Welcome Spring!

I can’t imagine a better day for Blithewold’s first blog post: it’s a rainy Monday at the very start of Spring! Welcome to Blithewold’s new garden weblog!

North Garden March ‘07

Last week we started the big spring tidy-up in the gardens. A small representation from Tuesday’s volunteer group (the Deadheads) had it easy: They transplanted seedlings and potted up cuttings in the deliciously toasty greenhouse. — They’ll have their turn outside soon enough! The Wednesday volunteers (The Rockettes) braved a biting wind off the water and soggy boggy ground to rake up hosta leaves and cut back perennials in the Rock Garden. The Thursday group (the Florabundas) were wind AND rose whipped as they started cutting back the climbers. Gail and I cut back the front row of the North Garden on Friday – there’s something so satisfying about revealing those teeny kitten soft Lady’s mantle leaves hiding under last year’s scrunky looking dead stuff!

Alchemilla mollis

Not only is it time to get to work outside, but it’s also time to start fertilizing your houseplants again and spruce them up for their outdoor debut. As soon as the night temperatures reach a consistent 50-55 degrees plus, they’ll be be as happy as you to be outside.