Notes From Zone 4

I’m so busy out in the garden right now. I’ve still got four flats of perennials to get in the ground. I’m working in the bed in the front of the house, on the side of the porch. It’s pretty shady in this bed, so I’m putting in a lot of columbine toward the middle, and hosta around the edges. I still haven’t figured out how to line it where it meets the gravel driveway, though. I’m sort of hoping that the hosta will be enough of a barrier, but somehow I doubt that will work. Anything short of a stone wall will get killed by the snow plow, though, so I need to think. The window boxes look great out there, now that they are finally out of the basement and where they belong. I just love the electric blue of the lobelia, draping over the edges.

All of the window boxes are now out lining the deck. They look quite lovely, though still obviously new. I bribed Valerie into hauling them all up for me this weekend. It feels late in the year to have done it, but supposedly only a week later than last year. It’s been conveniently raining just enough each day to keep them all watered, because Frank hasn’t hooked up the irrigation for them yet. The Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks made an appearance today.

It was a memorable Memorial Day weekend, if only because it was so nice. I stayed outside on Saturday as much as physically possible, considering we went to the town plant swap, where I did great. I got tons of stuff that will grow here, yay, and had time to get it all in. We’re panicking a bit because there’s still so much to do before the garden tour. I’m making a list of stuff that must be done, and we are slowing working our way down it. It mostly involves weeding, spreading mulch, dividing and transplanting, but all on an abbreviated schedule because of the hard limit of the garden tour itself. It doesn’t sound like much, but when I’m out there looking at what’s left to be done, it can be a bit overwhelming.

The tulips are out in full force right now, even thought the daffodils haven’t finished their run. They look really nice against the backdrop of the stone wall. The daffs haven’t really begun to fade yet, so the contrast is really nice. We need many more bulbs, just for the record. A flock grosbeaks has arrived at our feeders on the upper balcony. We’ve had the gold and purple finches for a while, but the grosbeaks just got here.

It is so pretty outside today, and quite warm. I wandered around out there around lunch time, taking pictures. I think we might be finally over winter, with our last freeze last night. Time to start hauling up the window boxes for the deck edge, I think. The apple blossoms are just starting and don’t look like they got too damaged from the hard freezes or the snow. Here’s that rock that Frank fought with so mightily. It’s a huge thing, and most of it had been buried. Our mechanic came over with his back hoe and got it out, without ruining all the plants I’d already put in the bed, for which I am very grateful.

There was much more time today spent in Frank vs. The Rock than we had planned. It all started out innocently enough. I was transplanting some of my 420 (what was I thinking?) perennials out into the garden. (NH weather is funky, just for the record. Less than 24 hours after it was snowing madly

Read more »

Some spring this is turning out to be. I’d been hoping to spend all day outside in the garden, but ick. Can’t plant out in that, eh? Sheesh. I’m feeling a bit trapped, actually. Antsy. One good thing, though. I came home from a business trip to find my camera had been delivered. But who wants to go out in that to take lots of pictures of flowers? The surprise snow storm caught this poor fuschia left out on the porch. He survived okay, though. Hardier than I thought it was!

Mother’s Day was super. It’s like having another birthday, conveniently a half a year later. Frank spoiled me rotten with lots of lily bulbs. Valerie got me roses and a very cute birdbath/feeder combo. Jeremy got me a beautiful hanging basket of purple flowers and a gorgeous flag for the front of the house. If it ever stops raining, I’ll put it out. Speaking of raining … wow. Almost non-stop rain since early yesterday morning. We even had to get out and plant roses out in it. By the time I was done, I was soaked through, filthy and totally chilled. But we got in five roses from the over-shipment that came in last week, and took one over to Ginny’s house as a Mother’s Day present for her. I love gardening presents!

I could live out in my garden. It’s so pretty, and there is so much work to do! It’s a bit overwhelming, actually. I’m trying no to get too frustrated with it all, and remember that I do enjoy it. Which I do. But everywhere I look, there’s stuff that must be done asap, and

Read more »