Memo to Mother Nature
- Subject: Memo to Mother Nature
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 23:20:15 EDT
Hereafter try to remember that those of us in the Northeast would like spring
in more than one day.
Last weeks we had several snows, ice was on the pond and one needed earmuffs
out doors from the cold winds. The small bulbs came and some were frozen.
Nobody wanted to stay outdoors.
Today we have over 70 degrees, quite a bit higher I think in the afternoon
and the daffodils are covering the hillsides, almost from nowhere - all at
once. Perennials pushing through the left over browned foliage are several
inches high causing one to crawl all over the garden cutting out the old
stalks. Those who speak lyrically of winter grasses and tall sedums waving
in the winter breezes should have to cut out those stiff stalks by hand, one
by one on one of these spring days when it comes to us all at once. You
cannot rake over these plants, the new growth is too tender. No more, ever,
of these plants left overwinter.
Mother Nature gave us several of the best oaks for our part of the country,
tall, strong quercus velutina, black oaks. They drop leaves from late fall
through spring making cleanup very difficult until around Easter. Today I
removed them from under shrubs, around perennials and removed them a second
time as the winds blew them around. I worked and worked around these trees
and thought that in the night if someone cut them down, there would be no
regrets. Also they produced bushels of acorns for us to slip on , slide on
and germinate everywhere.
We have a lot of wind here and that is both good and bad. It is good as the
MN thing is race between getting the garden spring cleaned before the black
flies hatch. If there is wind the flies can't fly and you can work free of
them if you don't mind a bit of wind. Several, and it is forecasted, warm
April days bring on those flies. Just to have a spring when the warmth
arrives slowly and gently and the gardener is not spending the otherwise
splendid spring with a massive backache from an ultra quick warmup.
It all happens at once here. Bulbs up, perennials up, trees budded, shrubs
budded, grass edges (hateful things) growing all at one.
The quick warm up heated up the cold frames and forced us to remove the
covering materials and open up to ventilate early this am. We run around
trying to do everything at once, a little more time please.
There is also germination. I saw things germinating everywhere. I do not
know just what all I have yet but it looks like a great germination year.
MN also has all those deer to look after. They become quite hungry before
the shrubs and low branches and new growth they favor are showing so come
looking around the garden and stretch over the fence, risking a shock to
remove a chunk of an arbor vitae hedge. Later they will stay in the fields,
the native plants do not green up as fast as many garden plants.
Mother Nature could give us a long slow spring with cool days and warm
afternoon. Plants that start up slowly and time to do the chores while still
enjoying the garden.
Finally Ms. Nature, you have given us the warmest month of April on precisely
the week that the schools in the East are on holiday. Children come to visit
the gardeners who are grandparents and children are not fond of raking and
pruning visits. This adds just a bit more pressure to the gardener.
Out there working, I am thinking, that when I am charge of the world, spring
will be presented in a more orderly fashion.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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