Thurs. Feb. 23, 2023: Watchful Crows

image courtesy of René Bittner vis pixabay.com

Thursday, February 23, 2023

First Quarter Waxing Moon in Aries

Celtic Tree Month of Ash

Snowy and cold

We’re back to winter again. We had about 4 inches of wet, heavy snow, with periods of sleet. Now it’s more freezing rain.

The plants on the porch are a little confused, but everything we have inside just shrugs it off. Last week, I also bought a couple of African violets (in pink and purple), a spider plant, and a small, variegated philodendron. I have to repot them, but it’s nice to have these plants around again.

The giant philodendron that didn’t survive the move had come with us from Chicago (and we moved to NY in 1966), then moved from the house to the apartment after my dad died, and then, when we moved to the Cape in 2010, it attached itself to the walls and grew huge. But the move was too much of a shock. None of the cuttings survived, either. I missed having a philodendron, so I’m happy to have another.

With the temperature fluctuations, the bulbs are stopping and starting, but I hope they bloom by, say, Easter. The hyacinths are the farthest along.

The borage was doing really well, and then it fainted, so I don’t know what’s going on there.

I haven’t been able to order any other seeds yet; I hope I haven’t left it too late.

The squirrel who dug so much up on the back balcony last summer and put a hole in the kitchen screen has been running over the top of the roof to the front and peeking in both the porch and the living room windows. Charlotte patrols the front of the house, Willa the back.

Monday morning, crows woke me. They were herding the flocks of birds migrating back up from the south. Seeing thousands of birds fly across the sky in formation, then nudged by the crows toward the lake, was an amazing sight.

I bet they’re sorry they came back early!

But the cats are shedding their winter coats (time to vacuum every day), so maybe this is winter’s last puff.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Advertisement

Thurs. Feb. 16, 2023: A Hint of Spring

image coourtesy of  Bruno /Germany via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Fourth Quarter Waning Moon in Capricorn

Partly sunny and mild

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

The temperatures have been all over the place. This week, they go up into the fifties during the day, and plunge down into the twenties at night. That gives me headaches, so I’m not having fun.

But we are getting patches of sun, which is lovely.

The borage is growing like crazy. I love borage, and wish I was growing strawberries as a companion plant. They work well together. These seeds are from the Berkshire Botanical Garden. I need to get down to their store soon and get more seeds. The  quality is excellent.  The butterfly mix hasn’t sprouted yet. The bulbs are doing well out on the porch, in spite of the fluctuating temperatures, with the hyacinths in the lead.

The bratty squirrel from the back, who always tried to get at our lunch, is now in the front of the house, dashing up and down the side of the building to the roof, and hanging out by the front and porch windows, trying to find a way in. Charlotte keeps sentinel there, much the way Willa keeps watch out back.

More birds are singing, and, out back, several different birds are checking out the birdhouses on the back balcony and sorting out who will nest where. It makes me hopeful that spring is on the way.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Thurs. Feb. 9, 2023: Cheerful Primroses

image courtesy of -Rita-👩‍🍳 und 📷 mit ❤ via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Third Quarter Moon Waning in Virgo

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

Cloudy and cold

We had a severe cold snap last weekend, with temperatures going down to -17F. Fortunately, the power held, so we stayed warm, curled up with blankets, books, and cats.

On the plant front, last Thursday (Imbolc), I planted more cat grass for the cats, which is coming up well. I should be able to put it down for them either over the weekend or early next week, and get the second pot started. I planted borage seeds (from the Berkshire Botanical Garden) and they’ve begun to sprout. The butterfly mix hasn’t yet come up.

The bulbs out front are confused. They start to come up; it gets colder; they pause. Hopefully, the worst of winter is past, and they can thrive. The front porch gets lovely sun when the sun is actually out.

The other plants are fine. The peace lily continues its recovery. I moved the primroses closer to the big front windows, where they get more sun. They are very cheerful. I haven’t yet ordered seeds and hope I haven’t left it too late.

Is anything poking its head up shyly in your garden yet?

Thurs. Feb. 2, 2023: Bitter Cold for Imbolc

image courtesy of Petra via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Second Quarter Waxing Moon in Cancer

No Retrogrades

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

Cold

Imbolc

It’s going to be bitterly cold for the next few days. We’ve received warnings telling us to stay in, if at all possible. With wind chills, it will be well below zero.

I’m a little worried about the plants out on the porch. Most of them are outdoor style plants anyway.

Inside, the peace lily is doing very well with its recovery, and everything else is doing well, too. The primroses are very cheerful.

Today is Imbolc, the stirring beneath the frost, preparing for spring. I have a packet of pollinator seeds to plant, and I may plant some bergamot, too.

What’s your garden doing?