Re: Memo to Mother Nature
- Subject: Re: Memo to Mother Nature
- From: A*
- Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 05:14:15 -0400
Amen! Judy Warner
----- Original Message -----
From: <ECPep@aol.com>
To: <perennials@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 11:20 PM
Subject: Memo to Mother Nature
> 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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