My Garden Notebook - March 2014

Hello, dear friends. This time away has been a great time to get things in order and to look ahead to the gardening year. Grief has a way of transporting us to a place where we can see the mist in front of the sun, hear the low chortle before a bird's chirp, and sense the enormity of silence. It is a time to do many things, it is a time to ponder.

Winter has a way of slowing me down, forcing me to sit back and ponder. With all of these snowy days, the best place to do that is in front of a window--to see nature paint the bare branches or brush the evergreens with just enough crystals as to keep them warm. Although this winter has been harsher than most, it certainly has been one of the more beautiful. Snow always seems to add a dimension that makes the gray and brown of this chilly season more bearable.

There is not very much happening in the garden because the harsh cold and ice and snow have kept growth and sprouting to a bare minimum. However, there are a few things I am doing to prepare.

stats

Gardening Zone: 7a
January/February High Temperature: 64 degrees F
January/February Low Temperature: 6 degrees F
Precipitation: 4.26 inches

wildlife

There is a cardinal pair frequenting the feeder. The male is always so regal and beautiful.

The wren sings every morning here by the feeder to remind me not to forget to put a little seed out for him.

what's blooming, sprouting

The daffodils are coming up in spots all over the garden.

The hellebores are budding a little later this year. They usually bud in January.

Lenten Rose - hellebore - Red Racer

I added four witch hazel plants to my garden last year. They are still very, very small, but one is blooming.

Witch Hazel - Hamamelis mollis primavera

in the vegetable garden

I did not plant a fall/winter garden this season. I let my garden have a break. I am very glad I did because with all of the snow and ice we have had, it would have been quite a challenge to keep everything alive.

This is how the vegetable garden has looked most of the winter.

I planted peas indoors and hope it will be warm enough to plant them outdoors in March.

Snowpeas - Avalanche

completed chores

pruned buddleia shrubs
pruned raspberry bushes
pruned Atlas Cedar
sowed peas indoors

chores for March

clear away plant debris and leaves plant beds
weed garden beds
prune back liriope
test soil
spread lime
spread compost

notes

My dear Simba passed away last month. He was a week shy of 19. Pets have a way of delicately reaching in and caressing the heart. They seem to become a part of that heart. We will miss him terribly, but we know he is free of his aging and failing body and frolicking with ease and little care somewhere in a magical forest made just for him. That's how I see him, anyway--curious, chattering, and with an ageless sparkle in his eye.

Our sweet and spicy Simba

plans

I planted a White Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) last year, but the ice broke the very small and tender trunk. So, I am hoping to add one in its place and move the broken one elsewhere. Perhaps it will find new life.

What's in your Garden Notebook for March?

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I plan to continue the composting series this year. If you missed the start of it, here are the first two posts:

Composting Part I - All About Compost
Composting Part II - Advantages and Disadvantages of Compost Bins and Piles

This spring, I will post the next article in the series, How to Make Perfect Compost. 


© copyright 2014 Michelle A. Potter