running down into the spring
Hey, it's time to do State of the Yard posts again! Yay!
Springtime seemed to come suddenly in the second week of March. The first croci in my yard appeared on March 18. Somewhere around April 1 the next flowers bloomed: some mini daffodils ("Little Gem"?) I acquired from a sale easter pot last year. A week later, and most of my regular daffodils are also blooming. Wild alliums are out in full force. Forsythia is bright and shining. Hyacinths are... well, they're supposedly blooming, but the few I have really don't look very happy. Ah well. Two of my aspargi clumps have sent up shoots! But only two. I was worried last year that'd I'd lost half of them to the winter; it's looking like I lost more than half. Boo.
Things I have done:
Springtime seemed to come suddenly in the second week of March. The first croci in my yard appeared on March 18. Somewhere around April 1 the next flowers bloomed: some mini daffodils ("Little Gem"?) I acquired from a sale easter pot last year. A week later, and most of my regular daffodils are also blooming. Wild alliums are out in full force. Forsythia is bright and shining. Hyacinths are... well, they're supposedly blooming, but the few I have really don't look very happy. Ah well. Two of my aspargi clumps have sent up shoots! But only two. I was worried last year that'd I'd lost half of them to the winter; it's looking like I lost more than half. Boo.
Things I have done:
- Fill a bag of yard waste. I had done a decent job of de-leafing last fall, but winter and wind means piles more get stuck up around things. Additionally, I finally got around to trimming the dead growth from the coreopsis and the sedum.
- S&D the bittercress while it's still early and I can defeat it. This year is looking pretty sparse on that front! Gardens not terrribly overrun.
- Plant cilantro and basil seedlings. I was too lazy to grow my own so I got some from geagle and dumped them in the ground. They are still alive.
- Mow. Not so much the lawn but the leaves and the wild onion, so I can bag it easier and also get a nice layer of mulch to dump in my compost over the mounds of un-decomposed food that's been sitting in there all winter. Est: Today!
- Clean off driveway. Now that the dead car is gone, I can do something about the old mounds of dirt and leaves and debris that has been covering the driveway, hopefully in time for people to play on it during pie party. Est: Today!
- Acquire plants! I neeeeeeed rosemary. And I'm mentally planning what vegetables to grow. If I was smart I would have planned two months ago, but I'm not. Fortunately I have several friends who are better gardeners than me who have spares. I'm currently craving kale, blue potatoes, and more brussels sprouts. And probably a pepper or two for Jim. Est: Next week through May
- Seed bare spots. We have a lot of them. Also the side of the house is nothing but weeds. I tried to grow grass last year and it mostly really didn't do well. I think I will try clover this year. Do something with the strip by the driveway which is mostly dirt and mud. Est: May
- Trim blueberry. I forgot to do this last year and now it is huge. I think I will wait until after it produces berries this year, then hack it back down to size. Est: July
- Plant rocks at shed entrance. It's basically a pit of mud and a leaf collection area. I think if I put some pavers down that will help it a lot come next winter. Est: Later
- Plant a sidewalk. We need a walkway between the sidewalk by the road and the sidewalk by the house. This will take planning. Est: Later