Yesterday I bought potting soil and annuals for the two containers by the mudroom door.  I didn't put any petunias in there this time, and I put a mix of colors in each.  I hope they do better this year than they did last.  I also stopped by Lisa's house to pick up two peonies she dug up for me, and while I was there she also dug some iris and some virginia bluebells.  The bluebells are just tiny starts, not blooming this year.  I've put them in the east bed near the new spiderwort.  Hopefully they'll spread there and I can transfer some to the woods eventually.  

I got the peonies planted on the west side of the house, not too close to the heat pump, and the iris I planted near the windmill, to see what they're like.  Last night it started to rain, and we've had a nice rain all morning --gentle, just right for watering all the transplants in.

We had a very hot day --80 degrees! --on Friday.  I had just gotten 4 plants in the mail, and got very hot planting them.  Three of them were goldenrod --one for the back bed, to see if it will work with the black walnut, and two for the birch bed.  I've also ordered some purple dome asters, to put at the base of the goldenrod in the birch bed.  The last plant is a spiderwort, and I decided to put that in the east bed.  I took out one area of iris and planted it there, nearest the door we don't use.  It will get morning sun, but not the hot afternoon sun, so the blooms may last a bit longer into the day.  

Rob and Emma spent the day planting trees at Nygren, and brought two home.  One is white oak, the other is hickory.  They've planted them --one along the dying white pine tree line, and one out close to the road.  

Rob has been buying bags of topsoil and peatmoss and we've been emptying them into the bed in the front created by the new wall, but it's taking a lot!  I don't know if we'll get anything planted in there this year, given how slowly it's filling.  

The Korean Spice viburnum is leafing out and has at least two flower buds --quite good for such a small shrub.  The wiegelia is also leafing out, and the serviceberry tree as well.  That looks like it has flower buds as well, although it's harder to tell.  The tulips I planted a few years back are beginning to decline --the flowers are smaller and the color is not as intense.  And I'm still waiting to see if the poppies develop buds.  The baptisma is coming along nicely, but I have to figure out how to get it to splay out less.

Yesterday it started raining, and a cool front came through --we're back in the high 40's with lots of rain, which is good for everything that got planted.  

We had some cold rain over the weekend, but it's warmer now.  Mid 60's today, supposed to be warmer tomorrow.  Yesterday Emma found some buds on the lilacs, and we transplanted the Strawberry Candy daylily to in front of the mudroom porch.

I was going to get soil and annuals for the two whiskey barrels today, but I had forgotten that it was interest group sharing --we have to go back to Spectrum for the evening.  I'll try to get some tomorrow.

Over the last couple of days we've had a flock of cedar waxwings visiting --lots of them on the bird baths at one time, and flying overhead.  We've also got a bluebird nest in one box, and perhaps another in the second box.

I think spring is really finally here.  We're getting 60's, maybe even 70 tomorrow.  The daffodils are starting to bloom --about time!  The hyacinths are showing color too, and the crocus are finishing.  

I think I might stop and get some soil and plants for the two planters out the mudroom door.  They're close enough to the house that frost this time of year doesn't really get to them.  

Easter

Today finally felt like spring --it got up to the mid-fifties, and the wind wasn't quite as strong.  After church, we all played and worked in the garden.  I got some more clean up done, including cleaning last years seedheads from the sedum, and transplanting the thistle-like plant that was too close to the blue-bird house.  Rob and Emma inspected the bees, and got the hives set up with sugar water and pollen patties.  The bees continue to come home laden with pollen, and I continue to wonder where the heck they're finding it!

First Planting

Yesterday I got some daylilies and a purple coneflower from Roots and Rhizomes.  Today Emma helped me plant them.  The daylilies are behind the sedum next to the garden bench, the coneflower is where the pussy willow tree failed.  It's 50 degrees outside, but still windy enough to be chilly.  Sometimes it seems like it will never warm up!

A nice day today --still a bit chilly, with a high only of 52, but nice and sunny.  The spring bulbs have been pushing up, even with the chilly temps.  The hyacinth are showing flower buds, and the glory-of-the-snow has blossoms that are open (the pink one).  I did a bit more mulching today, and I tried to get the viburnum out of the birch bed --no luck there.  I did cut several major roots all the way around, but it's got a strong tap root, and it's not budging.  It's so hard to get in there and do anything, because of all the other plants.  I'm going to see if the damage I did might be enough to kill it.

Well, we had some typical early April weather for a few days, and things are continuing to come forth.  The glory-of-the-snow that I couldn't find earlier has emerged in both places, the hyacinths are starting to push up, the lilies and the bleeding heart are beginning to show their tips.

However, today we're having another winter storm, with snow.  It was supposed to be a big storm, but on the radar now it looks like it might be breaking up.  So far, we just have a dusting on the ground.  It would be really nice if this storm wasn't as bad as they originally thought because Rob and Chris just installed new bee packages yesterday.  They have to put blankets on the new hives at night for a week.  Since the snow/rain/sleet would make the blankets wet, Rob put tarps on last night.  The less precip we get, the easier it will be for them.

Today was chilly and very windy --upper 3o's in the early afternoon.  Then the sun came out more strongly and the temps climbed all the way to 50.  The wind still felt chilly, however.  The crocus are really beginning to bloom, and this afternoon the honey bees were busily harvesting the pollen.

Still no sign of the glory-of-the-snow I planted on the NW corner, although the patch of pink GOTS near the garden bench is getting ready to blossom.

Still too chilly to do much, or enjoy it.