Overnight Changes

18 years ago

With the heavy rain last night, we have now got mud instead of frozen dirt. The Witch Hazel is blooming fully today, not just peeking the flower colors out of buds. I do think the Daffs grew an INCH since yesterday! The Snowdrops are budded white and two yellow Crocus are OPEN!! None of this was here yesterday. Temps are mild, feels pretty warm after cold of last week.

Lots of bird singing going on. I am going to change my pond filter while the air at least, is warm. Bet the water is still frigid! One fish died last time the ice was off, but the other three looked good. Alge is growing in the pond, looks quite healthy in spite of the cold. May try netting it out, reduce the growth a little.

Magnolia buds are fat but not any of the other bushes, even Forsythias.

Water is running hard in the drainage ditch, pretty full after the rain. Fields are draining too, just running across the grass to the ditches.

I am still debating about removing the netting over bulb bed. Netting was to hold down the shredded leaves, but bulbs sprouting, growing so fast they will tangle in the netting pretty quick. Don't want to choke or cut the leaves with netting by waiting too long either. Funny how the bulbs planted last fall are sprouting first. I would have thought the old, settled bulbs, would have been the first to show much growth.

Since I replanted several of the beds, moved things, I should have some surprises this Spring. I never seem to find all the old bulbs when digging them out. Just so there are LOTS of flowers to see and pick.

I have Garden Club with a speaker, to attend tonight. I am not a member but it is an open meeting. Janet Macunovich the auther and former Garden columnist for Detroit Free Press is the speaker. I like her books and advice. So whatever the topic is tonight, she should be interesting. We also have the local Home Show this weekend, always lots of fresh flowers, garden things to see. Kind of like a total season change here!

Anyone else getting the instant changes of Spring, garden surprises? Interesting Garden things to keep you busy?

Comments (2)

chrismich250
18 years ago
In Ann Arbor MI things are the same. Last summer we received no rain, & I hope yesterday's rain in not the sum total that we will receive this summer. First I cleaned the outside of about 20 hardshell gourds-what a mess, but easy to do since their skin were soft. Still have a bunch of small ones to be before I start carving them. I was able to trim a few trees, rake out the old hosta and daylily leaves from last year from one bed. I reshaped the pussy willow tree to hide the neighbor's deck from my kitchen window. The preformed fish pond is ready for a cleaning, after I catch that 1 goldfish that escaped me last fall-surprised it didn't die in the completely frozen pond. Because my beds are heavily mulched, the bulbs are not showing at all, but the forsythia is starting to flower. So, one bed is complete done, yeh!.Only 11 more beds to clean up, before the real work begins. This years I am actually going to try to see how many hours I spend doing gardening chores. I was at a lecture of Janet M. years ago where she talked about her 100sf bed with only 1 hour a month work (didn't include watering) April to November. Well, with my 7,000sf that is 70 hours a month, LOL, I must work really slow. Since I'm at the limit of my energy versus yard, I will only add a yellow fence (made from a 6' crate in the basement) because there are new houses behind me and I need a focal point in MY yard to keep my eye there.
Surprises in the yard are always fun. Last year when I moved a few things, the daffodils were growing UNDER my granite sculpture, LOL
I enjoy the Saline Garden club, lots of great information and wonderful gals who are fast becoming dear friends. Some people are surprised that we don't meet in the summer, we are all too busy in our own yards, but always have time for friends.
chrismich250
18 years ago
where is the snow coming from-and all this wind too? I was so ready for spring!