Wordless Wednesday
Lovely daffodils blooming in my garden at the beginning of the month. The flowers are just about finished now, unfortunately.
Tidying up the garden beds
Last week I said that it was such a nice day that I thought I’d go out and start cleaning up the front garden beds. Well I did. As much as I could anyway, given that there was still some snow on the lawn and in some of the beds:
Now do you believe me when I say we’ve got a small front lawn? Look at that, the grass area which is still covered in snow, is smaller than our compact car! It’s actually a good thing that the front boulevard was covered in very deep snow most of the winter because it was really a sight for sore eyes once the snow melted.
In case you’re wondering the boulevard was still full of hard woody sunflower stalks and the stakes that held the tall flowers up last year.
A few hours in the increasingly cold afternoon and at least three yard waste bags later and the front boulevard looked like this:
I didn’t take after photos of the front garden beds, but they and the back garden beds were a lot tidier too with most of the leaves that had blown on them removed and some of the old dead foliage cut down.
We even took about 45 minutes and ducked out to Home Depot where we bought the stone edging for the front boulevard. That will help keep grass from growing into the flower bed. I also purchased several new spring plants to fill up some empty shady areas in the garden which I hope to plant later today.
By Tuesday all of the snow was gone and any growth that we’d discovered in the front and back garden beds when we were cleaning on Sunday had pretty much doubled or tripled in size.
Most of our crocus’ are happily blooming away now too:
Have you been busy cleaning up your garden and perhaps even planting new plants?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!
I’m looking forward to the first greens of spring
In honour of both St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) and Spring (March 20th) falling on the same week I thought it was appropriate that I post some photos of the type of greenery and flower buds that I hope to begin seeing sometime in the next two to three weeks.
Our gardens are still covered in two or three feet of snow. Quite unusual for any winter around here let alone this time of year. However, I suspect that deep beneath the snow my spring flower bulbs know that it’s warming up and that they are preparing to emerge from the ground.
The photo above is of pink hyacinth buds developing. I expect to see some plants that look just like this by no later than mid April. Below is one of the first flowers that I’ll see. It’s a yellow crocus. I also grow purple crocus’ too. I expect to see these harbingers of spring as soon as most of the snow is gone. Often I see crocus’ by March 25th or so.
Along with Tulips, daffodils, and several other types of spring flowers and bulbs we should begin to see hosta’s emerging from the earth by the middle of April and with luck, if it’s been a nice Spring they should be at least this big by mid-May or earlier:
Do you photograph your garden and the plants you grow in different stages? From the first green leaves to the first flower buds?
Once the snow melts away I’ll have to start getting to my spring tasks! I look forward to seeing new plants emerge much more than cleaning up the garden, but it all goes together doesn’t it?
Since you’ll soon be preparing your garden for the growing season why not stock up on gardening tools, a no crank hose reel and other gardening accessories at Gardeners Choice?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!