TheMondayGarden.com, Eco-gardening at its best
March 5, 2006 Issue 197
Spring is definitely here in Zone 6, despite bitter cold and snow of only a week ago.
EARLY SPRING NOMENCLATURE: March, they say, was once known around here as the “Worm Moon”, in honor of the awakening of the small creatures on which we so depend for the soil’s fertility. I fear, though, that the name also meant that hungry humans, and non humans alike, with few remaining winter stores and new crops still two months away, were munching up the high-protein worms with gusto. I am soooo glad that we now have Stop & Shop; I wish that the squirrels and robins did, too.
Picture: Oxalis such as this one are commonly sold as "shamrocks" for St. Patrick's Day. Many of the new oxalis hybrids are a bit fussy for my tastes. The old fashion one, like this, however, are hardy houseplants and bloom most of the winter. This one freely self-seeds in the neighboring pots. Indeed, I got it from a nursery as a seedling poking up its nose in the pot of totally different plant.
The early spring month was named "March" in Europe, for Mars, the Roman god of war. In at least Southern Europe, by March, the bad weather was passed and the spring crops were planted, so the wars could start again. Along those lines, I guess the best modern name for March would be "Construction Moon", since today, as soon as the ground thaws, the banging and blasting begins again.
"St. Patrick's Day Moon" might be an equally good name, at least here in Stamford, CT, where we hold the St Pat's parade a week early and our many Irish bars have special events every night through the actual St. Patrick's Day-- another kind of spring awakening and celebration.
Picture: Insect-carved branch, the Bartlett Arboretum. March 2006.
IN THE GARDEN:
The earliest spring bulbs are out in my mother's garden. The stars are the buttery aconites and the deep purple tiny Dutch iris but the blue scilla are beginning to unfolding as well. The outdoor primroses are also starting to bloom.
Picture: Butter-yellow aconites among last year's oak leaves and the new daffodil leaves in my mother's garden. In the background is a lovely variegated-leaf coral bell (Heuchera) that stays green (or at least silver and burgundy) all winter in a mild year like this past one.
THINGS TO DO (OR NOT)
• If you live up north, say Maine or Toronto, you can relax for a couple of more weeks but everyone else needs to get out the rakes and sharpen the pruners.
• If you live in Washington DC, mark your calendar that the cherry blossoms are supposed to peak around March 27 - April 1 this year.
• Wherever, evaluate what’s left of your “winter interest”. What worked and where could you add or subtract? Take pictures of the best and the worst, so you'll remember at planting time.
• Cut down “winter interest” items like dried grass before the new growth starts.
• No cheating: leave the winter mulch until the danger of hard frost has past; and then leave as much of the mulch as possible -- it does much more good in the garden than in land fill or the compost pile.
• Since there’s little for the returning birds to eat, leave remaining seeds standing as long as possible and leave last year's fallen fruit on the ground. The robins, in particular, will be around for last year's crabapples very soon. (Hint, hint, hint: They would also enjoy peanut butter, raisins, apples, and oranges as well as birdseed and bagels).
• Until the earth firms up, soil compaction, a serious plant-root killer, is a real danger; so be careful where you step and where you wheel equipment.
• Let the pruning begin. To get the most flowers, don't prune the spring bloomers until after they bloom. It is always best to check whether the particular plant blooms on this year's new wood or last year's growth before you start whacking away at last year's growth.
• Plant the seeds for your cold weather crops like radishes, cilantro and lettuce. Keep an old blanket or sheet handy for a night cover in case a hard frost is threatened.
Picture: Potted spring bulbs should generally be enjoyed and tossed as forcing takes the energy out of the bulbs and they generally don't re-bloom. These tough little "tete-a-tete" mini-daffodils, however, were discarded in the pot behind the cars in Hoyt Street Alley in Stamford, CT, and somehow escaped the eye of the diligent grounds people. A year later, in the spring of 2005, there the little guys were, making the best of it, despite being half out of a tipped-over pot.
Picture: There's no spring without snowdrops. These ones were found blooming on February 15 in a rocky nook near a parking area along Summer Street in Stamford CT. 2006.
INDOORS
The indoor plants start celebrating spring a few weeks before their outdoor kin. By now, your ferns should have tiny new fiddles and the ficus should be starting new leaves. As you see signs of new growth, it is time to give your plants their spring dose of fertilizer (half -strength) and increase the water to normal summer schedule.
picture: this chestnut vine ( a grape ivy relative) has greeted the spring with its first new leaves -- the leaves will darken into olive green on top but stay maroon underneath.
Other early-spring things to do for the indoor garden:
• Slowly increase the water for cacti and other semi-dormant house plants.
• Check to see which plants need pruning or re-potting and do a few at a time
• Watch all plants for bugs -- mealy bugs, scale, spider mites, aphids and white flies will joyfully appear out of nowhere to get at the plants' new growth. If possible, give all the plants a weekly cold water sink-bath to discourage the wee critters.
• Check the cat for shedding.
• Clean out the closets and wash the windows while there’s still time.
• Finalize catalog and Internet garden purchases.
• Sweep off the balcony and open up the cold frame-- the out door balcony plants will only need protection if we get a hard frost. The semi-hardy alpines can go out but the tropical houseplants stay in until mid-April or May.
picture: This primrose was bought at the supermarket in February (2 for $5) for the window sill. It went out this past weekend to join its kin who live in the outside garden. In Zone 6a, the common garden primroses will make it through most winters in a sheltered spot with protection.
Picture: The Canada geese are pairing off and looking for good nesting sites. Note the willow in the upper left has turned bright yellow. Southfield Park, Stamford CT March 2006. This park is on the east side of the West Branch of the Stamford CT Harbor. In the background you can just see the winter "forest" of sail boat masts and the blue work building over at Brewers' Yacht Haven on the west side of the West Branch.
FOR THE SHEDDING CAT:
There's a new soft brush made of rubber that my cats seem to like a lot and that's not expensive.
Also, if you wipe the cat down weekly or more often with a damp cloth, it helps a great deal with allergies as well as shedding hair. Most cats enjoy it too, if you use warm water and wring the cloth out well. I find that micro fiber cloth picks up just a bit more hair than a terry cloth washcloth. The cats really enjoy their bath so each cat has its own cloth in its own color. This way, there is no fighting as the cats know whose turn it is when the cloth comes out.
Lastly, I've notice at the cat shelter that some of the long-haired cats like being vacuumed, if the vacuum is set for the lowest possible suction. (Go figure).
(Scroll down to see the Amazon ads below if you want to see the brush and a new picture of Michael-the-Cat)
Picture: In Stamford, we still have snow on the ground in the higher elevations. This picture was taken last week at the Bartlett Arboretum, where the alder by the pond is getting ready for spring.
Picture: Michael looking out at the February snow on the balcony and yearning for spring 2006.
Photo credits: Sue Sweeney © Sue Sweeney 2006