TB Failure

I’m afraid I’ve failed to follow through with my weekend plans. Terese Bugnet still sits in her stairway obstructing position. I was stymied by frozen earth. I managed to remove some of the rose’s suckers (and potted them up as insurance), but the closer I got to the deck, the more like Ben and Jerry’s fresh from the freezer the dirt became.

So, I took a break, hoping the earth would thaw, and did a number of other garden tasks. I finished pruning the roses. I removed all of the babies from the potager (leaving behind neat, eggcrate-like holes in the earth) and worked in 100 lbs of compost and manure. I direct sowed cleome, sweet alyssum, and foxglove. I bailed out the leaf-choked pond and filled it with fresh water. I filled the hanging baskets with Johnny jump-ups. After a few hours of garden house-keeping, I returned to Terese, but my shovel was still only as effective as a plastic spoon.

So, I took a tour of the yard, looking for emerging plants. I found that the tulips are indeed emerging (including the beautifully spotted foliage of this tulip). I photographed the breathtakingly lovely dodecatheon rosettes (pictured right) pushing through the leaf litter in the shade bed. I discovered that a few of the crocus along the front walk have begun to bloom. (Has anyone else noticed that the yellow crocus bloom first?)

I returned to the rose. I chipped away at the softening dirt, but, encountering more permafrost, I finally gave up. I always feel bad about leaving a project half finished. It weighs on my mind, and, this early in the season, my neighbors also have to endure the view of work in progress. However, I still accomplished a great deal for a Sunday, and returned inside with an overpowering urge for ice cream.

Early March Bulb Update

My first flowers of 2007 have appeared: snowdrops and witch hazel.

The snowdrops in my yard always seem to be a bit later than others in Zone 6. It could be because I disturb the bulbs every year. I really need to stop digging in the corner bed. I enjoy snowdrops and I’d like to remember to buy a whole boat load for the North Corner next fall. Tim has promised me some of his, but so far it’s only talk.

I bought the witch hazel (Arnold’s Promise) for its reputed scent. Admittedly, half the shrub has died, but even when I bury my nose in the flowers on the other half, I don’t smell a thing. I’m starting to think my sniffer isn’t as sophisticated as I once supposed. Migonette smells like old Mexican food and my witch hazel is scentless. Huh.

While not yet in flower, I see foliage from these bulbs or bulb-like plants:

• English Bluebells
• Hyacinths
• Daffodils
• Crocus
• Iris reticulata
• Allium (but they sprouted in the fall!)
• Grape hyacinth (another fall sprouter)

No sign of life from the tulips or miniature daffodils yet. This is the first time I’ve grown species tulips or miniature daffodils, so I don’t know if I should be expecting leaves yet. Last year, the hybridized tulips (Darwin-ish type), began blooming in mid-April. I guess I’ll have to wait another month to see if the squirrels ate them.