Today is the birthday of one of my dear sisters — Happy Birthday M.C! You are so very lovable and very loved!
It is also the start of my namesake month and the beginning of warmer weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Although we will have the possibility of a nighttime frost for another month, the last few days have felt positively springlike. A real boost for me and for the garden! Boosts are most welcome at this tumultuous time in our nation. Time for another Six on Saturday, six garden-related items that gardeners worldwide share, hosted by Jim in the U.K.
ONE – Our snow melted over a week ago, and now the snowdrops have emerged. Although they don’t last superbly in the house, there are plenty more to bring indoors. I admire galanthophiles and their lovely collections, but I resist the urge to become a collector myself. My snowdrops are most likely run-of-the-mill Galanthus nivalis, planted before we bought this home. Will any other gardeners confirm this?
TWO – Soon bulbs will bring the beauty. No open daffs yet, just some looking almost ready and many pots of tulips pushing through.
THREE – The orchard received its annual pruning a few days ago. This involved: sunny weather; a full day of sharp loppers, secateurs and saw; a perfect tripod orchard ladder; a willing Hubby; and lots of pointing and directing by me. The following day we covered all trees with dormant oil spray to help control overwintering pests. Our small orchard contains 5 apple trees (2 are dwarfs), one Bartlett pear, one Italian prune plum (dwarf), one Montmorency cherry (dwarf), and one Frost peach (dwarf). Only the apples and pear were pruned this week, as the other trees are on a different pruning schedule. As we’ve replaced fallen and dying trees, we’ve put in dwarfs since we’re only getting older and less able to feel steady on a ladder. We also sprayed our other sweet and flowering cherry trees in various spots in the garden.
FOUR – Each week more hellebores bloom along our shady gravel steps. The snow knocked over a few flowers, but this plant is my favorite this week and goes by the cultivar name ‘Peppermint Ice.’
FIVE – I dug more carrots and cut more leeks from the veg garden this week. Time for some yummy soup. The snow didn’t hurt these a bit and truly made them sweeter.
SIX – One of my favorite volunteer master gardener responsibilities is teaching all 2nd grade students (children about age 8) in our county basic botany for a couple of months each spring. The Youth Enrichment Program (YEP) team I volunteer with is stellar, and our hour in each classroom on Wednesdays is fun and entertaining. Kids say the funniest things! The last 10 minutes in each class is spent helping students make their very own “root viewers” featuring five veg seeds — that they get very excited about. These cups are samples we’ve made ahead of the program’s start date this coming Wednesday to show the students what they have to look forward to.
Gardens at Coppertop 
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