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 The little wren that sings outside our window seems to have been replaced by a very vociferous titmouse, who woke me at 7am, just as the wren used to do.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.
Good to hear the chicken wire solved your cat problem, so maybe it will work after all.
DeleteThe strawberries are not local, of course. They came from down south.
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!
I did not post your comment until today, Jenny, to avoid people bashing you for your approval of that woman. I sent you an email detailing some of my thoughts. I hope you got it.
DeleteThe dogs, well, we shall see. I am not optimistic though, but I will continue to try.
I never got your email.
DeleteAnd I don't mind the bashing. I tried to be respectful and I think the only way to come together is through respectful discussion. My hopes were for sincere dialogue. I do have to chuckle a bit that you say "that woman" :) but I understand there are very hard feelings going around right now.
Life is too full of hard things for me to take bashing personally. Or to take politics personally. I sincerely believe we missed WWIII by the skin of our teeth & hope repercussions don't send us that way. But I'm not losing sleep over either side because both sides have flaws.
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.
ReplyDeleteI did try cayenne pepper last year, but I have so many gardens that it took a good bit, and had to be repeated after every rain. But I will try it again on their favorite spots.
DeleteYour daffodils and hellebores are lovely! Kathy
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathy!
DeleteWe 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.
ReplyDeleteI just wash them, Angie. you are probably right about the pesticides, but since we grow so many of our veggies I will risk getting a little chemicals just to have strawberries.
DeleteOur 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.
ReplyDeleteOh, because it will turn to ice? That's nor good.
DeleteYou 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?
ReplyDeleteJared certainly gets around. He was the one thst took the long trip last summer, literally flying or driving around the world. Last week he was hugging redwoods in CA somewhere.
DeleteThe strawberries are from down south, I think Georgia. Someone makes a trip down to get them every year. There is also a lady called The Strawberry Lady in this region, who brings strawberries to many towns and cities every spring.
...here, spring is in the air, but snow could return at any moment.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suppose spring is still s ways off for you.
Delete4C / 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!).
Ingo is right. New soil, and divide them so they are not too crowded in the planters. Wildflowers might be tricky in planters, but why not try? Perhaps visit a garden center and look for some that are shorter, as tall ones would sprawl over, I think. I googled "short pollinator flowers for planters" and came up with many sites, so try that?
DeleteYou 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 are early getting our mulch down, but I prefer to do it before it gets too hot and before many weeds emerge. I expect that we are at least a couple weeks ahead of your area.
DeleteThe knee, yes, it has not been what I had hoped for. Unless it improves dramatically, I am afraid air travel is out for me. At least for any trips longer than a couple hours.
We 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.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who have given up too, David. Now they feed the deer and enjoy watching them. I don't think I will ever go that far, as I enjoy my gardens too much.
DeleteYour 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!
ReplyDeleteOh yay! It will be fun to try them. Thanks, Quinn.
DeleteGood 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!
ReplyDeleteYes, it won't be long ! My pear tree is already budding. I wish it would hold off as we could have more wintry weather.
DeleteSounds 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!
ReplyDeleteOh my, buried under piles of snow! There's a picture. But you will have them by Easter, perhaps?
DeleteIt'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 :)
ReplyDeleteHi Denise, yes, we have lots of gardens. Cutting back a little this year, I think, as freezers and cellar are still full!
DeleteMy two young dogs are a handful, and I question our sanity getting them at our age. But they do keep deer and other critters away. We live in deep country, surrounded by acres of woods and open fields, so there is plenty of wildlife that like to nibble our plants!
I read that 80% of people are happy with their knee replacement but it seems I fell into the 20% that had a bad experience. Almost 6 months and it still hurts most of the time and won't bend as much as it did pre- surgery. Ah well.
It'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?
ReplyDeleteNo, these berries are from down South. Someone goes down to get them.
DeleteSpring is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteYes! Even in your area?
DeleteHave you tried buying large containers of cayenne pepper and sprinkling about?
ReplyDeleteI did try cayenne pepper last year, but I have so many gardens that it took a good bit, and had to be repeated after every rain. But I will try it again on their favorite spots.
ReplyDelete