What is happening in your garden right now?

[maize]

We've had a few lovely spring days lately, I've been out pruning and weeding and doing some of the cleanup that should have happened in the fall but didn't. I bought myself a Japanese gardening knife (hori-hori) that I am in love with.

My ramson/bear's garlic is up, everyone says it spreads and takes over like crazy but mine isn't spreading nearly fast enough. I have to restrain myself from eating it all...

I planted a jujube tree this week.

I ought to be planting peas but haven't gotten around to that.

My male hardy kiwi died overwinter and I need to replace it. Kiwis are supposed to be easy but they apparently don't like my climate. I bought replacement insurance on this one because I've lost several before.

My daffodils and hyacinth are blooming and the tulips are coming up.

I had fire blight on most of my pear trees last year and need to keep a sharp eye out this spring.

So--what's happening in your garden this week? 

[MaBelle]

What's not happening is that my asparagus is not coming up.  Sil's is thick and mine is non existent.  It's been a dependable patch for years.

I'll start stuff on Monday or Tuesday after my sister weekend in Arkansas!  That means my darling little silkie chickens will be grounded to their pen instead of free ranging until everything is up enough that they can't destroy it.

I've got an herb garden and several big raised beds that I put flowers in.  I've given up on veggies except tomatoes.  I'll have marigolds, zinnias, chrysanthemums, coneflowers and this year I'm planting some indoor hibiscus outdoors.  They won't last the winter but I don't care, they'll be gorgeous through the summer.

 

[teachermom2834]

My 10 yo dd talked me into doing something in our yard last year. I’m a city kid so a total novice gardener but we are having so much fun and the yard looks great. Though we still have no idea what we are doing. Lol.

Our perennials in the flower bed we put in last year are coming up so strong and hearty.  Very satisfying! Especially because most of them were picked off the clearance carts looking pretty sad and just plunked in the ground. We’ve weeded and cleaned up and ready to plant more where we had annuals last year.

We went to a garden festival last weekend and me dd picked lettuce plants as her purchase. So those have gone into some containers and are being babied. We’ll see.

We are going to a huge plant sale this weekend so we’ll see what we come home with. I spend a lot of time thinking about what we should plant and where and when. I’m kind of obsessing about berries. 

Its funny because we are so enjoying it but we really have no idea what we are doing. It is always an experiment. I read a lot online but I’m still too clueless to even ask reasonable questions.

But we are having fun!

[Zoo Keeper]

One of the crocuses is up! 

And we had snow yesterday; old timers call snow this time of year "robin snow", or "poor man's fertilizer." 

[wintermom]

I'm feeling pretty lucky that I can see the grass on my lawn now. Last week it was under 2 feet of snow! There are still snow flurries hitting us, too. No garden plans for another month. 

We have taken down our Christmas decorations, though! That's sometimes a sure sign of spring in our neck of the woods. 😂

[Noreen Claire]

My crocuses were eaten by bunnies. The tulips that I planted in the fall are starting to come up, as well as some irises in a warm corner garden. Other than that, it's weeds and mud as far as the eye can see.

[wathe]

Mostly still under snow.  I have a few patches of grass showing on the lawn in the sunniest spots.....

[AmandaVT]

 

Current status.... 

[fairfarmhand]

Perennials are starting to come up. Redbuds are gorgeous.

i ha e lettuces sprouting and garlic.  Planted some carrots too. It’s just beautiful here. 

My plants in the sunroom are amazing. Can’t wait to get them outside!

[Cecropia]

The daffodils are blooming and the alliums are about 5 inches high.  Our irises are scraggly from some cold snaps, but they seem to have made it through.  I don't see any growth in the astilbe or butterfly bush yet.  The garden is very neglected, because last year I was suffering from cubital tunnel and unable to do much of anything with my right arm.  There is a lot of work to do this spring, and I still have to take it easy.

We have major deer issues here.  They eat all kinds of plants that are on the deer-resistant lists, so I was astounded when my oldest was able to grow corn and radish plants to harvesting stage in one of our front beds a couple of years ago.  I used to love deer.  Now, not so much!  I'm going to try gladiolus, zucchini and maybe tomatoes this year, but who knows if the deer will feast or snub...  If I could grow gladiolus I would be in heaven, because it is one of my favorite cut flowers.

[MEmama]

Mine is buried under a thick layer of frozen leaves.

There are only patches of snow remaining in the coldest spots, so it’s progress anyway. 

[Lori D.]

Spring is early and short here in the desert southwest, and we've already heading toward hitting 90˚ next week. (:0

But we had an unusually cool and wet (for us) spring, so the wildflower seeds I sowed last fall under the front windows have been putting on a fantastic show this year. And my cross vine all along one side of the house is a wall of orange/yellow trumpet flowers that is vibrating with the hum of busy bees.

I am currently "container gardening" until I can get some raised beds built out of block. I have 5 small citrus (2 lemon, 2 lime, 1 orange) in big pots, and they are all putting out a ton of blossoms, which means we're in for lots of fruit in the fall! I also have a barrel with 3 blueberry plants I bought last month -- they are already starting to form blueberries! (The real trick will be keeping them shaded and alive to survive the blazing summer...) I also have various sized pots, with yellow pear cherry tomatoes, red leaf romaine, spinach, and a number of herbs.

I've been working frantically for the past 2 months during our spring weather to *finally* get some landscaping in. (I spent the last 4-5 years doing nothing but pulling weeds and digging out the Bermuda grass in front and back, and JUST finally have cleared enough, and it's staying clear, so that I have a blank slate and can start moving forward and PLANTING!) I'm putting in a Japanese garden-inspired section of plantings in one corner of the backyard. I've hand-laid a very small, wandering dry rock stream bed and a fallen log, and am working on getting plants put in. Everything is super small, so at the moment it just looks... scanty and odd, lol. But hopefully in about 2-3 years, it will have grown in and actually look look like something.

The inspiration for it all came from having to cut down the one tree in the backyard, and I had DS leave a stump just right for sitting on. So then I realized I needed something to look at and mediate on while sitting on the stump... and thus a Japanese garden (western desert style, lol) was born.

ETA: 
Adding some photos to bring Southwestern spring to those of you still covered in snow:
#1 = pot pourri of flowers, engulfing the hose reel
#2 = California poppies
#3 = cosmos
#4 = desert bluebells

Edited April 4, 2019 by Lori D.

[Pen]

Mostly Rain, mud, newts, banana slugs, weeds...

With occasional daffodils, grass, violets...

 

[Pawz4me]

Our daffodils have come and gone. The one cluster of tulips we have is beautiful!

We planted a dogwood last spring and two redbuds in the fall, and those are on the verge of popping out. Ditto the azaleas.

Our neighbor gave us a bunch of day lilies Saturday, and we've just finished planting them.

The liriope and mondo grass are starting to take off.

We're thinking of getting a Japanese or black tulip magnolia for an empty spot in the back yard.

[lavender's green]

The daffodils are a little past their prime. Tulips are thinking of coming out. Violets and grape hyacinths everywhere. Strawberries are developing. Herbs are waking up. My peonies are coming back. They're always getting run over by kids and cars, and last year someone thought they were weeds and cut them all the way back. 

[Arctic Bunny]

We had some snow on Tuesday, which is gone now. However, it’s only April, and so we are fighting the urge to plant things, because no matter how gloriously above freezing it is right now. It’s not safe until about the beginning of June.

DH has started his peppers, and about 46/50 are full-fledged baby plants.

I am waiting for garden centres to at least get some perennials in, and hoping I find what I’m waiting for.

[hjffkj]

Well we just moved to this house in Feb, so what is already there was put there by the previous owner, but that isn't much.  Today has been gorgeous and I spent a few hours out back weeding,  planting the two cherry trees we bought, and some of the strawberries we bought.  This weekend I plan on getting some herbs and flowers to plant, just not sure what.  But a good section of the yard is ready for some fresh plants.

The front yards is landscaped with rocks so I'm going to have a heck of a time with weeding.

[HS Mom in NC]

I'm in zone 8a outside Raleigh, NC.

My sheet mulching beds and hugelkulture are breaking down. The sheet mulching beds will be planted with 14 dwarf fruit and nut trees next fall and the one that borders the front of my property will have a lot of daylilies in the mix next spring because I have the nicest neighbors who have a fantastic collection of registered ones they've offered to share with us. The hugelkulture will be planted with blueberry bushes next spring.

The privacy fence for most of my mini-orchard has been ordered and will be installed this month. My lilac bushes are all leafed out, and I'm steeling myself for digging one out to make way for the fence.  I'm hoping to move it, but it's not dormant, so it's going to be touch and go.  Sniff.

The bare root plants that I planted in the fall are sprouting and budding. I have snowball hydrangeas, Virginia creeper, Joe Pye Weed, phlox, lobelia, blackeyed Susans, trumpet vine, hummingbird vine, wild grape vine, spice bush, all over the property and a Carolina rose next to the most beautifully textured, moss covered tree stump.

My wisteria plant has returned and has a developing bud on it, so I'm looking forward to Woodrow's return (the green lizard who lives in it) as the weather warms.  He's a hoot.  He jumped right onto my husband's back once. We're getting rid of the deck Gus lives under. He's a shy, blue tailed skink.

We'll be rewiring our automower's route because the fence is going in and a few sets of flowers are being underplanted around the trees.  His name is Chauncey Gardner and he bunks under the deck with Gus, so while he's fine even in the rain, we're entertaining the idea of giving him his own little dog house around his charging station.  But what to call his new place?

The planting beds in front of the porch are leafing up and the gladiolus plants the previous owners planted are coming up again.  I'm letting them play out as cutting flowers because they fall over on their own weight, but they are beautiful.  I'm not adding to them, but I can't bear to take them out. The perennials I put in are bulking up, so I'm hopeful.

The adorable big bumble bees we have here are back, but they seem sad with not much in bloom. 

The wooded part of our property that borders the 11 acres of protected wetland behind us has been cleared of that $%&*%@#q@^#!* cat briar.  We pulled, cut, and burned enough that if laid end to end would probably go the moon and back. We wore welding gloves because the thorns puncture leather work gloves. We cut down the trees it smothered and used them in our hugel. It left an amazing round space between the River Birches and other trees whose branches arch over like a natural gazebo/outdoor room.  We put the last of our woodchips down to retard growth on the ground and put our patio furniture out there.  It's going to be fantastic when the trees fully leaf.  We're on the hunt for shade tolerant blooming plants to make the wall of that natural gazebo/outdoor room with solar lights strung across for evening use. 

At the corner of the property line and the woods we've cleared a place where we'll put a......brace yourselves, literary types.......SOLAR LAMPOST!.....Did I mention my spare room has a sign reading SPARE OOM on it? Oh, and I want an arched entrance with a blooming vine on it that leads into the woods with a sign reading.....11 ACRE WOOD! And we want to put in a natural pond that I not so secretly hope will attract wild ducks with a sign that reads....MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS.....Any other suggestions for children's literature themed gardens? Maybe a sign in front of a blueberry bush that reads, "BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL."  

The large capacity hummingbird feeders are due to arrive tomorrow so we can resume the battle of the hummingbirds.  They're such little jerks to each other, but they're so entertaining. The birdseed feeders are getting a lot of action because so many birds are back from their annual travels.  I have to pay off The Squirrel King with seed tribute on the ground under them or that little &#$%&@#%$&@ will eat the plastic on the feeders until it falls to the ground.  History suggests appeasement isn't good a long term solution, so we'll see what comes of it.

My brother made me a hand made wooden box with little glass jars of seeds he collected for me to plant here.  He collected nasturtium seeds from his plants and seeds from my mother's African daisy plants along with various vegetable seeds, so this weekend I'm going to research the best spots on the property to plant them.
 

[Mbelle]

Clouds of pollen are billowing all around.  I have 6 espaillied (arched) pear trees and I pruned half of them before giving in to the pollen.  I will finish tomorrow.  No fire blight so far this year, but last year was bad.  I sprayed them heavily with copper and it seemed to work.

In the back garden dh is setting out the seedlings today.  All the normal stuff.  Tomatoes, cukes, squashes, lots of peppers, beans, lettuce and potatoes.

I'm trying a flower cutting garden for the first time.  I have grown sunflowers before and those are easy, but i have 2 beds of different types and I will see how it goes.  I love flowers!   There are black eyed susan, glads, daisy, echinacea, zinnia and dahlia.  

Love y'alls photos!

[Mergath]

Mud and wet leaves with a few lingering handfuls of snow. Also the neighbor's dog pooped in it a few times, so that's fun. 

[Arcadia]

Kids wanted to grow some potted vegetables in our patio but haven’t decide on which vegetables. We had a bad problem with aphids for tomato and pepper plants. Only cactus have thrived year round. 

Photo is of a nearby farm taken from the light rail station. Flowers are blooming and dark clouds are looming.

 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

This thread reads poetically to me. If I had any skill, I'd try to link some of the best bits together. What's that called? Found poetry? @regentrude?

 

 

[Loowit]

Puppy is working on pulling out a lot of our shrubs and plants.  We are still trying to figure out if we want to replant raspberries.  We are not sure what we are doing yet.  The house had a lot of landscaping when we moved in and I am not good at gardening so we are looking on how to simplify and puppy proof things.  I would like to get a tomato plant but that would be in a pot.

[Donna]

My garlic and shallots are growing nicely. The salad is coming in beautifully and I have cut it twice already. Radishes are coming up. The parsley I planted last year is huge. We just moved into our home a year ago and have been messing around with our greenhouse here. We have radishes, beets, broccoli rabe, salad, herbs, peas, kale, carrots, brussels, tomatoes, and a few other things I can't recall plus a lemon and a lime tree growing in there. I've been growing, harvesting, and replanting all winter trying to figure out what grows best in there. We are in coastal NC and had a very mild winter.

[Farrar]

I'm trying to ward off the rats from infesting. Sigh. You are all better people than me if judged by your green thumbs.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Flowers are blooming and dark clouds are looming

old timers call snow this time of year "robin snow"

now flurries hitting us

keep a sharp eye out this spring

it's an empty bed

still frozen to the ground.

darling little silkie chickens grounded to their pen

obsessing about berries 

 irises in a warm corner garden

in the sunniest spots

Clouds of pollen are billowing all around

a few lingering handfuls of snow

It’s just beautiful

 

.................

My first attempt 🙂

34 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This thread reads poetically to me. If I had any skill, I'd try to link some of the best bits together. What's that called? Found poetry? @regentrude?

 

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

Chickens do such a beautiful job of turning the soil that nothing grows except roses and hardy daisy bushes.

we just finished picking peaches in the orchard and now there are apples.  Soon there will be fuyu fruit as well.

its so so dry though.  The ground is baking hard.

[EmseB]

I have been nauseous since the beginning of Feb, so not as much going on as I had planned in Jan. 😕

From winter I have one cauliflower and one broccoli plant, each absolutely thriving from neglect. Seriously the biggest cauli I've ever grown.

I did get my tomato seedlings planted out because they were withering indoors, but I'm still not sure they are going to survive. Pepper plants still waiting inside and look okay.

I'm in zone 9, so I need to get stuff done soon because it will be HOT by June. But this baby is kicking my behind.

[Rosie_0801]

Not a lot. The banana tree didn't grow this summer at all because I didn't water it. It was so wretchedly hot I didn't dare go out there in case I disturbed the brown snake I know is in the yard somewhere. This will be my last winter in this house, so I'm weeding patches big enough to throw in whatever old seeds I'm finding as I potter about, kind of thinking about decluttering in preparation for moving. The lettuce seems to be growing. Or at least something is growing where I put the lettuce...

[Spy Car]

 

 

1

6 hours ago, hjffkj said:

Well we just moved to this house in Feb, so what is already there was put there by the previous owner, but that isn't much.  Today has been gorgeous and I spent a few hours out back weeding,  planting the two cherry trees we bought, and some of the strawberries we bought.  This weekend I plan on getting some herbs and flowers to plant, just not sure what.  But a good section of the yard is ready for some fresh plants.

The front yards is landscaped with rocks so I'm going to have a heck of a time with weeding.

Have I got the solution for you. I put in gravel paths and the weeding was killing me. Then I found a weedburner (flamethrower) at Harbor Freight for $16. It is a wand that attaches to a standard bbq propane tank.

Makes weeding fun for children of all ages.

 

Bill

[Guest]

In my garden now

   Worms shiver

Sluggishly sighing

   Waiting for Mother Nature to make up her damn mind.

[Ausmumof3]

26 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Not a lot. The banana tree didn't grow this summer at all because I didn't water it. It was so wretchedly hot I didn't dare go out there in case I disturbed the brown snake I know is in the yard somewhere. This will be my last winter in this house, so I'm weeding patches big enough to throw in whatever old seeds I'm finding as I potter about, kind of thinking about decluttering in preparation for moving. The lettuce seems to be growing. Or at least something is growing where I put the lettuce...

That seems to be the trouble with growing lettuce from seed.  I can never figure out what’s lettuce and what’s weeds.  We may have been eating weed sandwiches last year.

[Rosie_0801]

1 minute ago, Ausmumof3 said:

That seems to be the trouble with growing lettuce from seed.  I can never figure out what’s lettuce and what’s weeds.  We may have been eating weed sandwiches last year.

 

Weed sandwiches are probably of a higher nutritional value anyhow. 

[Ausmumof3]

Just now, Rosie_0801 said:

 

Weed sandwiches are probably of a higher nutritional value anyhow. 

Yeah true!!! As long as they aren’t toxic

[alisoncooks]

I weeded a much neglected (aka abandoned) flower bed, and discovered three thriving clumps of cilantro. Score!!

[aggie96]

Maybe, just maybe, spring has sprung around here despite the annoying cold snap for a couple of days at the start of the week. I am so very, very thankful we don’t have snow like some of you!!!

Growing tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, pole beans, snap peas, corn, watermelon, pumpkin, and peanuts in the beds. We love homemade salsa all summer and fall. 🙂

Lemon and lime trees in half barrels produced for first time last year, so hopefully we will see an even bigger crop this year. Added a Mexicana Avacado tree in a barrel that won’t produce for at least a couple of years. Added a Texas Mountain Laurel that I wish I had a picture of in bloom! It smells like grape bubble gum!!

Bottle brush, gerber daisies, red yucca, night jasmine, and the starts of oleander are the only things in bloom thus far. I’m ready for everything to get going.

I’ll be building trellises for the veggies this weekend between baseball games. The plants have tripled in size in the last two weeks.

small but plenty of work

 

Forgot to add that I’m starting cilantro, basil, and 3 varieties of lettuce in the aero garden this weekend, also. I loved having fresh lettuce all summer and fall last year. It went well with the garden veggies. Someday I will grow onions and garlic in the winter to have for that summer salsa. 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by aggie96

[Lizzie in Ma]

Not much yet, but they've been turned over, enhanced and planted.  brussell sprouts, french breakfast radishes, baby spinach, and sugar snap peas are in!

[maize]

Popcorn popping on my apricot tree.

[kbutton]

18 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Have I got the solution for you. I put in gravel paths and the weeding was killing me. Then I found a weedburner (flamethrower) at Harbor Freight for $16. It is a wand that attaches to a standard bbq propane tank.

Makes weeding fun for children of all ages.

Bill

 Tell the husband, don't tell the husband? Maybe tell the husband, but make a rule that my 14 year old has to supervise him with the flamethrower, lol! 

[HS Mom in NC]

Growing up we used a flamethrower for weeding next to irrigation ditches. 

[kbutton]

Daffodils are blooming and another flower I can't remember the name for. We have a ton of bargain shelf bulbs that my DH bought, and I can't remember where I planted all of them, so it will be fun to see what else comes up.

We had a really warm and rainy spring, summer, and fall for two years straight--it was more like continuous summer but with fewer hours of daylight in the spring and fall, and less humidity in the fall. In spite of how much people complained about our winter, it was super mild. Many of my plants never died all the way back, so I have sedum going crazy, my herbs are greening up, nearly all my bushes are budding, and my summer plants are not far behind my spring plants, except for really late things like hibiscus, coreopsis, and mums. I have dianthus that didn't ever completely die coming back (I think--it's not a for sure, but it's looking greener each day).

We moved into a house with an older plank fence that wasn't loved. It's sort of in need of major love (not our thing), or to come down. We're planning to replace it with a living hedge, but we've not made a master plan yet. We're in zone 6 if anyone has suggestions...we're open to anything from cherries, blueberries, and pawpaw to a sunny border to asparagus and rhubarb or a mix of all kinds of things. We do have some raspberries and blackberries in a huge tub (we're hoping they make it). We planted some onion, carrots, and beets in pots, and we're hoping to make a teepee with pole beans. We don't have a spot yet for a permanent garden or a permanent compost pile. I am going to try to direct sow some sunny annuals until we know what our long-term plans are.

In May, local garden clubs do a fund raising sale, and I plan to buy as much as I can there. The plants are usually extras from member's gardens, and they sell plants for $3-5 that would cost $12-15 at the garden center or even Lowe's. 

We had no landscaping when we moved in, so I am excited to keep adding pretty things.

[Pam in CT]

IT IS THIRTY FIVE DEGREES AND HAILING IN CONNECTICUT at the moment

Sigh.  We've had *some* warm days -- my pussy willow is out, the galanthus is out, the forsythia is coming out, the daffodils and hyacinths are coming up -- but we keep lapsing back into hard frosts at night.  I tried yesterday to prep a new bed but the earth is still frozen 6 inches down.

So.Done.With.Winter.

[Noreen Claire]

We had our house painted in the late fall, and the workers absolutely decimated parts of my garden beds. I just noticed that my hydrangea, which was completely flattened, is sprouting, as is the peony next to it. If the clematis also comes back, I may just have to forgive the painters after all!

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Pam in CT said:

IT IS THIRTY FIVE DEGREES AND HAILING IN CONNECTICUT at the moment

Sigh.  We've had *some* warm days -- my pussy willow is out, the galanthus is out, the forsythia is coming out, the daffodils and hyacinths are coming up -- but we keep lapsing back into hard frosts at night.  I tried yesterday to prep a new bed but the earth is still frozen 6 inches down.

So.Done.With.Winter.

Your fahrenheit temp almost matched our Celsius one!  33 and definitely not hailing.

 

[maize]

8 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

Notice that there is more bare ground!

Hi baby!

[hjffkj]

Over the last few days I have weeded another neglected garden bed, planted strawberries in containers and in the ground,  2 cherry trees,  an array of herbs, tomatoes, carrots, and an array of flowers.  Tomorrow 4 grape vines should be arriving so I'll start prepping those for planting.  I've got 4 blueberry bushes coming at some point, so I'm going to start prepping the area those will go.  The kids and I started our compost bin today since I found an empty trash can in the carport. I think that is the extent of our garden this year.  I really just wanted to spend this year getting our fruits established but the kids asked for the other stuff so why not

[Pen]

Areal flooding.  This is normally a field, not marsh.

 

 

We aren’t in an evacuation area. But we’re cut off from mail, school... again.    It’s way too wet to garden.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Pen

[Lori D.]

::sweating:: Over 90˚ today, so not much got done outside. Instead, I'll share a photo or two of my wall of cross vine flowers and think cool thoughts, lol:

 

[maize]

My plum tree started blossoming today. It is a multi variety tree and one variety always blossoms first which gives it a bit of a lopsided look for awhile.

I saw a couple of tiny asparagus spears poking up. I haven't really been able to get a good asparagus patch established though I keep trying. When I was a kid asparagus was something we gathered along the edges of irrigation ditches when out for a walk. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by maize

[Lori D.]

I liked Chocolate-chip Chooky's found poem idea so much, I did another. Below is a poem with a line or two from each post, in order. Where there is an indent, it is the next poster's words, because some lines just seemed to beg to go together, lol.

___________________

"What Is Happening In Your Garden?"
by The Hive

I planted a jujube tree this week—I ought to be planting peas.
     The weeds are starting to sprout, and my kids stomped my daffodils

I'm planting some indoor hibiscus outdoors
—they won't last the winter but I don't care;
they'll be gorgeous through the summer.

I spend a lot of time thinking about what we should plant.
I’m kind of obsessing about berries.

One of the crocuses is up! 
Old timers call snow this time of year "robin snow”.
     Snow flurries hitting us, too. No garden plans for another month.

My crocuses were eaten by bunnies.
It's weeds and mud as far as the eye can see

I am just getting started.
We have zukes, cukes… and bell peppers. 

Leaves… are still frozen to the ground.
     Patches of grass showing… in the sunniest spots.
          Perennials are starting to come up. Redbuds are gorgeous.

I'm going to try gladiolus, zucchini and maybe tomatoes this year, but who knows…
If I could grow gladiolus I would be in heaven.

Buried under a thick layer of frozen leaves.
     Spring is early and short here in the desert.
     Trumpet flowers… vibrating with the hum of busy bees.

Mostly rain, mud, newts, banana slugs, weeds
with occasional daffodils, grass, violets.

Our daffodils have come and gone.
     Tulips are thinking of coming out.
          Herbs are waking up.

No matter how gloriously above freezing it is right now,
it’s not safe until about the beginning of June

This is what we're growing right now!
     The yard is ready for some fresh plants.

Gladiolus plants... fall over on their own weight
Big bumble bees… are back, but… seem sad with not much in bloom

Clouds of pollen are billowing all around.
     Mud and wet leaves with a few lingering handfuls of snow.
          Only cactus have thrived year round. 
               Puppy is working on pulling out… shrubs and plants.

I've been growing, harvesting, and replanting all winter.
     I'm trying to ward off the rats from infesting.

Back lawn has turned into a prairie.

Chickens do such a beautiful job of turning
the soil that nothing grows except roses.
In the orchard…there are apples;
soon there will be fuyu fruit as well.

I have been nauseous since the beginning of February;
this baby is kicking my behind.

I didn't dare go out there in case I disturbed the brown snake.
     I put in gravel paths and the weeding was killing me.

Worms shiver.

I can never figure out what’s lettuce and what’s weeds.
We may have been eating weed sandwiches last year.

Three thriving clumps of cilantro.
     We love homemade salsa all summer and fall.
     Someday I will grow onions and garlic.

They've been turned over, enhanced and planted:
brussell sprouts, french breakfast radishes, baby spinach, and sugar snap peas.

Popcorn popping on my apricot tree.

Ripping the bushes out is going to be a pain.
     Tell the husband, don't tell the husband?
          We used a flamethrower for weeding.
               Notice that there is more bare ground!

Daffodils are blooming and another flower
—I can't remember the name.

IT IS THIRTY FIVE DEGREES AND HAILING IN CONNECTICUT at the moment.
The earth is still frozen 6 inches down.
So.Done.With.Winter.

In the late fall… workers decimated… my garden.
My hydrangea… is sprouting, as is the peony next to it.
If the clematis also comes back, I may just have to forgive the painters after all!

Edited April 9, 2019 by Lori D.