We are past the first week of Spring without a freeze or even snow. Last week before I took a trip to Philadelphia, I turned on the south side exterior water bib, reinstalled the Watkins valve in the pond skimmer and ran the hose over to it to maintain the water level while I was gone. We have been having a lot of wind which tends to drive water out of the pond. Everything seems to be working well.
Yesterday, I went to our favorite nursery in hopes of finding some rose bushes and okra plants. Seems it is still a bit early. They said the okra plants would arrive in about two weeks (mid-April). I was also interested in getting some Hellebore. This is a small plant which blooms early in Spring and is shade loving. I want to try it between the Hornbeams along the east fence line.
This morning I rose early and went for my weekly walk through the MoBot. Things are starting to sprout. The Hellebore has been blooming for several weeks. The hosta is coming up and the tulips are everywhere along with the daffodils. I also noticed the red twig dogwoods have been cut back almost to the ground. We have these along the north fence on the east side of the house. They were getting overgrown last year, so when I got home I looked up when these should be pruned. I found the best time is late winter or early spring while they are still dormant. It was recommended that the stems be cut back about one-third. For those stems running along the ground, they should be cut back to the base. Ours dogwoods are beyond dormant and starting to leaf out. I went ahead however and cut them back as directed.
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| Red Twig Dogwood after pruning |
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| Red Twig Dogwood after pruning |
Looking around the backyard, the viburnum along the west fence are starting to bloom and are very fragrant.
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| viburnum |
The hollyhocks started coming up weeks ago. Last year we had one by the south door of the sunroom. I raised a dozen more inside and planted them in the fall. The rabbits have chewed on the ones along the west fence, but otherwise, they are coming up nicely. We did not get any flowers on the hollyhock last year or on the foxgloves either. Hopefully this year they will flower.
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| Hollyhock |
The Serviceberry is starting to bloom and the Zelkova and Canadian Cherry are leafing out.
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| Serviceberry |
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| Zelkova |
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| Canadian Cherry |
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