Mornings such as this.

Checking the weather channel it seems that we’ve turned a corner and while certainly not warm, it will do, I hope, to get a few of these early growers into the ground.   The entire area around the house is (still) in construction mode as the deck gets started, the screen porch finished up and the foundation is screaming for some landscaping.  I have to be careful not to overflow into these areas to avoid plants trampled by well-meaning work boots in a couple of weeks.  I am excited for the deck to be sure but struggle to stay away from moving that dirt around by the house ~ I’ve got a four foot wide walkway coming soon to these very spots, and gutters and downspouts yet to be installed.

I did go on a bit of a greenhouse visit with my little shopping buddy, our niece, soon-to-be-neighbor, and tried to hold back on flowers to purchase, but did pick up a few.   We were disappointed at one spot and hit the jackpot in another.   We have another favorite place to visit if we can get there, and of course, there’s the grocery stores and discount centers to pick up a filler or a new pot.  I never have done much yellow, except daffodils, always sticking closer to reds and pinks against my tan house, but to make this area a bit different I purchased two big yellow pots for the new porch steps, my house now a deep greenish grey.  I am excited about filling these two with the red, purple and pink impatiens, with spikes and ivy…just wait, I tell myself, be patient with your impatiens.  I also picked up a beautiful all white columbine and a peachy white foxglove for the moon garden area.  I am excited about these two although I admit I have not been very successful with columbine in other areas.  This morning I am concentrating on the path to the moon garden, moving some stepping stones and digging out small maples, keeping on with the raking and wood chips from a couple days ago.  Esmerelda still looks good, even though she wintered out there on her stump instead of the shed like I planned.

 

Those maple trees.  They are something else.  In a conversation with an acquaintance over the weekend he mentioned getting some trees for his yard and was on his way to pick up a maple and a dogwood.  I literally shuddered, may have gasped,  even though I knew he was talking about a beautiful red maple shade tree…not these parasitic maples I have sprouting throughout the woods. I cleared most of the maples out of the area of the moon garden last year so this spring is an easier go, but, two feet outside of the clearing is probably 200 of those little devils.  While that does sound like a lot, having held 50 in my hands at one time I know it is a fair guess. 

This is a beautiful time in the wooded areas of our place.  The flowers that come out in the spring aren’t here long, but while they are, they are sure enjoyed.  This was a fast season for the many daffodils that dot our property, with all the rain and I mostly missed them ~ however, the redbuds and dogwoods have been pretty spectacular.  I was out early this morning, just around sunrise, thinking about what project I might tackle there today.  I need to turn some attention to inside the house as well but oh, how it calls me.