54°f/12°C, mostly sunny. Storms expected tomorrow afternoon, with high winds.
Little bouquets for the house
We have spread 40 bags of mulch this week, with 20 in the truck to be spread tomorrow. It's that time of year! To discourage the dogs from digging up my plants (again) I am trying a desperate measure: putting chicken wire under the mulch.
I don't know how other gardening dog-lovers manage, but I was at my wit's end last summer. I can't blame the dogs, they're dogs after all. But our old dogs knew better and for the most part stayed out of the gardens once the plants were 6" tall or so, but these two boys are still young and clueless. I have accepted that they will lie down in the mulch because I know of no way to prevent that, and after all it is warm and soft and I guess comfy, to them. But digging? That has got to stop. I know the chicken wire will rust,, but maybe by then the dogs will have got the idea. Or I will have come up with a better solution.
I definitely got a little sun getting all this done! It does feel good to be out in the gardens again.
My new knee does okay with all this outside work; I am very careful about how I step about, and generally bend from the waist, which is what I have done for years, instead of at the knees. At night, well, that's another thing altogether. My knee gives me fits, hurting and generally uncomfortable. A side issue is that my two middle toes often go to sleep, sometimes followed by my leg from the knee down. (My right arm often does the same at night.) Sometimes I get up and get an ice pack, which seems to help for some reason, or I just walk around a bit. But sleep is not easy these days.
In other news, the daffodils are finally blooming! They are a full 2 weeks behind last year, I think, and definitely later than usual.
The robins are back too, and the pileated woodpecker has been beating a steady drumroll all day today. I heard owls calling this morning but couldn't be sure what kind over the noise of the woodpecker. The little wren that sings outside our window seems to have been replaced by a very vociferous titmouse, who woke me at 7am, just as the wren used to do.
So Spring is definitely springing, and I am happy to greet familiar plants as they emerge from their slumber. I know I lost a good many to the drought and winter, but they will be plenty to enjoy, and I get to visit garden centers and farmers markets in search of replacements. Oh darn.
One more Spring thing: the local high school show choir's annual strawberry sale!
I bought a flat, and got them into the freezer. Half are sweetened and ready to use, the other half I just cut up and froze to make into jam later. They were so good, very fresh and only a very few spots on them.
Oh, and my tiny row of lettuce, radishes, and onions is up!
Ending today with this little clip featuring grandson Jared as the surfer guy at the beginning and end. I hope it opens.
Stay well, friends!
I like your little vignettes and your pretty daffodils.
ReplyDeleteYears ago we put down chicken wire in a flowerbed where neighbourhood cats were routinely pooping. Covered it with mulch and it's still there. I hope that works for you too.
I'm envious of your fresh strawberries. We'll have to wait until June for any around here.
I loved the video. thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI noticed my comment didn't come through on the last post?
I had a dog I could not keep out of my gardens & the only thing that worked for her was a fence. I hope you have better luck than I did!
We still have a deepish snow cover although the temp is above freezing in daytime. Have you tried a sprinkling of cayenne pepper? Not enough to hurt them, but in one or two fave spots. I had a friend whose dog dug in beside the house for the cool damp in high summer and she found that just a hint of cayenne kept him away.
ReplyDeleteYour daffodils and hellebores are lovely! Kathy
ReplyDeleteWe had a few days of spring weather early this week, but winter has returned and some areas are even threatened with snow. We at least have a bit of sunshine in the afternoon. How did you clean strawberries? My husband loves them, but I don't buy them often because of loads of pesticides in them...organic is a scam. I don't give a crap to veggies and fruits and haven't had them in years (Okay, a bite or two of veggies here and there, but absolutely no fruit in like 7 years), but my husband has to eat them and believes in balance diet.
ReplyDeleteOur snow pile is diminishing but has a long way to go. Today we expect rain and that is a bit of a problem because the ground is frozen.
ReplyDeleteYou have one handsome grandson and that was a good commercial. I get very nostalgic when I hear the WVU band play "Simple Gifts" and this morning was no exception when I heard it. Where do they get strawberries this time of year?
ReplyDelete...here, spring is in the air, but snow could return at any moment.
ReplyDelete4C / 39F at lunchtime, yikes... where is Spring?
ReplyDeleteYou do a.lot! And I like your glasses (Sorry, Dad was, Bro is an optometrist, I have an "eye" for this and this is also where my name is from, not the flower, the eye).
Great you manage with your knee. Maybe ice-packs help my sleepy feet, too, I´ll try that!
This is a bit scary: I dreamed just last night my wood-strawberry-plants from 1974 are carrying fruit!
Sure but a dream, but: any tips how to "replant" them? They took over all baskets, they need new earth (Ingo thinks) and I wanna plant wildflowers-seeds for the bees - our balcony is very small... Can you help? I have a rather black thumb... (must be my Mom´s spirit the strawberries survived ever since!).
You have been exceedingly industrious. Good for you but too bad that knee still gives you problems. This year the gardens will all need new mulch but too soon yet to do it here. Ground is still frozen.
ReplyDeleteWe have given up on gardening, other than the bare minimum. We love the garden; the gardening not so much! We don’t have dogs to worry about but the rabbits used to give us fits.
ReplyDeleteYour Candy Roaster seeds are already on their way, I guess in the nick of time! I was told they would arrive at your place today, but based on recent experiences with mail, I'm doubtful. Should be soon, anyway - fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteGood plans to save your plants and still love your dogs. I'm thinking since daffies are shining around, I should go look for some blossoms on trees soon!
ReplyDeleteSounds like spring is really springing for you! Our Daffodils are still buried deep beneath the as-yet-to-melt piles of snow, but hopefully will be with us by mid-April, yes a whole month from now. I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that you have such a big planting area, and that you have dogs. I remember when we had our dear pooch, the person we got her from saying she was a little bit of a digger. Major understatement to the max but we loved her dearly and that was that. It was a challenge was to find ways to prevent those big holes in our lawn. They never worked because she was a 'little bit of a digger', lol! I like your inside photos, your home looks so warm and cozy. I'm very sorry you are having knee pain. It sounds awful. I have an arthritic knee and aches all over, so future knee surgery is a possibility, so my doctors say. In the meantime, injections. I also have a problem with my toes falling asleep. Thanks so much for visiting me and I have enjoyed visiting you and look forward to coming back. Have a great weekend :)
ReplyDeleteIt's good news about the daffodils and the robins and the woodpecker, but where do those strawberries come from? It's not strawberry season is it?
ReplyDeleteSpring is just around the corner.
ReplyDelete