Slow Spring

Sooner or later the sun will come out and stay for a while, but it seems like every day there is maybe an hour when it is not gray, overcast, and in many cases sprinkling. It is warmer, so that’s a plus.

There is also some color popping out in the garden, and I’m appreciating each bloom.

I was grateful for the weather this past weekend. Saturday morning, I worked in the sun at our MG Native Garden and got quite a bit done stripping some sod, moving a rock path, and spreading top soil in preparation for planting a butterfly garden on Thursday.

Yesterday, we had our annual plant sale, and it only sprinkled for about 20 minutes. Thank you, Mother Nature. We started with almost 1,000 plants at 9 a.m., and before noon we were almost sold out. We’ve never sold that many in such a short time. I guess our publicity was better this year. The amount of work required to set up a sale in a parking lot including tents, tables, and transport and arrange that many plants is a big project. I’m glad we only attempt it once a year.

There is an interesting phenomenon happening between this past winter and the unseasonably wet, cold spring. There is a lot of damage to plants and lawns. My hibiscus and three butterfly bushes are dead. The hibiscus I can understand, but normally you can’t kill a butterfly bush even if you want to.

Yesterday, I talked to a couple of people with severe rhododendron damage, numerous folks with large swaths of dead lawn from road salt runoff, plants eaten down to the ground by deer that have never touched them before, and even a couple who said beetles have come out of the ground to devour their blueberry bushes. It’s been a tough year so far for gardening enthusiasts.

Remember those 20+ dogwoods I’ve been nurturing since last year? The roots are growing out of the bottom of the pots, the bark is green, but not one leaf. I couldn’t take them to the sale because they look like dead sticks. Gardening as a hobby is never dull, and you are always provided with an opportunity to learn something new.

I’ve got a couple of plants to get into containers and in the ground this morning because it’s going to rain this afternoon, but after that I’m going to find an indoor project to work on because I’m tired.

Have you had any strange happenings in your outdoor landscape this year that you haven’t seen before? I’m also going to put a couple of links below just in case they might be of help to you.

Have a great week as we approach the unofficial start to the summer – Memorial Day weekend. 🇺🇸 Watch out for tourists. 🙂

Links:

• Blueberry Stem Borer
• Deer damage
• NH Invasive Plants Poster
• Rhododendron winter damage