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Friday, May 01, 2009

Time to be Outside




Yesterday at this time it was 69˚ in the shade (20.5C) according to our indoor/outdoor thermometer. It's a few degrees less today, but just as nice. So after reading the newspaper on the deck, I decided it was time to get the leaves out of the flower beds.









Six loads piled in the back. I was able to get some of last year's compost onto the newly uncovered beds, but down below it was still frozen. The compost heap doesn't get that much sun. So these are temporarily over at the old compost heap. I'll want to get some of my neighbor's lawn clippings to layer in with the leaves. But his lawn has to green up first. When the new solid waste collection system hits our neighborhood, I wonder how many people will start compost heaps?




I certainly don't claim to be an expert here, but I do know what happens in my yard after many, may years.

Some of the plants, like the phlox, stayed mostly green from last year under the leaf mulch.






Some of the lamium did too; some of these might not make it, but most will and others will be out soon. I'm still amazed when these come back. They just don't look like plants that should make it through the winter.




Others don't make it through the winter in plant form, but they send up new leaves as soon as they can. This one has light blue flowers, but I just can't remember their name. Some of these I only know what they are or what they are going to do because of where they are in the garden. If I just saw them at someone else's house, I probably wouldn't know them at this early stage.

These are wild geraniums and will be the first to bloom in the back yard. (The others are all in the front with more sun.)




Posting to the blog gives me a chance to look up a few things and learn something new. According to GardenGuides.com:
Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla spp.) is a traditional perennial herb enjoyed in flower gardens for its attractive yellowish-green flowers, which are small and numerous. The soft-looking foliage has a bluish cast. Named after the Virgin Mary's cloak because of its scalloped leaves, Lady's Mantle is often found in northern European gardens, where it is native. Some species can grow to a height of about 24 inches and most species bloom from late spring until early fall.

The root is edible, as are the leaves, which sheep and cattle are said to relish. The entire plant is normally harvested in midsummer and can be used medicinally for bruises and wound healing. Lady's Mantle tea is said to be helpful for excessive menstruation.
And it spreads.



It wasn't even May yet yesterday, but the birch buds were showing. If the weather stays this way for a week, they could fully open pretty early this year.


You can see what some of these will look like in five or six weeks by looking at some posts from last year and 2007. The blog is turning out to be a good way to keep track of when my flowers bloom over the summer months.

Of the ones on those old posts, a few wild iris leaves are poking up, but I didn't see the chocolate lily or the dandelions yet. Nor the lillies of the valley, and the forget-me-nots. Not sure the lilac will bloom this year. It's hard for me to tell the flower buds from the leaf buds. The mountain ash buds are there, but no green yet.

5 comments:

  1. Good earth, the mystery of life, the chasm between
    inorganic & organic, sun and seeds,
    Sprouting photosynthesis, the cycle of
    life, renewal, seasons turning as the earth rotates, and
    tilts towards the sun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My 11 and 10 year old sons are out in the early morning hours raking leaves. It beats hearing the TV blaring in the winter when they get up, and it is what they have to do for this week. Next week I'll have them doing something else outside. (Weather permitting, of course!) Their 20 year old sister told them that they will thank me for making them do this. She was into FFA and is a total naturalist and runs one of Lowes' garden centers in Anchorage. She has told them to love this time of the year. (She, too, used to complain.)

    I started collecting stuff for the compost bin over the winter-- egg shells, vegetable peelings, you know the works. I can't believe how much I have. it made a nightly chore that got tedious a nice thing as I imaged what I'll be up to this summer.

    I wind up running in and out. Laundry piles up like you'd never believe because they all go through several changes of clothes, especially the little ones who play in the water and spray each other.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, your unknown plant is centaurea montana, or common name, mountain bluet. Love your postings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AKPetMom, Thank You!! As long as blogspot works, I'll know where to come to find the name if I forget it again. And the story on your blog of the dog rehabilitation was fascinating. The contraption with the wheels to help the dog walk is ingenious.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AKPetMom, I just looked up mountain bluet and this is definitely NOT a mountain bluet. We have those in the back. So I'm still looking for a name. I'm posting a picture of this flower today which is why I came back here to find the name. And then checked.

    ReplyDelete

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