Spring Clean Up

I meant to write a Triumphs and Tragedies post this past weekend but the Triumph was that the weather was so beautiful I got caught up in gardening and didn't have time to write the blog post.  It was a positively glorious weekend and I was thrilled to finally be able to get outside and get my hands dirty.  We even managed to drag out the barbeque and cook some hamburgers to welcome the start of spring.  As is often the case with Triumphs and Tragedies, you can't have one without the other.  I found more vole damage. Three Diablo Ninebarks are in ruins, another white birch decimated, and several perennials appear to have met their demise.  My only consolation is that with the snow gone the cats are now making short work of the wee vermin.  Perhaps more cats should be adopted?

My first task of the weekend was taking a look at my compost.  Unfortunately I discovered that it was frozen solid.  I hadn't thought of that.  The large bins that hold my compost together to keep it warm are also very good at keeping it cold.  All the snow that blew through the wire mesh over the winter has compacted and solidified into a giant block of ice.  Chipping at it with a pickaxe did little to fix the situation and now my arm is quite sore.  It seems I will have to wait for warmer weather and some rain to dissolve the contents.

Since I was getting nowhere with the compost I decided I would do a bit of raking next.  Our large birch trees spray down branches all winter long and in order to mow the grass in the coming months all the branches must be picked up.  It took no time at all to find out how a winter of inactivity can affect one's body.  I was winded almost immediately which was quite disapointing.  So I moved on to another project. 

Suddenly I realized why I never seem to get any one task accomplished in the garden.  I tend to get tired and switch to something else halfway through.  Not quite sure what the remedy is to that.

Well the next task turned out to be more branches but without the raking.  The apple tree branches that were pruned in February had been left to lay where they fell in the snow.  Now with the snow gone it was time to pile the branches in a far corner where they can spend the summer drying out.  In a few months they will be cut up and taken into the basement to be used as firewood for next winter.

Something that struck me this weekend as I puttered about and found I was quite pleased with is that, opposed to last year, I now know where everything is located in my garden.  Last spring I was scared to touch any of the beds for fear I would damage flowers that I didn't know were there.  This year I was able to dig right in and cut back foliage without a care.  The first bed I decided to clean up was the smallest one given my aching muscles.  I started with the tractor tire.  Yes I have a tractor tire sitting in my yard.  It's even painted white to match the house.  This a before photo.

Although it was mainly dominated by weeds last year I discovered there were some pretty pink flowers and a trailing sedum growing there.  When I looked for these plants this weekend the sedum crumbled in my fingers and the stem of the pink flowers was gnawed down to a nub by mice.

Last year this sedum was quite happy but this year it crumbled in my fingers

I left the nub in case the roots decide to push out some growth but the rest of the tire was dug up.  I have some Lavatera seeds that might do quite nicely in this spot.

Cleaned up and ready for planting

After that I still had some energy so I moved onto another nearby 'bed'.  I'm not quite sure if you would call this a bed or not.  It's really just a pile of rocks sitting in an obscure spot that doesn't appear to have any relation to anything around it.

That tuft of weeds is the 'bed'

Masses of lovely purple sedum have been planted here and thrived beautifully last summer despite the masses of weeds.

Last summer's sedum from this bed.

This year I decided to do away with this spot.  It serves no purpose and doesn't work with my landscaping plans.  I began digging up clumps of sedum, moving some to the tractor tire and some to beds alongside the house.  Then I raked up the masses of dead weeds so I could clearly see what I was dealing with.  With the weeds gone you can see it's really just a small pile of rocks.

Weeds removed, there is just a small pile of rocks left.

Hubby suggested the dirt and rocks be used in other beds that are being created which is a fantastic idea.  I'm not ready to move them yet but it will be a relatively easy chore to dig the last of the sedum up and move the plants with the accompanying dirt to a new bed.  Then we will just mow over this spot and it should eventually blend into the lawn.

When I was done enjoying the great outdoors there were still chores to be completed inside.  The Amaranthus seeds have sprouted their first true leaves and were beginning to crowd each other so they were moved to their own individual containers. 

More mystery seeds from MIL were planted and the black currant and Beauty Berry seeds that I had begun cold stratifying in January were brought inside to see if I could revive them.  The red currants unfortunately got knocked over in the wind so I'll have to try those again next year.  My seedling set up seems to have done quite well thus far and my only complaint now is space.  As the seedlings have been potted out to larger containers the table has become more and more crowded  Seedlings have now filled the entire table and many are living in window sills.  And I still have one more month before I can think of planting them outside.  I guess I should have waited a bit longer before getting my seeds started.  We'll be living in a tomato jungle by the end of May.  Perhaps I should think of building a cold frame this summer to accommodate seedlings next spring?

Is anyone else running out of room for their seedlings?  Where do you put them when you're still waiting for warmer weather?