Thurs. March 30, 2023: March Is Still A Lion

Photo by Devon Ellington

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Second Quarter Waxing Moon in Cancer

Celtic Tree Month of Alder

Cloudy with fresh snow

March didn’t get the memo that when it comes in like lion, it’s supposed to exit like a lamb. March is still lioning, and it looks like that will continue into April. We had snow again last night. Not that much, but enough to be annoying.

In spite of the snow on the ground, the photo above was taken earlier this week. The Sunny

Smile tulips are starting to bloom. And, as you can see, so are the hyacinths. On afternoons when it’s sunny and warm enough, I can sit and work on the porch (with the cats, of course) in the lovely scent of hyacinths.

Photo by Devon Ellington

I keep missing planting days; I’m not sure why. I have to get the seeds started, or I’ll miss the window. I might just have to plant seeds in defiance of the astrological calendar and hope for the best.

The daffodils (which I thought would come up first) are barely poking shoots out. Most of the rest of the indoor plants are doing well; one primrose died, and one of the geraniums gave up the ghost, but I think it was one of the older ones, from back on Cape, so it’s not surprising.

The jade plant tipped over the other day, so when we rescued it, we put it in a bigger pot hope it gets over the shock.

I don’t understand why it’s so hard to find trellises here that fit into pots; everything is big, for outdoor gardens.

It’s still too cold, with too much bad weather coming in. for us to start putting anything out on the back balcony, but we are enjoying the enclosed, southern-facing front porch when the weather is nice.

How are things in your garden?

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Thurs. March 23, 2023: Blooms in Mud Season

image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures via pixabay.com

Thursday, March 23, 2023

First quarter waxing moon in Aries

Celtic Tree Month of Alder

Cloudy and chilly; looks and feels like rain

I SHOULD have planted this past Monday, on the Equinox. I did not. The next planting day is tomorrow, and I better get my act together. There are also more seeds I need to get, and some where I’ve missed the planting window.

Some of the hyacinths on the front porch are starting to bloom. On sunny days, it’s warm enough in the afternoon to be out there for a few hours. I take the laptop and work out there. It’s lovely. The tulips are coming up, but haven’t bloomed yet, and the dwarf narcissus are still confused.

Inside, the Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are blooming again, though!

As I mentioned last week (somewhere, if not on this blog), we’re moving into mud season. The snowpacks are shrinking, and things are muddy. Necessary for the rest of spring and summer growth, but still needing boots in which to tromp around.

The birds are chattering and negotiating where to nest.

The temperatures are still in the twenties and the thirties at night, but up in the high forties and even kissing fifty on some of the sunnier days.

I need to do some repotting, too. I need to inventory the pots I have. Some of the ones in which I invested were poor choices. Others were good, and I want to get more like them.

It’s still too cold to start putting the furniture, et al, down on the back balcony, but I hope we can do that by early April. I might be overly optimistic!

I hope the temperatures steady out in the 40s soon, because I have some painting to do out there, and I can’t do it until the temperatures remain at least in the mid-40s.

How are things, plant-wise, in your neck of the woods?

Thurs. March 16, 2023: Snow-Covered

image courtesy of Peter H via Pixabay.com

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Fourth Quarter Waning Moon in Capricorn

Partly cloudy and a little milder

We had three feet of snow in the early part of the week, spread over a few days. Yesterday was all about digging out.

Another thing to love about living here? On Cape Cod, everyone was always cutting down healthy trees because they’d “cause a problem in a storm.” Here, there are trees all over the place. They are kept healthy, and no one worries. The heavy snow and ice bent the limbs, then the snow would slide off and the tree would shake its branches and straighten up;  but there was little damage anywhere because of trees. Just shows how much lying goes on as an excuse to cut down trees and hurt the environment even more.

The seeds arrived from Eden Brothers, but I have not yet planted them. I may do some today and some on the next planting day, which is Sunday. I still have to order some more seeds, which I might do over the weekend. I picked up some decent potting soil at Carr’s Hardware the other day, and I might get more.

None of the bulbs on the porch have bloomed yet; I think the temperature fluctuations did a number on them. But they’re still growing, so I’m still hopeful!

How are things in your garden?

Thurs. March 9, 2023: Holding Pattern

image courtesy of Šárka Jonášová via pixabay.com

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Third Quarter Moon in Libra

Cloudy and cold

Not much to say on the garden front. We’re kind of in a holding pattern, with a series of snowstorms that came through these past couple of weeks, with more coming through in the next couple of weeks.

The bulbs are growing slowly. They get confused between the sun and the snow.

I’m waiting for the seeds to arrive and will order some more next week. It’s a late start, but often when I plant as early as advised, the plants pop up and then keel over, so we’ll see.

We’re close enough to Vermont to share mud season, that interim when the snow has stopped, but it’s not really spring yet, and that will come in for late March into April.

How are things where you are?

Thurs. March 2, 2023: Finally Ordering Seeds

courtesy of Steve Buissinne via pixabay.com

Thursday, March 2, 2023

2^nd Quarter Moon Waxing in Cancer

Celtic Tree Month of Ash

Rain, ice, cold

The weather turned wintry again this past week, with a series of storms coming through. None of the snow accumulations was as much as predicted, thank goodness. We are supposed to get another foot Friday night into Saturday.

On the garden front, the bulbs are coming up on the porch, although nothing’s bloomed yet. The indoor plants are fine, although I have to water them  more often, because the heat to keep the house warm dries them out quickly.

I finally ordered some seeds from Eden Brothers: mostly flowers and medicinal herbs. I ordered Wormwood, angelica, calendula, marshmallow, St. John’s wort, Valerian, and two kinds of Zinnias. They should ship this week and arrive next week, so I can plant. It’s a little late, but that’s the way it goes. I will buy culinary herbs as plants when the garden center opens later this month.

I’ve missed the window to start poppies, so I will put that off again this year. I need to order some other seeds in the coming weeks, and then get everything planted. I’m going to try different potting soil; I think the choice I made last year for potting soil wasn’t very good.

I’m looking forward to hyacinths blooming.

What’s going on with your garden?