Winter will be officially over when the spring equinox occurs this coming 20th of March, but there is evidence that the season is changing. Here in southwest France, trumpet daffodils bloom around this time and they are a lovely sight swaying in the breeze. But my favourite harbinger is . . .
. . . seeing sedge after sedge after sedge of glorious, honking cranes, flying in from North Africa.
About a hundred and fifty tulips were planted last fall, and I can't wait to see them strut their stuff. A bunch of late-blooming, fragrant, peach-toned Dordogne tulips were nestled in an angular crook of the front garden lavender hedge. Here's hoping they will flower together sometime in late May, early June as they each would provide for the other a wonderful complementary colour contrast.
A mostly self-seeded bed—just a few plants were put in about eight years ago—measuring roughly five feet deep and twenty feet long flanking the western side of the house is a simple expanse of fragrant sweet violets. Such expansion was possible due to their explosive seed dispersal. Mowing down the bed with a line trimmer in the autumn ensures that the late-winter blooms will be visible otherwise the lusty foliage will hide them.
I saw a large bee on this peacock-blue towel hanging on the clothesline. From its energetic 'kneading' and size I am guessing it is a Megachilid species.
It soon figured out that there was neither nectar nor pollen to be had and flew off to the heather in full bloom which at present resembles a bonsai cherry tree exuberantly spreading its branches, laden with puffy deep-pink flowers, way over its cozy, patio cut-out.
Late winter is a good time to do any tasks that can be done now so as to avert a traffic crush of garden activity come spring. Therefore six evergreen, small-leaved globe Japanese hollies along with one in conical form were transplanted from their nursery bed to their permanent location flanking the central garden path, and then were mulched with our own wood chips. Eventually two other areas which are still planted with overgrown bearded irises will get the same kind of treatment, giving some much needed 'green bones' to the garden.
The bearded irises became so packed that they spilled onto the garden path. Making sure that days of rain soaked the soil, I sliced through the rhizomes with a lawn edger, and then removed the sections with a spade.
The peas sowed several weeks ago are just beginning to sprout. Yay! Since they were planted so early the harvest should be able to be completed for the first time in the history of this garden before it gets too hot for these lovers of cool weather.
As I was transplanting our very productive blueberry bush into a bigger pot, I whispered, blueberry muffins are your destiny. If your garden soil isn't acidic and you love blueberries as much as we do, the solution is filling a pot with packaged soil mix made just for plants needing a growing medium with low pH.
À la prochaine!
. . . seeing sedge after sedge after sedge of glorious, honking cranes, flying in from North Africa.
About a hundred and fifty tulips were planted last fall, and I can't wait to see them strut their stuff. A bunch of late-blooming, fragrant, peach-toned Dordogne tulips were nestled in an angular crook of the front garden lavender hedge. Here's hoping they will flower together sometime in late May, early June as they each would provide for the other a wonderful complementary colour contrast.
A mostly self-seeded bed—just a few plants were put in about eight years ago—measuring roughly five feet deep and twenty feet long flanking the western side of the house is a simple expanse of fragrant sweet violets. Such expansion was possible due to their explosive seed dispersal. Mowing down the bed with a line trimmer in the autumn ensures that the late-winter blooms will be visible otherwise the lusty foliage will hide them.
I saw a large bee on this peacock-blue towel hanging on the clothesline. From its energetic 'kneading' and size I am guessing it is a Megachilid species.
It soon figured out that there was neither nectar nor pollen to be had and flew off to the heather in full bloom which at present resembles a bonsai cherry tree exuberantly spreading its branches, laden with puffy deep-pink flowers, way over its cozy, patio cut-out.
Late winter is a good time to do any tasks that can be done now so as to avert a traffic crush of garden activity come spring. Therefore six evergreen, small-leaved globe Japanese hollies along with one in conical form were transplanted from their nursery bed to their permanent location flanking the central garden path, and then were mulched with our own wood chips. Eventually two other areas which are still planted with overgrown bearded irises will get the same kind of treatment, giving some much needed 'green bones' to the garden.
The bearded irises became so packed that they spilled onto the garden path. Making sure that days of rain soaked the soil, I sliced through the rhizomes with a lawn edger, and then removed the sections with a spade.
The peas sowed several weeks ago are just beginning to sprout. Yay! Since they were planted so early the harvest should be able to be completed for the first time in the history of this garden before it gets too hot for these lovers of cool weather.
As I was transplanting our very productive blueberry bush into a bigger pot, I whispered, blueberry muffins are your destiny. If your garden soil isn't acidic and you love blueberries as much as we do, the solution is filling a pot with packaged soil mix made just for plants needing a growing medium with low pH.
À la prochaine!