. I think there's one more winter storm that is planning to shimmy its way into our area. We had icy rain this morning and we'll get snow tomorrow. Oh well.

    I actually miss doing yardwork. My parents used to put me to work in the spring and summer months and I hated it. I don't know what I was griping about, though. I don't don't think I'd mind it now. Just subtract the gang of curious kids.

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    1. I only don't like it when it's sweltering outside and the mosquitoes are out. But yes, some days I' wish I didn't have those kids helping me!

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  16. Isn't it reassuring that, no matter how long and bleak the winter, spring does come eventually....Beautiful flowers!

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  17. This brought tears to my eyes....we are still buried under a foot of snow, with a new few inches last night. AAAAAARRRRGHHH! So beautiful. So jealous. Enjoy!

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  18. Those first signs of spring are so encouraging! I love walking through the neighborhood and admiring or tsk-tsking the gardens of those who have them :)

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  19. I, um, @$%#(*%@$$#@*&^!!!

    You know. You've seen the pictures of my world today. I actually think the snow is glorious, but I'm sooo itching to get out in the yard and do work besides snowman building and shoveling.

    Way to scare the neighborhood kids. They'll never touch another berry again.

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    1. You seem to have a remarkably high tolerance for snow, which is fortunate.

      And I hope I put the fear of God into the kid!

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  20. It's always fun to get outside and do stuff in the spring. You can kill the bamboo with concentrated Roundup. When it sprouts, cut it off and paint the stump with the Roundup. It's systemic so a little might do the whole thing but, as you know, bamboo is tenacious as well as invasive. Lest you worry about using chemicals, I am told by reliable biologists that herbicides are very plant-type specific and highly volatile, degrading in a matter of days and, therefore, not very harmful to the ecosystem.

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    1. This is a false bamboo, also called Japanese knotweed and spraying it with round up is not effective. In fact, it's considered the single worst invasive species in the Northwest and is virtually impossible to get rid of.

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  21. How awesome that they are interested in the different flowers/plants in your yard. As usual your flowers are beautiful.

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    1. Thanks, I really love this tie of year when they start blooming.

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  22. Perfect post to read for the first day of Spring eve. Beautiful flowers.

    Fool's Gold

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