Tulips

...and something else that was covered up by the bag of peat moss until a few days ago.

Spring. is. coming.

Hooray!

Spring Landscaping Chores

Even a chore list is more interesting with pictures, right?
The real question is: how much of this will I able to get done 8-9 months pregnant/with a newborn?

p.s. 51 degrees today and tomorrow, back in the 30's with chance of snow later this week. Welcome to March!

1. Fill-in new flowerbed (front) with dirt and compost. (sprinkle gypsum first & spade in).

    --design plantings

    --purchase plants/shrubs + put in

  

2. Clean out/spray? thistles along wooden fence by shed.

    Prepare soil (get some from in front of deck.)

  

 Transplant raspberries along fence--including those on other side of gate

 Put in support stakes/string

3. Back flower bed

[transplant raspberries] and thoroughly weed after

--buy rose bush--hardy, scented, to fill in corner

--Move geraniums to back slope (could leave a small clump)

--Fill in Diamond holes, like the one above (grrr)

--Finish digging out/dividing irises and weeding.

--FENCE BED!!

My little mockorange (above) has had nearly every branch snapped off this winter, from our dumb dog using the flowerbed as her personal jumping off point. 

My fault for not fencing the bed last fall.

Still not at all happy with the dog. I hope it survives (the shrub, that is.)

--Buy shrubs for deck end of bed and to space throughout the bed.
--Weed cloth/mulch all
--Can begin adding annuals for color, or smaller perennials to fill-in gaps once shrubs are in place.
 

Those crocuses peeking up on the slope that I've mentioned before.

 

4. Slope
    --pooper-scoop all!
    --rake out dead grass
    --remove aspen shoots.  I've pretty much decided to take out almost every aspen shoot I find this year. I was letting a select few grow, but if they're within 6 feet of something I really care about--bushes, etc., then I'm just ripping them out.

     
**BLUEBERRIES**
--Remove any leaves/berries/debris from around bases.
--Remove competing grass, lupines, aspens, etc. within 1-2 feet

--Mulch well with pine needles from old Christmas tree

--Apply fertilizer purchased last fall.



**BLACKBERRIES**
Train vine to our side of fence.

Winter Weather

Hold on to those hopes of spring. We woke up to a howling blizzard Saturday morning, and are supposed to get another snowstorm this week. There's only about 2-3 inches on the ground right now, but we're supposed to get another 5. It has been deceptively sunny during the day, still very cold.

I have one little patch of crocuses on the slope that are about 1/2 inch high, but I didn't get any pictures before it snowed again. Just as well.

I'm still debating if I should start any flower seeds this year. With baby coming in April, that will definitely put a damper on any seedling care, probably right when they would need it most. So I'm thinking not, although it would sure be nice to have my own flat of petunias or nasturtiums or marigolds to put out. See, that's part of the problem, though. I have a hard time just doing a few.

Oh well. I guess they're not that expensive to buy, and it would be better (no doubt) to be able to plant them directly, rather than kill them off due to neglect once the little one arrives.

Houseplants

I have been having some houseplant success, as of late.

I was about ready to give up on this orchid--give it away or something.

It didn't seem to be thriving at all.

I was not giving it any special treatment--infrequent waterings and whatever sunlight it got from the kitchen window.

Now look at it!

Phalaenopsis, the Moth Orchid
Wow, pretty blossoms!

I was going to re-pot it, but never got around to it.

Then its roots started snaking out and attached themselves to the rock that was next to its smaller pot (the rock was merely keeping the smaller pot upright).

Ever since then it has been doing quite well.

So I guess the new pot will have to have room for the rock, too!

Still not sure what to do about the extra root and plant growing off the top. The two big, main flowers you see are coming from that one, actually. I need to do some research and find out how to plant that offshoot or something. Those roots just reaching out into the air probably could use something to attach to. I do make sure to splash some water on them every time I water the main plant.

Also, the aloe on the left, above, is doing great! I've only been watering it every other week--sometimes I go 3 weeks between waterings for it. It seems to like that schedule.

The little plant on the right is a spider plant that also needs repotting soon. It was a Christmas gift from a friend in the ward. Finally, my prayer plant has been putting out a bunch of new leaves, ever since I moved it to the kitchen and started watering it once a week. Go figure, eh?

What garden?

I think we'll get our snow cover, after all.



Weirdly Warm Weather

This week it has been up in the 50's during the day, with lots of blustery wind and rain, then usually freezing again at night. Very strange, especially for January.

A Visit from Jack Frost

We haven't had snow since Thanksgiving, but this frost on everything is just gorgeous.