March 2012

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This year we should have been told “beware the ides of March” ….record temperatures around the middle of the month saw the snow melt in record time. (Granted we had less snow this winter than in other years.) In the space of 4 – 5 days we went from late winter to summer.
Back in the 90’s the previous record high was 14.6 degrees C. whereas this March of 2012 it was 25 degrees C….and the night temps were well above freezing for a period of five or six days.
This meant chaos for anyone wanting to make maple syrup. The maples “run” when the nights are in the low minuses…and the days are just above the freezing mark. As a result the “run” seemed to be over before it had begun…but a local friend is making syrup now as the temperatures have returned to something closer to normal.
The buds have burst on the lilac bush…and the hillsides are clothed in the many hues of bursting buds that usually happens in early May. Nature …animal, vegetable and mineral…is confused. The occasional anomaly is tolerable however, this unseasonable strangeness, upon extreme, upon backlash, has frustrations piled up against our wall of hope! If Mother N. will just calm down a little! LOL…

The backlash of the very cold temperatures we’ve experienced since can’t be fully appreciated for a few weeks yet… but the buds on flowering shrubs and the leaves of newly uncovered perennials will tell the tale. I’m hoping that although I removed some of the leaf cover that my efforts with polyfilm and acrylic frost blankets will have helped them survive.

The Sugar maple should not be tapped until it has a breadth of 12 inches….so mature trees are needed in a sugar bush, to ensure that taking the sap doesn’t pose a hardship for the emerging leaves. This tree was basking in the summery temperatures and the eerie mist rising from the unmelted snow on the forest floor.
The days have been above zero since the warm spell, but only just. They have been sunny also and that’s not a really good thing as we should be receiving lots of moisture. Trees suffer in drought and the stress weakens them and makes them vulnerable to disease and insects. I’d be happy to see some nice warm downpours …it is needed. (This is true…I have not lost my reason!)
With everything so dry ..so early… I’ve been able to start my annual spring blitz a lot earlier than usual.
Raking! my shoulders have suffered and I’ve achieved a new level of callus on my palms!
The greenhouse is functional! I have a small ceramic heater to keep the night temps comfortable for seedlings. Today I gambled a little..it is really a little on the early side to do so..but I have planted some of the seeds from my friends and have a whole briefcase full of seed collected in previous years in my city garden. They may be too old to be viable but I plan to plant most of them directly into the soil as soon as it’s warm enough. (Hollyhocks, Annual Poppies, ligularia, violets,) That won’t be until after the 24th of May weekend. Seems a long way away here in the beginning of April but given that our spring arrived so early maybe I can hope to be a couple of weeks ahead.
In the cleanup phase I am finding locations for drifts of colour that I’ve dreamed about. Everything done from seed takes a season or two longer than being able to buy plants at a nursery but I have been fortunate to have seed donated by my sister for one such dream bed… I love hollyhocks but have had no luck whatsoever in prior gardens, unlike my sister who has an established stand. She mailed me a large envelope full of seeds and has more in reserve. These are the plants that will form the backbone of a perennial border that I’m planning on the south-east side of the greenhouse.

On the west side of the greenhouse work has been started on transfer beds and the herb bed.

This picture of the flood plain which was tall grass and weeds last summer I hope to add some yellow water iris along the margin of the stream and maybe a drift or two of blue and purple…(flax and lavender) on the edge of the moist area.

This shows it at the worst of the highwater..but now I’ve cleaned up a bit and the snow is gone….and the pile of trimmings from the walnut tree will be dealt with …I promised myself a wood chipper…and I’m going to find one for rent as they are expensive to buy.
At the front of the house …where the grubs destroyed what was supposed to be a lawn…I plan a meadow and have bought the seedmix for spreading as soon as the weather cooperates.

Along the stone wall at the front (just above the stream) I’ve worked with the stone and removed the thatch filled sod and weeds in an effort to rehabilitate the area into a rock garden. Have plenty of rocks! just need the plants! lol…

Just visible in the background…on the deck…is the trellis seat in it’s semi-completed state! Going to add a peaked roof and Virginia Creeper to make a little private corner on the deck.
Life goes on… we have adopted a sweet little gray ball of fluff we lovingly refer to as Rufus…he’s going to be a “house cat” for a while as we (as new parents) are loath to let him run in the wild hinterland.

As you can see…like most youngsters…Rufus is at ease with electronic media. He gets his best rest on the laptop!
There is a list which grows longer by the day, of the tasks to be done in April..before everything starts to grow..and I’m hoping that by the time I have a moment to write April’s blog I shall have progress to report in more areas than those covered in this blog. i.e. the fate of my November planted bulbs after a very nutritious winter for the moles! Argh!
Need to take a hint from Rufus and get my rest…so much to do and so little time!

• 7 Apr, 2012
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