In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lion?
You know the saying about March “In like a lion, out like a lamb”. That is not proving to be the case this year. Yesterday it snowed and snowed, then a little more snow fell. I was out visiting a friend and running errands, I almost couldn’t make it back up the driveway when I got home because it was so slick.
The spot of bare ground in my back yard is covered over once again. At least it will melt of quickly and show itself perhaps tomorrow or the day after. I remember many an Easter egg hunt as a kid with a dusting of snow and wearing winter coats. We tend to forget that spring is almost always long in coming, perhaps the anticipation gives us amnesia.
Do you have memories of Easter egg hunts with snow and warm coats?
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Maple Sapping
‘Tis the season for maple sap. This year I’m not doing as much as I usually do. The snow is still way to deep to get to many of my trees and collecting sap in snowshoes isn’t the easiest thing in the world. I tapped our Big Old sugar maple right across the driveway from the house (photo from last year, there’s still a foot of snow on the ground here).
I’m also making it a light sugaring year because I’m having some chiropractic work done for my scoliosis, which acts up every now and then. I’m hoping to get it all straightened out before gardening season is in full swing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the pain is much more bearable at that point in time, not carrying heavy buckets of sap through the woods should help. I should still get a gallon or so of syrup, even just from this one tree. That is more than enough since I still have three gallons left from last year.
What’s happening in your garden this week?
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I Spy….
I spy a spot of bare ground in my back yard! Of course this is a high spot in the yard and the snow blows off of it, there are still 20 or more inches of snowpack in the other areas of the garden. This is a start, the spot gets a little bigger each day. Bring on the spring thaw!
One thing that I love to do in the spring is to watch the areas that lose snow first. These are perfect places to plant hellebores, hyacinths, crocuses, snowdrops, tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs. They can take any cold weather that is still to come and will add beautiful early spring color to the garden. In a few years I’ll be adding these plants to this area, perhaps this spot will become hellebore garden. If you’ve ever read The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage, you will want to start a collection of snowdrops and hellebores.
Any snow left in your garden?
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Spring?
Yesterday there was a distinctly different feeling in the air when I went out. I think perhaps it was moisture, it was finally warm enough to feel moisture in the air. Even though it was only 15 degrees and we woke up to a few inches of fresh snow on the ground, there was something different in the air.
Probably later this week I will put a tap in one of the maple trees that I can watch from the house. It isn’t quite warm enough for sugaring season but it won’t be too much longer.
Have you noticed a change in the season recently? Do you feel like spring will arrive in your garden soon?
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Observing
Winter is a valuable time in the garden if we take the time to observe. We can see how the wind moves, where snow drifts and where the ground is blown completely bare. We can see where the snow melts first and what areas are soggy when it does.
I spend a good amount of time watching the garden this time of year. What I find most important are the snow drifts. I’m figuring out where I shouldn’t plant really tender plants and where I can. I’m figuring out where I should plant windbreaks and where I should plant tough shrubs to act as drift fences. I now know which spots thaws fist in spring and would be a fantastic spring woodland garden filled with early snowdrops, hellebores and other spring beauties. I also know where I shouldn’t plant hydrangeas.
It’s very true what they say about spending a few years observing a garden before you begin to plant and make big changes. It’s especially important to watch through a few winters to see what they bring. The longer I garden the more patient I become and the more I value time spent in observing the space around me.
Do you take the time to observe your garden in winter? Does what you see affect where/how you plant?
