Spring is in the air! I know that’s a cliche, but it’s true – it really is in the air. Some of my perennial shrubs are becoming distinctly fragrant, and flowers are starting to appear on my fruit trees, which is attracting the buzz of the local bees. It all adds up to a palpable sensation of seasonal change.
Not that you’d know from the weather today – it’s about as chilly as it’s been all winter. At least the sun is out, though, which means I can finally get things moving in the garden. I’ve just put in an order for a bunch of spring flowering bulbs and I’m keen to get some of them in the ground as soon as possible, but there’s a whole lot of tidying up to be done first.
First on the list is clearing out all the organic debris that’s piled up in the garden beds over winter, including that darned branch that I keep tripping over on the way to the washing line. That can go in the wood chipper, and some of those leaves can go in the compost. Then, of course, there’s the remulching to be done, and reigning in that grassy patch.
Along with adding new plantings, I’m excited to see what’s going on with the daffodil bulbs that I put in last year – have they multiplied? It’s always exciting to find out that a plant has survived the winter. It just feels like you never truly know what they’ve been up to under the ground, which makes it quite exciting (in my opinion) when they first pop up into view come spring.
The other thing I need to do is fix the greenhouse. I really don’t want to deal with that rat problem again, and I also want to get started with propagating the veggie seedlings – I always leave that until the last minute, and I’m interested to see if I could get a better yield if I start earlier. I’m determined to beat Mr. Marshall from round the corner at his tomato game this year!