The maple syrup guys are out tapping trees. Robbins all over. Can’t wait for spring!
- my Late Father
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(Yes, yes, It's still too early...)
Major project on Tuesday of this past week:
Out with the OLD (30 – 35 year old azalea bushes) that are being cut back enough to keep them below the porch so that they no longer bloom … some are dying:
“Pro” tip from my brother – how to get bushes OUT in a hurry without breaking your back digging them up (fortunately, azaleas have a fairly shallow root system). In 3 hours (including time rounding up chains, strap, putting hitch on truck, etc.), all 14 bushes were out!
In with the NEW (once small roots are out, soil amended and prepared):
In twenty years, they should look like this (English boxwoods on another side of the house):
Happy almost-Spring everyone!
The daffodils and star magniolia survived our snow and cold, so far...and my “forest” garden plans are taking shape (cut @40 trees down in past year.) Now need to bring in and spread yards and yards of dirt. Do high school kids in your area NOT want to make a little cash? We are having hard time finding help.
Saw a lot of American Robins in my yard this week. Must have been 2 dozen. Also saw a few mosquitoes! 😳
Monday - another sunny, nice day here - temps should top out 66-67. The grass has really greened up the last week - definitely going to have to mow next weekend.
Yesterday, I finished up my herb bed - the very last raised bed in the veggie/flower “complex” of beds. I have grown oregano before, but the plants (from memory) always stayed fairly small. This sucker just about took over the end of the bed, about 1/4th of it. It was like a ‘mat’ of roots, so cutting it back was not a solution. I ended up cutting it into pieces with my pulaski, then digging up the smaller pieces. I kept one piece with some nice green leaves and replanted it when I got the ‘mat’ totally dug up and out of the bed. The mat took so much dirt that I had to haul a 5-gallon bucket to fill in the hole.
The lemon verbena plant died so that came out, cut back the sage & a lemon thyme that was looking raggedy. I have another thyme plant that is more compact, very green & looks great. The rosemary survived the winter, too.
After getting the herb bed straight, I started hauling wood chips to cover up the shingles that are around the beds. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve tripped on the edges - my ‘recovering’ knee leg tends to not get raised as high & I’m tripping. I hauled until almost sunset and my back was giving out, so I called it a day.
Getting ready to head back out & haul more wood chips this afternoon. Hopefully, I can get all the shingles I have down covered. Tomorrow will be the last ‘mild’ day of the week and we’ll be on the road all day, so what I get done today is probably where I’ll be when the weekend rolls around.