Photo public domain.
Snowdrops.
“Spring, with her golden suns and silver rain,
Is with us once again.”
Henry Timrod
After a cold and icy winter spring is finally upon us. The first warm days brought on the little species crocuses and snowdrops. I seem to have fewer crocuses now after the chipmunks and squirrels developed a taste for them. Snowdrops fortunately are not to their taste and these increase happily every year. They look happy to me flowering through many late snowfalls.
Only a few small clumps of species tulips remain of a whole border after the invasion of the chipmunks. At least they didn’t get all of them. I haven’t seen any chipmunks here this spring so maybe the remaining little tulips will increase. I try to always be optimistic and can always plant more if need be.
The phoebes are building their nest on the top of a pillar in the side porch as they do every spring. These two or possibly their relatives have always had their nest on top of the south facing pillar. This has been the case for at least twenty five years and the old nest was reused year after year. This year, however, for whatever reason a new nest is under construction on the top of the north facing pillar. Its foundation is layers of mud and it has been fascinating watching the construction. If the new nest is anything like the old one, shredded cedar bark, birch bark, horse hair and bits of old tarp will be added to make a home for the baby phoebes who will no doubt appear shortly.
I planted snow peas and spinach in the vegetable garden in mid April this year. My Ganaraska sandy soil is a blessing in the spring. I was able to plant with no problem the day after a very heavy rain. After trying many varieties of snow peas I’m back to old reliable Oregon Giant. I planted Escalade spinach which is supposedly resistant to bolting. I have found that even the supposed slow bolting varieties still do if it suddenly turns hot. I put up some cedar poles so that I can add a shadecloth later if necessary. Someday it will actually warm up and I will be ready.
I will be planting the beautiful purple pole beans Carminat this year once it’s warm enough. Somehow they didn’t get planted last year. I took the cedar poles out of storage but they only made it as far as the wood shed. Some years are like that.
The resident cats have had their fun tearing up the huge cardboard box that my new tub trugs came in. We are not too house and garden to have had a half shredded cardboard box in the living room for the past two months.
Looking at the partly demolished box makes me think of the old Flanders and Swann song “we’re terribly house and garden at number 7B but it wouldn’t do for every day, we really live in 7A in the house next door”. Or something like that.
One wonders what Flanders and Swann would make of the minimalist palaces that look like no one lives in them. I would love to hear their take on the decluttering people.
Recently I came across two interesting classic garden books in a second hand store. Both are modern reprints by Timber Press. The first is Merry Hall by the English author Beverly Nicholls (1898-1983). I had heard about this book for years but had never actually read it until recently. It’s the best known book of a trilogy. I found it dated and what my father’s generation would have called affected. He’s a bit too self-consciously clever(quotable quotes anyone?) and an unfortunate strain of misogyny runs through the book. So that one gets a thumbs down.
The second, however, holds up rather better and is still useful. It’s an expanded edition of William Robinson’s (1838-1935) The Wild Garden. All modern gardeners owe a debt of gratitude to William Robinson who introduced a more natural style of gardening. According to a recent article in English Home magazine he “created a more natural style that reflected the inherent beauty of a plant in its natural habitat and threw off the suppressed control of meticulously managed gardens.” I have to admit that I had never read this garden classic until recently either. This one holds up beautifully and Robinson’s advice still rings true today. And the added chapters and photography by Rick Darke make a classic book even better. That one I will be keeping and referring to in the future.
Finally, I recently made the trek on a cold and windy day to the garden show in Peterborough. I had a good laugh when I saw a man with a shirt that said If you were a plant I’d remember your name.
Happy spring.
Common Ground by Jill Williams
