Spring is early this year by a good month. I am having trouble finding this as creepy as I probably ought, because LOOK!

FRONT YARD

Overall view:


The magnolia is stunning.


The lawn reseeding has accomplished something? I guess? I hope this is grass or clover sprouting and not hellacious weeds.


Peonies coming back. Hopefully they will bloom this year. I don't THINK they're planted too deep - buds did form, they just shrivelled up and never opened. I suspect all the rain last summer may have provoked fungus of doom. Who knew peonies were so persnickety??


Behold the tulips! And irises! And my swank repurposing of old bricks from the backyard!


BACK YARD

Overall:


Compare to this time last year. See what I mean about spring arriving early this year? This photo is nowhere near as green. Also nowhere near as AWESOME. HAHAHAHAHAHAAA.


Primroses, as promised by the garden magazines, are lovely, and super-early bloomers. I think I have to track down some more of these.



The bloodroot is coming back, as is the sweet woodruff, but I see no ginger nor solomon's seal back here yet. Hmmmm.


I see three buds here. I'd dismiss it as a random freak of nature but it's not the only one. WTF?? Since when do tulips do this?


Look, it's the transplanted rose! I didn't kill it! Indeed it seems pretty happy in its new sunny spot. Just have to get something to prop it up - a nice obelisk type structure, maybe.

I ♥ my crocuses.



Here's a wider-angle shot for future comparison purposes. Naturalize, my pretties!! Ahahahahahaaa!



Aaaaaaaand look what I did today! The new garden bed begins to take shape! Now I just need topsoil. I meant to get Ritchie's to deliver it on Monday, but I forgot to call back on Thursday, so I may have missed the boat on that till next weekend.



As an added bonus this used up every last one of the remaining rocks from Montague, so now I can sweep up the throughway once and for all. Well, except for that pile of sand that I need to figure out what to do with.

Also this weekend I need to replant a bunch of my seeds, since some cat or other around here has been using them as a salad bar. GRRRR.

Spring cleaning

Ahhhhhhh. Sweet, sweet project time, how I ♥ you.

Tonight I accomplished the following:

* gave the backyard lawn a thorough raking over, as it was caked with half-decayed fallen lilac leaves. Will have to deploy some dutch white clover and some shade-mix grass seed; it's pretty patchy and mossy back there. Not that I mind the moss, it's nice and green and soft, but the last thing I need is hostile weed takeovers, and the clover should help to reduce the amount of bare ground available for them.

Speaking of which, the creeping jenny is already on the move, depressingly; I did the "rake first in one direction, then the other" trick advised by Ed Lawrence for creeping charlie, but it didn't do much good. I think I will have to wield a spade and then go sifting through the soil by hand for every scrap of root in that patch in order to stave it off. And even then I haven't got a hope of digging it all out of the garden bed. Goddamn thuggish plant. I wouldn't mind it so much if it actually discouraged other weeds, but nooooo.

* finally transplanted the prairie joy rose, hopefully not demolishing its root system too badly in the process. Ugh. Fingers crossed. The outcome of this will go a long way towards determining my opinion of the finickiness of roses. At least I managed not to accidentally dig up any bulbs while I was at it.

* swept the patio mostly clear of pine needles, revealing a lovely ever-more-established patchwork of thyme and moss and nicely settled stones. It is totally increasing in gorgeousness and I am dead proud of it.

* swept up the astonishing drifts of fallen leaves and cedar bits covering the passthrough between carport and yard. I really have to do something about this area, it's a horrific mess. It would be tempting to dig up some of the pavers and turn it into garden space, especially given all the nice inviting passageway ideas I've seen in garden magazines, but it's so shady in there that the attempt would be an exercise in frustration. Maybe if I get bored in 10 years. Besides, we need somewhere to put the BBQ.

I figure that if I can dedicate the half-hour that is Corey's part of the Zoodle's bedtime routine to yard-work, I will be able to keep at least sort of on top of things. Naturally that is the same time slot I would need to work up to biking to work. Too many damn projects, not enough time. But REGARDLESS, here is my list of Stuff To Tackle In Nearish Future:

FRONT YARD
* determine outlines of new bed and cover with compost and topsoil
* plant "early spring" seeds, e.g. poppies
* dethatch and top-dress lawn, deploy clover and grass seed
* clean up leaves and other crap out of existing beds

BACK YARD
* finish cleaning up throughway
* organize shed so it's not a hazard to set foot in it - just about gave myself a black eye this evening
* top-dress lawn, deploy clover and grass seed
* start shade bed with compost, topsoil, and mulch while I figure out wtf I'm going to do with it
* get the drop on all the goddamn celandine that's popping up everywhere

(Very) Early Spring

It is probably a sign of sad, sad addiction and withdrawal that I am stomping around out there with a camera in mid-March. NONETHELESS: time for a picture post!

FRONT YARD



Well, I didn't kill the magnolia, so w00t! Need to scheme some more about what I'm going to do with that new bed. Separate post on this subject to follow.




Crocuses are making an appearance, which cheers me greatly. I had fun pointing them out to the Zoodle, too. I am so glad I planted these things. Can't wait till they bloom.




Also returning: irises. I think the neighbourhood bunnies may have sampled this one, but it doesn't look too much the worse for wear.


BACK YARD



SQUEE. I can already tell that last summer's efforts made a fabulous difference back here. Melt, snow, melt!!!




The patio thyme seems to have stayed evergreen under the snow. By the end of this summer, it will no doubt have annexed the whole area. Awesome.




Wow, the hens and chicks are sure looking happy. I don't think it can really be possible for them to have grown under the snow, can it?




I seem to have cultivated a whole host of moss, both in the garden patches and on the patio stones (the ones visible so far anyway). Unfortunately, as pretty as it is, I don't think it actually deters weeds.

Spoils of Seedy Saturday

* Cleome in pink, purple and white. Last year I got these as bedding plants, so it'll be interesting to see how seedlings compare.

* Phacelia Tanacetifolia. A very interesting-looking annual; package claims it's good for bees. From what I'm reading the foliage looks like something between ferns and yarrow.



* Poppies. Going crazy with these this year, apparently, because I picked up two more varieties - both self-seeding annuals:

English Elegance


Flanders Fields


* Malva Zebrina. Was it these or Lavatera that get super self-seedy-aggressive? Hmmm.



* Gigantor marigolds (aka CrackerJack Mixed). Last year these didn't germinate so well, but I think the seeds may have been old.

* Nice red hollyhocks. Where to put them?? Maybe in the front yard, at the back of the new bed? It will be nice and sunny there. Not that they'll bloom until next year anyway.



* Mixed Lupins. I hear mixed reports about these - that they're mad persnickety and unreliable from seed, and that they naturalize wildly. I gather they need very particular conditions, but that they go nuts when those conditions are met. Will have to check again.

Latest seed purchase, inspired by a tip from a gardening magazine: "Bright Lights" Swiss Chard.



Not that I have any idea how to cook with it, but isn't it awesomely colourful!

February, I hates you forEVARRRRRRRR.

To distract myself from how far away spring is, I went seed-shopping. The spoils:

* Parsley. I was surprised to learn from the package that this stuff is actually biennial, meaning last year's parsley will be back. Mom tells me, however, that it bolts in its second year - although it's okay if harvested early in the season, it still doesn't taste the same. So: new crop. At least the old stuff will be ornamental.

* Basil. Nom.

* Cilantro. Judging from the picture on the package this stuff is actually quite pretty in addition to being tasty.




* Poppies: "Paeony Scarlet" (annual), Californian Poppies (annual), and mixed oriental poppies (perennial).




* A cute ornamental grass called "Bunny's Tails", or lagurus ovatus.




* Blue fescue ornamental grass. I am going to have to do some more reading on this one, I've been warned it may be a thug. I suppose I could plant it in a container or something, anyway.




* Cerinthe "Purple Bells". An annual.




* Dianthus "Brilliancy".




* Coreopsis "Early Sunrise".




* Matthiola. This image is a lot prettier than I remember these things - to my memory they were pretty unremarkable, except for they smelled delicious (like lilacs but later in the summer). Possibly they needed more sun to actually look decent.