Cold Returns

So, after a wonderful warm week, with significant growth and progression of pretty much everything in the yard, we have returned to late winter with temps in the high 20's last night. Had to bring in all of the plants in the greenhouse, and put the cacti in there for the duration of this cold snap. I feared that the yard plants would get frozen out, but they all seemed to have made it.

Although such temps are discouraging there is a positive side to them. It does slow down the growth of everything, and let the spring beauties show themselves for a longer time. When the spring is hot the daffodils last two or three days. This year they've been around more than a week and are going strong. The tulips are beautiful, and there are more coming on. We still wait for the burst of confident growth that will signal the real beginning of the season. But seeing the spring things for longer is not all bad. If only the bloodroot would last longer. I don't know why I love those plants so much, but I do. And they never last longer than a week, even in a prolonged cold spring like this one.

The neighborhood began cutting grass this week. Sigh. I think we will let it go just a little longer. I love the uneven quality of it now. And the violets bloom better if we can let them grow a little longer before leveling them out.

Spring Wants to be Here, But....

It was very warm all week, and on Friday evening we sat out on the deck in the warm evening. Then tried to bring the new furniture, a card catalog unit we won in a sealed bid auction from the Weyauwega Public Library, into the house. It was way too heavy for the two of us to carry, so we will go at it another way over the weekend.

I woke up early Saturday morning to the sound of heavy winds. Wind is such an intrusive weather event. This wind was bringing in much colder temperatures - a drop of 30 or 40 degrees overnight. On Saturday morning the spring had left, and we were suddenly back in March (even though this is the end of April.) It was not a good day to even think about working outside. So we did our weekly shoping and then went out and found a hand truck that would make it possible for us to bring the catalog around the house and into the garden doors to the living room. Went very well, and it looks great

The wind persisted, and I worried about the plants out in the greenhouse. So we put them down on the deck and against the house and wrapped them in burlap for the chilly night, hoping they would not loose enough heat to freeze.

The wind died overnight, but the clouds also cleared and it was about freezing when we got up at 7 AM. But the greenhouse stayed just above freezing and the plants were ok.

Bill finished the planter, and I moved some coneflowers from places they weren't welcome to places they were. Also moved a nice little pagoda dogwood sapling to a place where it may be nice some day. And dug up two little ones into pots to possibly give them away later this spring. Cleaned up a little bit in lots of places, picked up fallen branches, especially under the willow.

Throughout the neighborhood the sound of lawn mowers was easy to hear, and when we took our bikes out for a short ride in the late afternoon the smell of fresh cut grass was everywhere. I really would like to last another week or so before we start that routine. We did fertilize the lawn, and a few of the flower beds.

For the record, temps were almost 70 degrees thursday and friday, and down to highs in the 40's on Saturday. It got down to 31 Sat. night. Sunday it is forcast to get to 35, but then only up to 39 on Monday, with an overnight low of 29. geez. We are already late in getting started, and this will only slow things down.

The bloodroot is done flowering, it was a very short (ephemeral) show. Trout lilies are still in bloom, but not for long. The apple trees have some very swollen flower buds and will probably bloom by the end of the week. There is at least one trillium with a flower bud, and I spotted some sprouts of jack-in-the-pulpit near the bloodroot, and also near the bench by the creek. Jacks are what I consider the signature plant for this yard. I started them from some seedlings that I grew from a seed bundle a friend gave me. They spent a winter in my freezer, then grew a summer in my light garden before being planted out. I realize now that I really didn't need to have protected them so - they are pretty much invincible. Also showing are the Anenomie Canadensis - a nice big clump/area that comes back every year. The flowers won't be evident for weeks, but the shoots are up and hearty. No spring beauties yet. This is really a very late spring.

Hostas are just staring to sprout. Sedums are about 3 inches high. Pasque flowers started blooming this weekend. The shooting star has inflorescesces starting to form. Joe Pye weed isn't showing sprouts yet, though I can find them if I brush away the mulch. No sigh of the butterfly weed, but it is always late enough that I almost give up hope. I think the blanket flowers were lost this year from all of the locations in my yard. Pretty sure they would be showing somewhere if they were still alive.

Lilacs will bloom pretty soon - just need a few days of warm weather. And the Magnolia in the front is swelling and ready to go. Just hope the cold weather expected in the next week won't kill the buds.

Blooming this week...

For the record, in bloom this week are: Bloodroot, Forsythia, daffodils and narcissus, squills, hyacinth, snow glories, birch trees, pansy, Pasque flowers, pulmanaria.

Weekend of Heavy Work

Writing on Monday evening, it is hard to even remember all that happened over the weekend. We worked hard on the project of replacing the large planter next to the deck. While Bill did the hard stuff, I puttered around the yard, moving perennials, cleaning up around beds, raking a bit here and there, pruning back the spirea that was finally completely free of snow, etc. The temporary greenhouse that we had put up a couple of weeks ago blew down last week and we had to reassemble it. Luckily, nothing had been bent or broken, and we were able to reinforce our understanding of how it all goes together. Much easier the second time. Oh yes - we nailed it to the deck this time.

Bill had put the frame of his planter together last weekend, and this weekend he intended to get the cedar sides on, add the corner and top and bottom trim, and then begin the process of digging out the dirt from the old planter (which had originaly been a hot tub in the basement), breaking down the sides and tearing it all apart, then moving the new one into place, leveling it, and refilling it. The whole project took him most of the weekend, though I was free enough for most of it to get the rest of the work done.

Planted a box of Asiatic lilies and another of Oriental lilies that I bought at SAMS Club. I'm never sure about SAMS Club plants, but some have turned out very well over the years. The hostas under the weeping willow tree are fantastic year after year, and they all came from one box. Last year I grew a bunch of astilbe, and they didn't amount to much. But I'm hoping the plants survived and will be nice this year. Time will tell. None of the purchases there are very well identified, but for generic plants they do seem to do pretty well.


Some neat things: The bloodroot plant that I captured the first sprouts of last week became a clump of sprouts by Saturday morning. Then Sunday morning I found another clump of sprouts. I figured that they would bloom some time in the next week, but the warm, sunny weather made for fast growth, and by late afternoon Sunday the buds were showing color and ready to open. Amazing.


A beautiful clump of Darwin tulips comes back every year, very early, and I always forget about it until the next year. It has been very dependable, but for some reason I just forget it is there until it blooms again. It blooms early and fast, before I really even see the sprouts, and then its over before the big stuff starts.




A very lovely little bird followed me all around the east side yard as I worked. It sat in the tree or shrub nearest where I was working, flitting from one place to another as I did. Not sure what it was after. I tried to identify it, and I'm not sure if I have it right. I think it was a yellow rumped warbler. My photo is not great, but will help me remember.


Finally, not all clear signs of spring are happy.



But at the end of the day, life is good.

The Green!

Well, the warm rain last night finally brought the real GREEN color out in the lawns. There was a noticable difference overnight, and when I opened the blinds this morning, even in the grey early light, it was exhilarating.

On the way in to work, another overwhelming sign of spring was the phenomenon that Bill calls "the red death", which is really the release of the bud sheaths from the silver maple trees. They cover the ground underneath the trees with a red carpet, expecially noticable on roads and sidewalks. We should actually call it "the red life".

Cannas Grow while Iris and Clematis Struggle

The cannas went back out to the deck today, and also a couple of pots of geraniums. I sheltered the geraniums under the patio table because the new shoots were very tender. The cannas hadn't gotten far yet, so they can take the direct light.

We're expecting rain again for the next several days, though it will be a warm rain. The creek is back down to reasonable levels so we can probably take a couple of inches without terrible flooding But I'll have to watch the trays of cannas, which don't have drainage holes. Cannas in the wild thrive in boggy conditions, so they will be ok, but I don't want them to float away.

I still can't see any sign of growth from any of the clematis vines, and it feels very late for that. Every time I walk around the yard I find one or two or more abandoned vole nests dug into clumps of plants. They completely chewed down last years growth on the siberian iris clumps. That is probably a good thing, those can get totally out of hand and impossible to deal with.



Nice to see a tiny pansy peeking out between the stepping stones near the pond. Always hope that one or two make it through the winter, and this year this one looks strong and is growing in a good place. I can leave it right where it is and it will probably be beautiful for the next couple of months.

Of Ducks and Snow and Pussywillows

Yesterday evening when I got home from work I noticed that the snow had FINALLY gone completely from the north side of the house. The pile that I thought would last until at least May 1st only made it to April 14th. The frost is coming out of the ground around there, and we can easily open the front door for the first time since the winter set in.

The other major change that we discovered on arrival home was that the wind had taken down the plastic greenhouse on the deck. We had it anchored with heavy concrete bricks on all four corners, but the winds bringing today's warm weather were strong and Bill found the house completely collapsed, with tools and plants scattered everywhere. I had just put out all of the cactus from the basement and was counting on the shade from the plastic to keep them from getting sunburned. Now I'll have to cover them with burlap until we can get the house re-built this weekend. I think we will nail it to the deck this time.

A walk around the yard revealed the black pussywillow bush had survived the rabbits better this year than last and there were still several tall stems with their pretty black fuzzy flowerheads.



And lastly for today - what is it about ducks that is so funny? The other day a pair of mallard drakes landed in the creek up near the culvert and then just glided downstream with the current, turning slightly from side to side, maintaining almost a totally motionless state as they drifted by. I just couldn't help laughing out loud.

Wildflowers Beginning

Today I was able to spot the beginnings of several of the wildflowers that appear each year in the wild parts of our yard. The troutlilies are just poking their leaves above the ground throughout the creekside area. And I love the Bloodroot, which some years is able to sprout, grow, bloom and fade all within a week while I am at work.

This year I think I've captured the beginnings of both. No sign yet of the Spring Beauties, nor the Trilium, nor any of the others. But these are on their way, and the next week of projected high temperatures above 45 degrees and lows above freezing should bring them close to flowering by next weekend.

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

A whole week has gone by and it has been cold and back to "early spring" weather. Snow has fallen several times, and cold rain on most of the other days. But the creek never really rose into the yard, and even the secondary channel wasn't too terrible. They say that the temps will be rising and it will be dry for the next week. That should REALLY bring the green. Even with the cold, the shoots of grass are beginning to poke through the old dead layer. Not the dramatic green that I love, but enough so that the real transformation will occur very quickly once the days warm up.

Either the fish have been hiding beneath the water lily or something has captured and eaten them. Haven't seen any for the whole week.

Today we drove out to make a bid on an old card catalog at a small library 35 miles west. It was snowing, but the roads weren't slippery, and grey but pretty. Then we took some back roads to my sister's house to wish her a happy birthday. On the way we say a huge flock of swans in a field. I've heard that they stop there or near there every year on their migration from southern US to northern Canada. Haven't seen them there before. A couple miles further down the road brought a huge rafter of wild turkeys in another field. And then, a bit later, a domestic herd of buffalo. Add those to the usual Canada geese, gulls, crows, numerous hawks hunting from trees, guys fishing in the flooded Wolf River, and we had quite the viewing day.

Once home, Bill made some repairs to the low voltage lighting fixture out by the willow, we replaced the windshield wipers on my car, and then did a short walk around the cold wet yard. This photo is from the culvert above the creek near Sunnyview Road. I've take a photo from this place many times over the period that we've lived here and it amazes me how much things have changed. One of these days I'll try to find an historic series of them for the blog.

More Wet and Cold, with Better Times in Sight

The rhubarb is coming up, and I am anticipating the first taste of freshly made sauce soon. It's so dependable and hardy that we have no fear of cutting the earliest leaf stalks to taste the spring freshness. And the snowdrops have finally made their appearance. Usually the first flower, this year I had to watch and wait. I think it had something to do with the huge snowpile that covered them.

Two days ago, the cold rain started, and we had an inch of snow overnight. It is strange on the deck with the patio furniture already out. No way I'm going to shovel it.

This morning I got out early to take a shot of the water level in the creek. It was high, and I feared it would be much higher by tonight when I got home. But it really didn't change much here. The news report on as I write this is saying the rain/snow will continue though, so I can't relax yet. This is the closest to flooding that I've seen in quite a few years, though the first few years we lived here were much much worse. We'll hope for the best, and be thankful that the water tables are being replentished.

Cold Wet Week

Well, we got an inch of wet slush one day this week, and its raining yet again today. Temperatures really dropped, it doesn't even get into the 40's during the day and goes almost below freezing overnight. Supposed to get really cold the next few nights, and flooding is possible. Sigh - just when it seemed that spring was really here, we are put on hold again. It is discouraging. The snowpile near the front door is not yet gone. This picture was taken on Sunday, but its Thursday now and the pile is only a little bit smaller. On Tuesday, suddenly the daffodils under the pile were exposed and they had actually grown 4 or 5 inches above the ground right into the snow pile. So, as it receeds they will grow and maybe the bloom will be relatively on time. amazing.

There are some neat plants coming up, and some hopeful signs amid the gloom. The star of this week is my old friend the shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia). I planted it many years ago and didn't expect much. But it has become dependable and gets stronger every year. It's just starting now, and will be much more dramatic once the flowers emerge. But it is still worth a look.

Another Long Day of Spring Cleanup

The entire weekend was perfect for spring cleanup work, so we continued with another full day. The stack of brush is growing in the garden, and we will have to get a burning permit soon in order to dispose of it. Raking was not easy in all areas, because it is still a bit too wet, but we were able to clean up the worst places. Rain expected next week will help. A day or two of warm rain will bring the greening.



We pulled the hose through the underground tunnel out to the gazebo - ready to water the early plantings once they are in. Also planted trays of cannas and elephant ears and put them in the greenhouse. I hope it stays warm enough for them. If not, we'll have to bring them in to keep them alive. We did put the fish out into the newly cleaned pond and they seem to be pleased at having more space and oxygen. The aquarium downstairs was getting pretty horrible.


Very early spring flowers that are often missed and rarely appreciated are the male catkins on the birch trees. They emerge almost un-noticably, but the trees suddenly seem to have more volume and block the light more . They will expand and eventually release pollen. The female flowers will come later as the leaf buds expand and open, catching the pollen as it is released.

Early Spring Labors

A Saturday in early spring brings hard work.

Today we dragged up all of the deck furniture from the garage; raked the worst of the vole runs and beaten spots; swept and sprayed out the salt from the garage; cleaned up the incredible mess around the mailbox; raked the areas beaten down with "chips" that the town used when they ran out of salt this winter; cut back the barberry bushes so they will look good against the blue-grey siding; cleaned up the edges of some of the close-in gardens; picked up most of the willow branches on the lawn; and then, when we thought we were nearly dead, we worked two hours and drained and cleaned the old pond to get it ready for the fish and the water lily.

All that after the weekly shopping trip that took til around noon. And around 2, Bill decided he should get more propane so we could roast a chicken for dinner. So when the pond was done (including some digging and resetting of the stones that were nearly falling in in a variety of places), we finally stopped and had a couple of margaritas on the deck as the day wound down.

There are many clumps of crocuses blooming around the yard even though the voles have had a winter feast. The magnolia buds are really swelling now, I expect to make it the plant of the week soon. Lots of tulip clumps that I completely forgot that I planted are springing up now.

The winter rodents really cut down the japanese iris on the first berm. Nothing has ever set them back before, so I will be interested to see how they fare after being chewed to the ground under the snow. I have little fear of losing all of them. The voles didn't touch the peony there at all. Looking forward to a nice june bloom from that.

Couldn't find any beginnings yet of the wildflowers along the creek. The exotics do come up earlier than the natives it seems. The plants that belong here know enough not to show their sprouts this early. Nothing from the coneflowers, the joe-pye weed, the butterfly weed, or milkweeds yet. Even the New England Aster next to the house is still just barely showing new growth.

For what its worth, the globe arbor vitae that was so beaten down with snow that I recorded it in this blog awhile ago is now almost normal. When I look at it I can tell that it was stretched and bent, but it has sprung back. I hope that will hold true for the Mugo pines in the front yard that are still under the last snowpiles.

The Light is Growing Stronger Every Day

It is almost light out when we are awakened in the morning, and we have more than an hour of daylight left when I get home after work. This is really the best time of the year for me - all potential, no disappointments yet. It has become impossible to document all of the new growth, all of the things beginning to grow in the yard as there are so many. A walk around this evening revealed more tulips, primroses, the Lime Ricky Heuchera looking as though it has been growing under the snow all winter, bachelor's buttons, swelling buds on the magnolia, sprouts of daylilies under the dried dead leaves from last year, and numerous other signs.

The ice went out of the pond on Sunday, just a day after the neighbor's cleared and we thought ours would be another week at least. As the water clears, it appears that the water lily has survived yet another winter. The water is filled with dead leaves and will no doubt smell bad in no time. We will need to drain and clean the pond, and this year do a number of repairs to the stone edge which have begun to fall and tip in. We are thinking about expanding the pond, maybe just digging a new one. But I still have an attachment to this one, and find it hard to consider abandoning it. That, and the fact that the goldfish downstairs really need to get out of the aquarium and into nice oxygenated water outside.

Most of the snow piles have gone. I told Bill this weekend that I was betting that the pile in the front yard would last until the first of May. That may have been overly pessimistic, but it is still at least 3 feet high and 6 or 7 feet in diameter and it will take some pretty warm days to melt it. We are expecting warmer days for the next week or so, so maybe...

I brushed the old dead foliage from the chives out in the garden today and cut some to put on the cottage cheese I had for dinner. A good feeling to begin using the outside herbs again. The Tarragon is starting to come up, the three different types of thyme are all still alive, and the sage is beginning to sprout. No mint sprouts yet, but no worries there. Still too early for the seedlings of dill and cilantro, and way too soon to put basil out. But summer will come.