1st Day of Spring

The damp of the March rains and the descent of cool air from the arctic north are creating a chill in the air that makes me want to stay indoors by the warmth of the fire. The garden is calling my soul, and I know that as soon as the front moves through, I'll be fully engaged in another season of magic in the Dragonfly Garden.

Outside my window, the daffodils are blooming, the grass is growing like wildfire, deciduous trees are starting to leaf out, and the wild plum tree blossoms are adding splashes of white to the rich dark green of the surrounding forest landscape. The Red Currant is blooming and waiting for the arrival of the hummingbirds. They are a little late this year and I wonder how they are doing on their long journey back to the islands.

First Planting of 2008

The weather has been dry enough to lightly work the soil in a few beds and get some seeds in the ground. I've planted carrots (Mokum), Fava Beans (Broad Windsor), Beets (Early Wonder Tall Top), lettuce (Oak Leaf), and a lettuce Mesclun mixture ( Bon Vivant). I covered them all with Remay cloth to protect them from the hard frosts that we are still having in the evenings. The lettuce that I planted in the cloche last Fall is starting to grow and is about 4 inches high and filling out and will be ready for harvesting in about a month.

Most of the garden in still very wet but the warm days and longer sunlight is stimulating a lot of growth in the perennials and the berries. I did a thorough walk around the beds and made a full assessment. Everything looks like it has survived. The artichoke plants are perky and ready to go. I pulled back the piles of straw that were covering the asparagus patch so that they can find the light. They should be popping through any day.

The Red Flowering Currant is blooming and so the hummingbirds should be arriving. The "heather bees" have found the plants blooming by the front of the house. The crocus and snow drops are blooming, the daffodil blooms are plump and ready to burst open. The forest is full of songbirds and the signs of the arrival of Spring are all around. I feel like I am coming out of hibernation, too. Overall it has been a mild winter and somewhat of a relief that it was not as bad as last year which had all of the damage from the wind and ice storms.