Sunday, March 20, 2011

AROUND THE GARDEN


Happy Spring, everyone! Having delighted in the past few days’ relatively balmy weather, we now have to face up to the other side of spring: rainy and cool, lightly peppered with ominous warnings of “a wintry mix.”

This meteorological mischief should remind us not to overdo: the first few days of working in the garden can precipitate aches and pains, or even a few blisters. And, equally important, not to get carried away with sprucing up – a bit of leaf litter will help protect perennials’ roots on freezing nights. Remember that Middletown’s last frost date is mid- to late-May!

About the only plants we can safely put out right now are cold-hardy pansies – but that’s hardly a limitation, given such gorgeous colors. Better, though, to just watch and wait as the crocuses pop open and the daffodils take their sweet time. If your soil is wet enough that you can make a ball of it, let it dry out before disturbing it.

One great activity for cool spring days is to cut some flowering branches to force indoors. Many of us think automatically of forsythia, but almost any spring-flowering woody plant can be forced now. For that matter, forcing foliage is just as much fun – if your Japanese maple needs a light pruning, bring in a bunch of cuttings for a fabulous display. Magnolia branches are excellent, as long as you are emotionally ready for the inevitable collapse of petals after a week of glorious color.

If that’s a bit strenuous, consider rounding up your seed catalogs: as with most things in life, some forethought can save you time and money. There’s time to order seeds and get them started. Whether you want heirloom tomatoes or that perfect peach-colored poppy, your chances of getting exactly what you want for a reasonable price are much better if you order seeds. After all, seeds cost almost nothing to ship, and they don’t dry out or get moldy in transit. Just remember to follow the instructions!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous photo - what is that?

Tree Fanatic said...

Thanks! It's a Kobus magnolia, growing on a private property in Durham. From a distance, it looks like the flower on the Star magnolia, but the tree grows much larger and is thus a more dramatic piece of the landscape.

Cathy said...

Thanks for this nice and interesting article! Fabulous to see it blooming.