Friday, April 26, 2013

It's almost the end of April, enough already

Well, if you like to ski, the hills are still open north of Toronto this weekend - a first!  Great for the operators, great for those who like to ski, and a little depressing for everyone else who wants to move along to the next season of the year.  It's 3C this a.m.  I'm not going to even bother to convert it to Fahrenheit, just know that basil would blacken and turn to slime in less than 10 seconds.

Last week we had a little snow - no concern about snow weighing down the leaf-laden branches because there are no leaves.



In all fairness, it wasn't much snow, but not welcome all the same.  I've come to the end of those, "oh look, it's as sweet as icing sugar" thoughts.



The Hamamelis finished blooming - almost 2-1/2 months - and has handed the baton to this gnarly old Cornus mas that lives down the street.



This is such a welcome spring bloomer.  Yellow, without being Forsythia, should you want something a little more subdued.



Slugs, the potato chip of the raccoon world.



Day deux...good to know that Kevin's not the only one who pays no attention to serving sizes.   Awfully kind of them to leave the service-locate flag where it stood.  Although I wonder if they've taken the gas flag down the street to mark their next harvest....






























I'm going to remind myself to put more of these happy daffs 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' in next year.  They last about 3 years in my sandy soil before they stop blooming.  And they are the first of the larger bulbs to bloom.


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A large garden from down the street.




Here's that patch of Helleborus  a little closer.



I imagine this lake freighter was coming in for its load at the cement factory.  You generally see them much lower in the water.



Live lawn ornaments close to the lake.




And one good patch of pretty spreading bulbs.  It will be a w/e of cleaning up - fortunately the weather is waiting for me - one good thing about the cold.  Fingers crossed and camera in hand, I hope that finally next week I'll really have something in my garden to chronicle.

6 comments:

Jason said...

Sorry winter is still being stubborn where you are. On the plus side, you live in a land of very industrious raccoons. I've had them dig up my lawn as well, but it was not a thorough job - no real work ethic. I like the ducks! Last year there were a couple nesting over a neighbor's garage and taking advantage of his above ground pool. They would come to our yard to feed.

Barry said...

I have been wheeling plants into and out of the greenhouse all week - although this could be retribution to the fact that I order in perennials earlier than most. Luckily the new nursery has a lot more space! I too will be glad to substitute the icing sugar for some good old warmth. Patience my friend. Soon the garden will be demanding all of our free time! Not a complaint, just a statement of fact LOL!

Jennifer said...

At least we finally had some decent weather on the weekend. I was out in the garden yesterday as well trying not to feel overwhelmed by all the work that must be done. I even got my first mosquito bite!
I can't believe the racoon damage to that lawn! Somebody was certainly busy. Love that last shot Barbara. Small bulbs look so pretty when massed.

Barbarapc said...

Looks like we've got some real live spring weather on the way & can't get over how the flowers are all coming up. I think our Canadian racoons are still miffed that the beaver was chosen over them as our national animal - hence all that extra effort. I like your duck story - isn't it great how they can find ideal situations throughout towns and cities.
B.

Barbarapc said...

I remember all those sore muscles at the beginning of the nursery season. Hope you've got someone to help you out. I think it's great that you order early - once you get those gardeners hooked at the beginning of the gardening season, they'll be back all summer long. And, so true about being impatient- am beside myself wondering how I'm going to get it all done now that the weather has changed. Have quite a collection of nice filled brown refuse bags. Too much to do and not enough daylight!
B

Barbarapc said...

Know the feeling. With the weather changing so suddenly, there's just so much to get done. The racoons found a small edge of my lawn and then gave up - hopefully it isn't a signal to come back, but a show that there's nothing worth pursuing. I couldn't believe how many grubs I found in the garden beds, no wonder those fuzzy bandits are going nuts. Thanks, you really can't have enough small bulbs, I know you have to go through that messy period after, but I think when I look at that see of blue, it's completely worth it.
B