April 2, 2013
Honestly,
I meant to blog all through the winter, but as that wise fellow wrote, “The
best intentions of mice and men. . . “ Rather I took a solid break from the
gardens and thinking about gardens. You will see from the photo that I wandered
off to Nicaragua to make new friends and appreciate the central courtyard
gardens in many restaurants and homes. Is there a way we can incorporate this
design into our buildings, even if its only inhabitable for three seasons?
What
a dance, as spring seduces winter into a surrender. Like a beloved opera seen
many times, every April the drama and conflict seem fresh and urgent. Yes, we
know that spring always prevails in the end, but yesterday I was waking up the
perennial borders with my rake and digging up a few of the early plants (native
Ginger, a rare betony, and a sweet perennial geranium) for propagation. This
morning as I cooked my oatmeal, snow showers dusted up those newly raked beds.
Spring
will come, really spring is here! Time to do all the “above ground” gardening
tasks as you wait for the ground to thaw and dry out enough to dig. One of the
most important tasks to accomplish as Spring tangos with the waning Winter is
to prune the trees and shrubs in your landscape. Fruit trees and fruiting
shrubs benefit especially from an early spring inspection and pruning.
Rather
than wait for a more hospitable day, I will forge ahead with my plan to prune
the willows today, harvesting the colorful and flexible stems for trellis
making and wattle fencing. A willow hedge is an attractive and remarkably fast
growing hedge, but requires yearly pruning.
Meanwhile,
whether the day is warm or frigid, I am able to pick fresh greens and carrots
from the 4-season high tunnel
behind my house, as well as over-wintered parsnips from the field. The chickens
are laying (and eating) up a storm and I still have quite a bit of pork and
blueberries left in the freezer. I
have come a long way toward my goal of growing more of my own food, and eating
locally. This year I plan to double the size of my vegetable garden and build a
root cellar into the hill right behind the house, hoping to increase the
proportion of locally grown food in my diet considerably.
Come
and visit us at Wilder Hill Gardens
this Spring, the shade gardens are in their prime in the early season, and there
are plenty of healthy, sustainably grown plants for sale (free compost with
every sale.) Wilder Hill Gardens is
open all weekend this year, watch for our Mother’s Day Weekend Spring Dig Sale!
