Flowers and Rain

We have been having a lot of rain today.   Over an inch that I measured between 9 am and about 3:30 pm.  And the yard is flooding with overflow from the creek and inability to absorb.  Today the roof leaked, the sump pump was overworked, and the creek overflowed its banks significantly.  And the flowers began to bloom...

The Colors are Coming Back

It's amazing how red the Dogwoods are getting, and today was the first time I noticed how bright yellow the willows are becoming. There is a cold rain today, but with a couple of warmer days the green will return to the lawn I'm hoping.

The ice is completely gone from the pond, and I will begin to move the rocks and stones soon so we can dig a larger hole. Once they are gone, I can start looking for sprouts of plants around the old perimeter, and moving them to safe locations. Already up around the yard are lots of tulips, many of the daylilies are sprouting, a couple of dafodil clumps are visible, the Aliums are all up a couple of inches, many crocuses. The Pyrethrum plant under the hose reel is sprouting, and the first Winter Aconite flower is yellow and starting to emerge.

A Week of Change

It was over 50 degrees and sunny on Friday, two inches of snow fell on Saturday morning, then the temps came up again, and all the snow was gone before we were home from serving breakfast to over 400 people at Maple Syrup Saturday for Bubolz Preserve.  We put up the greenhouse on the deck, brought down the table and chairs, moved the planters back to where they belong for the summer, and were totally exhausted by about 4:30.  But then it was still nice enough and warm enough to sit out on the deck for a glass of wine and a relaxing look at the evening.  The grass is still very unstable, and I hope we didn't do too much damage to it as we walked and pushed the wheelbarrow over it. 

Over the last week I took photos each day of the progress of the melt.  It is pretty dramatic.  Though I do have to learn about staging a photo the same way repeatedly. 

And the Melt Goes On....

This is the end of the winter.  Whether it snows again or not, the zeitgeist has turned to Spring.  It was really windy the other day, and when I went out to check the creek today this is what I found:   The holiday tree from the porch was tipped over in the floodplain.  I was able to pull it up again, but the footing underneath is uneven this time of year.  Hope it lasts. 

Now is the Time for Things to Slow Down

It is really spring now.  Despite temperatures below zero on Tuesday morning last week, the end of winter is nigh.  Robins are everywhere.  I heard Red Wing Blackbirds from the deck today, and saw and heard Sandhill Cranes overhead.  The Cardinals are Cheery.  And the snow is receding.  Even Kate ventured out beyond the vegetable garden this morning. 

Ironically, even though I've been hoping that time would pass quickly, and basically killing time, now I fear that I'm behind on lots of things.  I think we have to set up the greenhouse next weekend, though I'm not sure it will be warm enough to put things out yet.  I did cut back the geraniums in the light gardens downstairs, so they could put out new, fuller growth.  Still haven't gotten the cannas out, but maybe this week.  Re-potted a bunch of orchids today, after going to the North East Wisconsin Orchid Society show in Neenah.  We bought one new plant, a paphiopedilum, which I have never grown before.  We shall see.

We did hang out the new wind chime that I received as a gift at my retirement party in January.  It has  beautiful deep tone, an octave lower than the one that hangs in the gazebo in back.  I didn't want them to be competing with eachother, so we put this one in front, along the garage, outside the front door.  It looks comfortable there. 

I'm marking the progress of the melt with photos.  It is a nice, slow, civilized melt, nothing to set the creek outside of its banks.  That is good.  Below is the Sunday picture, I intend to add one each day this week around the same late afternoon time, to see how fast it really does go.  

40 Degrees and Rain

Yesterday sunny and "warm", today still 40 degrees and rain instead of the "wintry mix" that was predicted. Now we can only hope that the predictions of very cold weather tomorrow are wrong also.

The birds are going wild in the yard. And I saw two Robins this afternoon! I think I might even have heard an Oriole, but I couldn't spot it, so I may be wrong. I think I'll put out some grape jelly just in case. A flock of hundreds of starlings just flew in and landed in the treetops.

Yet Another Snow

It snowed another 6 or 7 inches yesterday. Some winter wonderland views I can go another year without seeing again. It does melt between, the sun is strong. Another "wintry mix" is expected tonight. I am tired of it.

But the birds know that Spring is very close. I'm hearing Cardinals singing "What Cheer!" and proclaiming "Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!" from the treetops. The neighborhood is filled with them declaring their territory. Most of the winter we've had several males, and a couple of females around our feeders. Now everyone seems to be spreading out and claiming their own space.

The flock of mixed finches is still around, and the Juncos haven't left yet. I will miss the Juncos of course, but their leaving is another Spring sign.

The cacti in the basement are putting out flower buds, so I've begun to give them a little water. This may be the week to take the canna boxes out and inspect the roots after the winter. It is time to begin bringing things out of dormancy. The Rex Begonias in the light gardens are doing well, but will need to be pruned and cleaned up, and then hardened off before being put out for the summer. There are also several Geraniums from cuttings last fall that will need to be transitioned to outdoors. After all the work it took to bring them in and overwinter them, I would hate to loose them at this point.

Last fall I was more ruthless than usual with things. And a few have died over the winter even though I did take them in. But at this point in the year I want to preserve all of the botanical stock I have and hope to find a place for it to thrive over the summer.

The Birds are Really Singing

The morning cacophony of birdsong is just amazing, especially on these warmer days. With temps above freezing already at 7:30, there is so much singing it is almost hard to hear the highway noises in the distance. What a shame.

My friend Janet has helped me realize that I have a huge flock of Pine Siskins around here as well as the various Finches, Juncos, Chickadees and Sparrows. Together with the crows, the ducks testing flight patterns, the many Cardinals, and the Mourning Doves, the yard is certainly active. Wish the snow would go so I could get out there easier. I take the occasional walk around, but it's tough going and hard to see much.

Note for this spring (when it really comes): consider pruning the lower branches of "Charlie Brown" to allow more space and light for plants underneath. But move the sedum clumps that are there now to the west edge of the garden under the bedroom windows. Kill the clump of New England Asters there, they always flop by August.

The Winter Just Keeps on Going

One week after the next the snow just keeps piling up, and although I am grateful for the clean cover, I know that the rabbit and vole damage, and the broken plants lie just below the surface.  It is beautiful again, with the recent 6 inches of snow that fell on Thursday.  But the temps are cold again and it seems like winter.  We're thinking about what we will do with the pond in the spring, and I just looked up and found that the pond water unfroze last year on April 5th.  That is only a month away, but it seems impossible that such a thing would happen this year.  Once the snow and frost does clear, we have to move away all of the rocks and stones from the perimeter of the current pond and then I have to keep an eye out for the emergence of any and all plants around the area.  They will each have to be dug and moved or saved to be replanted.  I am concerned about the ligularia that is just behind the gargoyle.  I have heard that the roots of ligularia grow very deep, and I don't know if I'll be able to transplant it - almost certainly it will be set back.  With luck, it will be dividable and I can plant the divisions in places where they will thrive.  As the yard grows, there is more shade, and some of the plants that were originally put in sunny spots may well do better elsewhere.

The photo I'm posting today is a view from inside the house during the latest storm - last Thursday.  The contrast is interesting to me.  Snow re-covering the yew outside and the German ivy thriving in the kitchen window inside.