Sure, it’s a cliche, but spring is a time for new beginnings.
Our March projects:
We’ve been talking to a native plant expert about options for our woodlands and yard. I have always appreciated important role of soil, but I gained insights that I wouldn’t have imagined about the vast differences in structure and the unique type we live on (Neshaminy series).
But well before that — because winter is the time to plan and dream — I had already researched and placed orders for some bare-root plants like Allegheny serviceberry (amelanchier laevis) and American hazelnut (corylus americana), perennials like wild cranesbill (geranium maculatum) and prairie alumroot (huechera richardsonii), and such. I’m sure there’s plenty of room (she says with a wink). These all should be arriving very soon and I’ll be busy.
I took advantage of the February tree and shrub sale at a local nursery. We just finished planting the last of it. We had to relocate a couple of things (viburnum dentata and clethra alnifolia).
Seeds have been started under the grow lights. In a first, I’m trying heat pads this year. They really work — so far, so good!
All those clean-up chores — cutting back the plants and grasses, raking and cleaning up, are nearly done. There’s always that little thrill of seeing things already starting to come up, once the dead stems and leaves have been cleared away.
Beyond the garden, we’ve been talking to architects and builders about the kitchen addition. And, I’m starting a new job at my company in a week or so. It will be a career change.
The weather is warming up, and things are starting to come up.
On a separate note, I paused after reading a blog post by someone who was comparing gardening to another less “predictable” endeavor. She commented that it can be mastered through practice — purely a technical skill. Certainly knowledge can be acquired, but creativity, vision and artistry can’t really be faked, and nature will periodically remind us it’s in charge. There is beauty and randomness and the continual change that comes with working with living things. How you choose to respond often takes intuition, not just book learning.