APRIL MOON

The earth seen from Artemis 2

While amazing humans circle the moon,

the rest of us are...

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing;

spring comes,

and the grass grows”

Zen koan

With Spring, comes that first ache of green.

I'M STILL WAITING...

...for the garden to look like this...

HOWEVER...

It still looks like this...

THE URGE TO CLEAN UP...

….clean walkways or driveways

THEN... resist the temptation to tread on your garden… it compacts the soil and any little seedlings trying to poke through, will be thwarted (I love this word: so many things can thwart….)

Gently remove matted leaves over early spring bulb shoots as they reach toward some light and sun

… those new shoots, if left too long will grow sideways.

Be careful though, last spring I lifted a patch of leaves and beneath were 3 baby bunnies !

… I put the patch back down and in a few days, the little hollow was empty…

DYING TO CUT BACK?

Did you know that native bees overwinter inside dead hollow plant stems ?

- CUTTING the stems too early, will kill the bees before they emerge.

Wait till the temperatures are consistently above 10C (50F) for a week. By then, they should be gone.

..almost 1/3 of native bees nest in stems or cavities

… a dead stem is a bee nursery… save the bees.

WHAT TO CUT BACK...

Older brown Hellebore leaves

(leave some green ones

until they get in the way of new growth)

My friend Noriko's gorgeous Hellebore from last Spring....

MESSY GARDENS...

I do cut back some of the dead stems that are brittle

if they are covering or lying on top of little bulb shoots….

And only, If the stems are not hollow.

You can cut these back close to the ground.

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?

Grasses need to be cut back

before the new shoots emerge

or the new leaves will not be pointed;

instead, they'll be straight across….

Be sure to watch for small critters though

and wait as long as you can.

HEUCHERA LIFTED

Heuchera that tend to rise up from the soil will need to be planted deeper….

Wait til the soil is thawed and warmer before you start digging to split any plants

or move them…

WHAT ABOUT ROSES?

If the Forsythia or other spring flowering shrubs are blooming,

start pruning your roses

but please wait until you see lots of green way up on the canes

and see how to prune roses how they grow.

pruning-roses-is-easy.html

MULCH...

-if you buy mulch in bulk, place your order now and choose a date when you think you will begin to mulch

- (after the bulbs are up; when you can walk on the soil if not too wet and when you have time to spread it)

Many local arborists will gladly drop off a pile of wood chips (it's the best mulch) as they often have to pay to dump them elsewhere

GREY DAYS?

Buy some cheerful pots of pansies

that will withstand some chilly rains

and inclement weather...

My pansy sketch to cheer up a very, cold, rainy grey day.

Or buy a pot of Tulips to brighten any corner and play the Tulips a cheery tune.

Photo by Ron Sheldrick

LIGHTS OUT PLEASE...

EARTH DAY...

This Earth Day, people of all backgrounds and generations are called to stand

shoulder to shoulder in defense of the only home we share.

Saturday, April 18, Earth Day

LIGHTS OUT FOR 1 HOUR AT 8:30 pm... EDT

show your love for Planet Earth.

When we stand together, our planet has a future.

Earth Day

Favourite NEW WORD ...

... a LAZY WIND...

One that goes right through you instead of around you...

(thanks to friend Steven for this)

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

I keep telling myself

...We have LOTS of time...

but when there is more rain, sleet, snow and wind,

I pick up my pencils ...and wait.

LUCY SAYS...

Be sure to smell your Easter roses when there are none in the garden.

And when you come in from your walk around the block

keep your Easter sweater on and take a long nap

with your support stuffies

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