I got a very happy save the date postcard in the mail the other day for the Friends School Plant Sale I always go to in May. I love getting this postcard because there is a beautiful photo of a plant, or plants, on it and it gives me something to look forward to when there is still snow on the ground outside. This little postcard is also my cue to start the garden planning.
Not that I haven’t done any planning already, I have, since I bought all my seeds for spring. But now comes the details. First I need to begin making paper pots for seed starting. Then I have to start looking at the seeds and figuring out how much I want to plant of each one, how much space it needs and where I am going to plant it in the garden. This might entail making some alterations to garden beds, or even digging some new ones. So then there is additional planning for that.
I also know I want to start working on the front yard a bit more this year. There is still plenty of grass under the maple tree and I have ideas about what I want to do with this area. Digging up grass needs to take place, putting in edging for a path, figuring out how big of an area we want to begin with and the plants we want to try and grow in it.
All this takes place before the snow is gone and we can start work outdoors. It seems like spring takes forever to get here and every year no matter how much planning I have done, when I can finally get outdoors there is a frantic rush to get everything done. Sometimes we manage it but most of the time we bite off more than we can chew. I shouldn’t say we since I am the one who does all the planning and Bookman, well, as he says, just tell me where to dig.
It was such a beautiful melty thaw sort of day yesterday I let the Dashwoods out of the run in the afternoon. They ventured across the slushy snow to the deck where they hung out for several hours, looking in the window, preening, and hoping for handouts. They did get a treat of okara, soybean mash, which they love and get all over themselves.When it came time to go back in the run, the snow they had walked across to get to the deck suddenly became a barrier they refused to cross. Margaret did, she was the only one I didn’t have to ferry. She and I were walking slowly down the garden path when from behind us Marianne decided to launch herself off the deck and try and fly her way across the garden. She only ever makes it about halfway and this time I presented an additional navigational challenge and she ended up landing in a snowdrift. She just stood there with snow up to her wings, looking a bit nonplussed. As unhappy as she was, she refused to budge.
So I picked her up and put her on the garden path. The path still has snow on it but it is a thin, crusty layer, nothing to sink into. She stood there with her legs splayed apart, still refusing to move. I scooped her up and carried her to the run. While she didn’t like me carrying her, she was happy to not be standing in snow anymore.
I walked back up the garden path calling to Elinor and Mrs. Dashwood both of whom were standing on the deck steps looking at the snow. They kept going back up on the deck then coming back down the steps only to turn around when the snow was still there. I ferried Mrs. Dashwood to the run. Margaret had finally made her way down the path and to the gate so I called her until she came down the garden steps and went into the run.
Meanwhile, Elinor is pacing back and forth on the deck. She clearly wanted to be in the run too but that darn snow! Why they are all fine walking across it to get to the deck but not walking back across it to get to the run is beyond me. Elinor doesn’t like to be picked up, but once she is tucked under my arm and feels secure she doesn’t mind being carried.
With all the Dashwoods now in the run, the coaxing to get them into the coop begins. They know it is time to go to bed, but they have to make a production of it. It is often hilarious. And woe is me if I am in a hurry because the Dashwoods seldom are.
We are expecting snow on Monday. It could be a little or it could be a lot. Either way, the Dashwoods are not going to have snow-free ground to walk on for at least another month or two.
While my ground remains frozen yours might be thawing. Here’s a lovely little video a local native plant nursery made about why it is important to include native plants in the garden. Consider adding some native plants to your own garden this spring!
I am with the Dashwoods. If there is snow on the ground, I’m not walking there.
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Jeanne, yeah, I think the Dashwoods show some real smarts sometimes 🙂
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I love your garden planning…it’s like a full time project plan! Great video
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cirtnecce, thanks! I love planning so it hardly seems like work 🙂
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I cannot wait for spring. A postcard reminder of a spring event would be welcome. We also used to take on too much in the spring. But we have toned it down. Life is just too busy.
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Brian Joseph, I love getting the postcard in the mail every year. It is an Immediate boost to my spirits. Taking on too much in spring is all part of the fun. We make a list of priorities and if the things on the bottom of the list don’t get done, well, there’s always next year! I hope things are warming up in your area!
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There is no better shopping for spring then seed catelogs
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Antoinette, definitely! It is such a relief from the snow and cold outdoors 🙂
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Just a thought…you mentioned digging out the grass under a maple tree to plant. Maples are surface rooters, aggressive surface rooters. My first encounter was when I tried to make a slightly raised bed under a maple using a stone edging. By summer’s end I couldn’t even get a shovel into the new soil because the maple’s roots had formed a dense mat. Another time I placed some big containers under a maple and by the end of the season all the plants looks awful. When I investigated, the maple roots had gone in through the drainage hole and completely filled that huge pot! Just a heads up if you haven’t planted under maples before.
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By your standards it amounts to nothing but we have just had a week or so of wintry weather with enough snow for people to need to be aware of neighbours and be careful on icy pavements. The Dashwoods have an admirably straightforward hostility to the stuff…but with interesting complications!
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carolee, ah yes, thanks for mentioning that! We have planted some things on the edges of the yard where the maple is and while the roots aren’t right at the surface, they are rather shallow in some places. We’ll be doing native plants and grasses and some ground cover so I am hoping there won’t be too much of an issue.
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I scrutinise my plant boxes every day now since they are starting to show signs of shoots. Sadly a lot of the tulip bulbs I planted are nowhere to be seen – I have a feeling that a squirrel which has made its appearance in the garden is to blame
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BookeTalk, squirrels do love tulip bulbs. When I plant new bulbs I dip them in – oh shoot, the name is escaping me but it’s a white sour tasting powder that I buy in the spice section of the grocery store. Anyway, works pretty well. I have to use a pepper spray when they bloom otherwise the squirrels eat the flowers. I hope your tulips sprouted and all of your spring bulbs are doing well!
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People go all dewy eyed about squirrels but the grey ones are breeding at an alarming rate…
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Agreed! Almost everyone I know thinks squirrels are so cute and cuddly. they obviously don;t have a garden! Oh and that spice I couldn’t remember, it’s alum. 🙂
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dont think I have ever seen alum on sale anywhere….
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Daffodils are poking about three inches above the snow now in Scotland. Spring can’t be too far away. Lovely video.
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piningforthewest, daffodils! They won’t be up here for another two months at least. Jealous!
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Great video! I’m off to research native plants! (I know I’ve got some, but I could do better.)
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Oh, how wonderful to get that save-the-date card! I’m happy for you and I wish you many weeks of joyous planning. I’m already thinking nonstop about an upcoming annual book sale at which I anticipate buying very many books indeed.
I always love hearing about the Dashwoods! Silly chickens!
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A very belated Happy New Year to you, Stefanie! I’m catching up on your posts. I am excited to see how your blog evolves this year.
Chickens and snow eh? We never have much snow and not for long, and ours are always confused by it.
This morning I found Fluffy outside the run, strolling around the vegetable garden and scratching up worms. I think she must have flown out since there’s no obvious escape route. That’s quite impressive…
One of my daughter’s Christmas presents was a CD which included the song ‘Ain’t Nobody Here but us Chickens’ – do you know it? We sing it almost every day and do chicken dances.
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I’ve been perusing Bluestone Perennial’s catalog. I don’t have the patience for seeds. This is the first year in almost 13 years that I’ll have a garden. My impulse is to buy, buy, buy, but I should wait to see what comes up in the garden that came with our new house before I go planting, planting, planting. Bluestone was my source for great, inexpensive plants for my old garden, but they’re so much more expensive now.
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We will probably have to do some garden planning as well as the couple of ice days we’ve had have probably killed off some of our succulents. We also have a big plant sale we look forward to in the Spring so you’ve reminded me to look for the date and mark it on the calendar. Can’t wait to see what new stuff you’ll do in the garden!
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Did I tell you about my 2018 calendar? Although I really use an electronic calendar and diary for most things I like to have a nice calendar hanging next to my side of the bed. If someone doesn’t give me one. I buy one. Last year (2017 I mean) I bought my own and it was the Royal Ballet. Gorgeous. This year, though, I was given one called Extraordinary Chickens. I adore it. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Extraordinary-Chickens-2018-Wall-Calendar/dp/1419724576 It’s American so you may have seen it, but just in case.
Oh, it was the gorgeous pic of the Dashwoods that encouraged me to tell you this.
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Whisperinggums, you want to know what is really funny? I bought the same calendar this year and it is hanging in my kitchen! There are some crazy looking chickens in it. I do love the January photo, the coloring on the feathers is gorgeous. Now every time I look at my calendar I am going to think about you looking at yours! 🙂
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That’s great Stefanie … and I will now too.
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Good to see the Dashwoods looking fine. We’re having our -19C (-2.2F) blowing snow day, guess it won’t be an early spring for us.
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