One of the great things about having a garden during a pandemic, is that I can get a great workout outdoors while easily maintaining social distancing because the only people around the garden are MrsVintage and me.
The weather is gradually warming up, and there are more and more signs of plants waking up from their winter slumber, which is putting my winter blues in the rearview mirror. Huzzah!
However, it hasn’t all been sunshine and unicorn farts here in the Vintage garden.
Contractors from the local cable company returned to finish the project they started in February. Actually, this was a different crew than the one that showed in February, and these guys were quite a bit more professional than the last bunch.
They informed us that this time they had to dig three large and deep holes along the long border in the back yard to finish running the cable. I know the picture below is not very good: it’s hard to see what’s going on because it’s out of focus and the window is dirty (cleaning windows is one of my spring projects). But if you squint hard enough, you can see that the worker is hip deep in one of the holes.
When they finished up for the they filled in two of the holes, but this one was left behind.
After they left, I went out to survey the wreckage. I found one of my shrubs (Spirea “Tor”) just lying on top of the mound of dirt next to the hole above. I quickly grabbed it and plopped it in an empty wood container to ensure it can be nursed back to health.
The silver lining to all this is that I’ve never been really happy with the location I put it in, so when the weather warms up I’m going to find it a location more suitable for its growing needs. If the crew hadn’t dug the shrub up, I never would have had the courage to try and transplant it.
Below is a pic of where the giant hole the worker was standing in after they filled it in. As I said, this crew was more professional than the crew that worked out front, and you can see they tried to put the area back the way they found it.
Unfortunately, I know that there is damage and I have no doubt that several plants were lost. I won’t know the full extent of the damage for a couple of months yet. I’ll keep you posted.
The crew came back a couple of days later and finished installing the cable. Then they filled in the last hole and pulled up all the flag markers. I am hoping this means they are done.
In more positive news, the garden cleanup is pretty much done for the spring. In late March I made the decision to purchase an cordless electric hedger to chop down the dead foliage. For years I’ve been using hedge sheers, and for the most part they have worked fine. But I found out earlier in the month that the grasses and other plants have gotten so thick and robust that the shears just weren’t getting the job done. It was time to call in the Calvary and start using power tools.
Cleaning up the cut foliage is always the worst part of the cleanup, especially the grasses. MrsVintage hit upon the idea of using the cellophane-like tape that movers use to wrap around moving boxes to tie up the grasses into bundles. Brilliant!
Below you can see the cleanup of the driveway border after we finished. This was the section the first cable company tore up in February (see here: https://www.mrvintageman.com/unexpected-garden-disasters/). I still have to put the area near the sidewalk back in order.
Elsewhere in the garden there are more signs of spring making their appearance. Below are photos of buds on some of the trees and shrubs scattered around the yard.
Some of the False Forget-Me-Not (Brunnera macrophylla) are already sporting tiny little blue flowers. This is unusually early to see blooms on this plant. March had above average temperatures for most of the month, so some plants appear to be breaking dormancy a little early this year.
Elsewhere in the garden, I have started on the overhaul of the birdbath garden. The first step is to dig out the dying Serviceberry (not the one seen above). I’ve already cut back all the branches to make it easier to dig the tree out.
Once I get the stump removed I’ll turn a bunch of compost and manure over in the whole area and then wait for the soil to warm up so I can start planting. I am really excited to get started on overhauling this spot. I’ll post updates on my progress.
I find getting outside in the bright spring sunshine and working hard in the garden helps me manage my anxieties about the coronavirus. And that is why right now gardening is biggest blessing of all for me.
Have you been able to get outside, gardening or otherwise, to enjoy the burgeoning spring?
Travelers’ Tales of American Southwest by Joseph O’Reilly: an anthology of stories about the American Southwest from a wide variety of writers, including Tony Hillerman, Douglas Preston and Edward Abbey. The subjects covered are diverse, from discussions on the natural world, regional culture, tourist attractions and much more.
Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson. Sheriff Walt Longmire has returned home to Absaroka County, Wyoming in this latest Craig Johnson mystery. Walt is still recovering from the mental and physical damaged he incurred while dealing with kidnappers in Mexico (Depth of Winter).
From the Ground Up by Amy Stewart. The author and her husband moved into a tiny house in Santa Cruz, Ca. after finishing graduate school. Having always wanted a garden, but not having much in the way of experience in gardening, From the Ground Up is a year-long chronicle of Amy Stewart’s growth as a gardener.
The Rise and Fall of Alexandria by Justin Pollard. The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great (hence the name). After Alexander’s death, one of his bodyguards (Ptolemy) founded the dynasty that would rule Egypt for the next 300 years. Under the Ptolemaic Dynasty the city of Alexandria would rise to be one of the greatest centers of knowledge and scientific inquiry in the ancient world.
