I had a good day working on my grounds today. I have about a half an acre in plantings which includes a lawn, well a lawn of sorts….I takes me ten minutes to mow it. I would like to have more lawn than I actually have allowed, but life hasn’t turned out that way.
Snowdrops, some scilla and eranthis are in bloom already. Narcissus and some tulip foliage are showing. I cleaned up some of the winter damage, cleaned some areas of unwanted leaves. In other words much of the two days was spent tidying up from winter, although I did find time to apply a balanced granulated fertilizer for nearly the entire grounds.
March is the ugliest month of the year in my Minnesota gardened landscape. I have had to surround the grounds with a temporary fence to keep the deer out during winter. A herd of 14 had broken through a section of my fencing and in two visits devoured 90% of my azaleas’ buds, all of my tree peony buds, munched off all the buds on my fothergillas and destroyed one rhododendron. They denuded the sides of three arborvites plus caused less noticeable damage to countless others.
Rabbits and mice munched on evergreen foliage close to the ground. Coyotes showed up on my property a month ago one midday. It was obvious they had placed to go and food to seek. I wish them luck as long as they go after the little stuff. Feral cats are terrific in lowering the winter rodent menace as well.
Winter damage caused a couple upright junipers not to be upright, so I had to prop them up.
Northerners are especially drawn to Spring…..especially in Minnesota after a long winter. In another week or two the green at ground level will begin to overtake the brown.