Monday, March 29, 2010

In my yard

This past winter was really hard on my English Boxwood bushes.  I first thought they were dying, but thanks to Mr. Google, I learned that this problem is called "bronzing"; it seems it won't actually kill the bushes, but the damaged parts will have to be trimmed off.  I'm waiting to see some new foliage come in before I start trimming.  These will certainly be some naked-looking shrubs for awhile, if I'm going to trim all those parts off.  There's a spray that, when applied in November and January, helps protect the bushes from bronzing.  Live and learn.
I've been finding lots of surprises in my yard lately:  I ordered some bulbs last spring that weren't to be delivered until planting time in the fall; in August, totally forgetting about my spring order, I sent for more.  So when all those bulbs arrived on the same day, I worked myself silly digging here, there and everywhere to plant them.  If it weren't for the strawberries along the sidewalk, I'd have had lots of room for flowers.  As it is now, I put crocuses along fences and sidewalks, and tulips amid the strawberries, and daffodils everywhere.  There's never any real order to my flower-planting, but this year I've outdone myself with the helter-skelter planting.  
So after a long, miserable winter, although I remembered that miserable day of digging and planting (oh, my knees), I didn't remember where I put which bulbs.  Now I'm having a wonderful time on my morning walkabouts in the yard discovering all these plants!  I've even found daffodils in places I don't recall putting them.  See, getting old isn't so bad; you forget things you've planted and are pleasantly surprised when you find them.  
As much fun as it is discovering all these flowers about to bloom, I will no longer order tulip bulbs in the spring.  That should fix my double-ordering problem.  I'm even going so far as to toss all catalogs from Breck's into the trash without giving them so much as a glance.  Because I'm afraid the temptation would be too much.

4 comments:

  1. We are in the midst of mud season here in Maine, at least here in central Maine. A few things coming up but not much yet. Just rain, rain and more rain.

    Enjoyed the running horses.

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  2. Anonymous11:20 AM

    A STRAWBERRY PATCH IS NICE TO HAVE.
    DOES NOT REQUIRE A HUGE SPACE AND OF COURSE THE SECOND YEAR FOR THE PLANTS BRINGS A PROLIFIC RETURN.
    I REMEMBER AN INSTANCE WHILE LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI, MARY JANE HAD PREPARED 'STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE', AND THESE BERRIES WERE THE SMALLER SOFT SWEET SIZE THAT MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS ARE KNOWN FOR, NOT THOSE GIANT SIZE STRAWBERRIES WITH SEEDS THAT GET UNDER THE DENTAL PLATE.

    MID AFTERNOON AND THERE SAT ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE A LARGE BOWL HALF FULL OF THOSE DELICIOUS STRAWBERRIES AND THE LITTLE SHORTCAKES ON A PLATTER.

    LOOKED OUT IN THE YARD TO SEE A YOUNG VISITOR PLAYING WITH OUR HOUSEFULL OF KIDS.
    I ASKED THE YOUNG FELLOW IF THEIR FAMILY HAD ENJOYED STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE YET THIS SEASON ? NO, THEY HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD THE BERRIES.

    I LOVED THIS OPPORTUNITY. JUST COME RIGHT IN AND HAVE SOME STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. DID'NT HAVE TO ASK HIM TWICE.
    ONE OF MY BOYS HIS AGE CAME IN TOO AND HAD SOME MORE TOO. A BOY CAN ALWAYS EAT MORE.

    IT DOES ONE'S HEART GOOD TO SEE A KID ENJOY AN UNEXPECTED TREAT SUCH AS THAT. sam

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  3. I had to chuckle at tossing the catalog. Getting rid of temptation will solve the problem for sure. I've also seen scrubs with burlap wrapped around them in the winter to protect them. Maybe that would help your little scrubs until they get bigger.

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  4. Anonymous10:26 AM

    Hi ... about that "bronzing" on the shrubs...let it alone...wait and see where the new growth comes in..then trim a little at a time the dead part...don't prune drastically...the same thing happened to our shrubs two winters ago..and that is what we were told to do...and they are now healthy and growing nicely...but we keep an eye on them in case we need to cover them...hugs...Ora in KY

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