Sunday, April 8, 2012

Spring Fever

I must apologize for my absence.  We've been awful busy around here lately and the blog seems to keep getting pushed to the bottom of my list of things to do.  Why is it that the amount of work on my desk increases threefold in direct proportion to my lack of time to complete it in?  Last week we had a sudden snowstorm (ironically following a record 23 degree hot day!) that lost me a day at the office, followed by a short week before and following Easter.  Holidays be damned, that work has to be finished one way or another so extra hours have been put in on other days.  In addition we've had meetings.  One after another we have met with various banks in the last weeks to discuss financing the new roof.  Which lead to the great spring clean.  For the last week we have been scrubbing, trimming, and washing all manner of things inside and outside the house in preparation for an appraisal.

Dead foliage was cut back to allow the new growth to push up.
Flower beds around the house were trimmed and raked of dead branches and fallen leaves.  Those pesky yews at the front door that I've been meaning to prune for the last two years finally got the royal treatment.

Three wheelbarrows full of branches were carted away.
They were almost completely blocking the front entrance when I started.


And afterward - still large and rambly looking which I like, but at least you can walk up to the door now.


As you can see, despite the snow storm, the temperatures returned to more spring like conditions which allowed for a bit of gardening.  Including our favourite yearly spring activity of planting trees.


A few spruce babies were dug up from around the big trees and transplanted to the hedgerow where we are attempting to reestablish a tree line.  Unfortunately my outside time was cut severely short as we had yet another SNOW STORM.  15 cm ( or 6 inches) of the white stuff came down with blowing wind.  What a tease.  Luckily my sweet husband brought me an Easter treat so I have at least one bloom to share.


Let's not mention to him that lilies aren't my most favourite flower shall we?  He saw a clip on the news recently saying how lilies were the perfect Easter gift because they can be replanted into the garden and he was so proud when he gave me this and told me that tidbit.  I can put up with the smell because he's such a darling.  And they certainly spruce up the inside of the house which will be nice for Mr. Inspector when he shows up.


17 comments:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Marguerite girl !
You have been very busy !! I understand how you feel about having everything as spiffy as possible for the evaluation .. banks can be tough .. so having as much up to snuff is a good thing .. I have to Christmas tree shaped yews and they can get a bit awkward too ;-)
I'm sure it will all go well !
You are the first to notice I use lamium as a living mulch on that spot (I also use gold Creeping Jenny in other areas) .. I wanted something to cover the bulb circle when the bulbs die back and I have a thing for lamium.
Fingers crossed for you that it all goes smoothly and well !
I need to do some Spring cleaning inside here as well ... BIG sigh !
Joy

CanadianGardenJoy said...

P.S.
I forgot to say how much I giggles over your hubby's mission with the lily .. I am the same way about them .. my hubby would NEVER know that white roses are my favourite, in a million years ... men ??? LOL
Joy

Jane said...

I guess Jody didn't read your post about lilies last year lol!! HOWEVER, it IS beautiful and if I remember correctly you were changing your opinion of them somewhat! Here's hoping the appraisal goes well and you'll soon have a new roof!

Gardeningbren said...

Your lily is lovely, and it will make a nice addition to your bed.

Wasn't that snow a shocker? But guess it's to be expected for our area.

You have been very kind to your Yew. It is a great plant to include in winter wreaths, and that kind of keeps mine in check,pruning it back, although mine is not so upright as yours. Great punch of green at your entrance.

Good weather's coming! Yes it is.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Love the Lily, have some planted in the garden....their fragrance is incredible.
Those Yews are HUGE!!! You really got them cut back nicely.

The Witch said...

Beautiful Lily! It will look gorgeous blooming outdoors in the Summer, I don't mind the smell. We are going to dig all ours out this Spring and re-arrange the front bed so I'll be moving them down to the holding garden till then. The snow was a real set back for us this weekend. I had lots to do. Hope all goes will with the inspector and you get that new roof soon. Are you going for a metal type roof or asphalt shingles? I've seen so many older houses lately being redone in the metal look.
Ordered my garden seeds from Heritage Harvest seed today.
I'm so glad I saw this company on your blog site they have quite the variety of tomatoes.

Marguerite said...

As soon as I saw the lamium I thought what a bright idea, sometimes those small bulbs look a bit plain against the dirt. The variegation was just right. Hope you don't mind if I steal your idea one day.

Marguerite said...

LOL, nope, I guess he missed that one. I'm never sure if he'll read this or not. Sometimes he does, most often no. Lilies are starting to grow on me, it's like they're ganging up and insisting that I must give in and plant them.

Marguerite said...

I really didn't think it would snow, such a surprise to see it come down, and OH how it came down. 10 degrees today though and higher yet tomorrow. I'm thinking of planting some of the cooler plant seeds in the veggie garden and trying my luck.

Marguerite said...

Janet, the yews really did get out of control. They were big when we moved in but very nicely trimmed and shaped. I've let them run rampant and they've grown like weeds. After the trimming I realized how big the trunks are, I had no idea just how sturdy a plant these get to be.

Marguerite said...

I too hoped to accomplish a bit more outdoors this past weekend but we're well on our way into spring now so I can't complain. Isn't the tomato selection amazing? I had the hardest time trying to pick just a few varieties. I've already started some seed and I've got 6 types of tomatoes going, we'll have to compare in summer which types worked well. The roof will be asphalt, although we're opting for a heavier shingle with more nails. We like the idea of metal but a nice metal roof (one that looks like shingles as opposed to large sheets) is very expensive. Our roof is so large and exposed to view, I fear large sheets of metal would make it look like a barn.

Cindy said...

I didn't know where that snow had come from either, was busy doing one thing or another and hadn't listened to the news and found the the night before. Same thing worked in the garden for 3 days and then watched the snow melt for the next 3 days. I hope your appraisal goes the way you want it, good luck. I checked into a metal roof when we started to do ours last year and well $$ kept the asphalt shingles on again, besides my brother came from Ottawa and did the roof, nice surprise. Your secret is safe with me, but it is a nice lily. Take care

Rose said...

What a difference cutting those yews back made! I have some big yews I keep wanting to cut back, too, but I'm waiting for my husband to have time--I don't trust myself with a chainsaw:) Looks like you have been very busy! Hope those snowstorms have finally ended for you.

Jennifer said...

Hi Marguerite, It is a busy time of year for sure. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done as well.
And what is going on the weather? We haven't had your extremes, but it is almost that bad here too. One minute its hot and the next minute its freezing cold. Last night, we had frost and many plants are now tipped with brown. We have had no rain at all!
Your hard work has paid off well. The clipped yews look vastly improved.
My hubby always buys me red roses, which are my least favourite colored roses. Oh, well. It is the thought that counts!

Casa Mariposa said...

Good luck with the inspection. They can be nerve wracking! Those lilies will be beautiful in your garden. :o) I used to have big yews in front of my house that grew outwards with such long branches that it felt like you were going through a turnstile to get to the front door.

Melanie J Watts said...

It will be nice when your new roof financing is approved. It's great that you were able to get outside to spiff up the yard. I'm jealous because we still have winters snow and a snowstorm today.

Anonymous said...

Ah, one nice thing about being in southern Pennsylvania at this time of year is that I miss those April snowstorms. By the time I get back to Maine in a couple of weeks, all sign of them will be gone and I can get to work doing spring clean-up in the garden. I must say that your yews make the one by my front door in Gettysburg (which I have to prune annually to keep it under control) look like a baby. -Jean