Ready to Start Mowing, Time to Take the Snow Shovel off the Porch

It is supposed to rain over an inch today.  I thought it might be a good time to write something, since working in the yard is a rather wet option.  I ran out a few minutes ago, knowing the impending storm was due in a few minutes to snap a few photos to illustrate what I am writing about. I cut it a little too close and in my last to photos there is a gray haze of rain coming down and I needed to twist my camera into my shirt to keep it dry as the sky let loose a heavy downpour as I bolted for the house, accompanied by the strange music of chicken throaty noises accusing me of creating this wet stuff that was going to make their day unpleasant.

Here are the last shot that I took as it started to dump.

Peas and onions

 The peas are just coming up, I probably should have planted them a bit sooner, but there was no transition from snow to gardening weather, it was like a switch flipped.  There is still a snow shovel on the front porch.

April 9, 2014, Front flower garden

April 15, 2014, Front flower garden

The frog surrounded by phlox, instead of snow

Shrubs to move and plan  for expansion.

All of the new plants have broken dormancy except the beach plums and the cherry plum, we will have to wait and see how they do.  The next shipment of plants is due near the end of this week, they were supposed to ship yesterday.  Of course, I have been getting ready for them.

I have been digging out some of the foundation shrubs in front of the house in preparation for the bush cherries.  I have been relocating them (with my husband's help--they are really heavy) to the fenced area with the chickens, since they seemed fond of laying eggs under them when they were (too) close to the house.  Digging here is nothing compared to digging in New England, the work goes so much faster when you don't have to work around thousands of rocks the glacier left behind.






The little seedlings under the lights have transformed themselves into garden plants under the floating row cover.  I have been picking a few of the outside leaves to go into my sandwiches, it won't be long until I will have enough to cook with.

Peach?

Peach!

The left of these two trees I found in the back yard, up against the woods with three very closely planted grape vines---all surrounded by brushy growth.  It appears to be a peach or a nectarine.  There is another young tree next to it, which appears to be some sort of plum with thorns, so it might be American, Canadian, Chickasaw or Blackthorn (sloe).  I'll key the leaves out when they appear.  I don't know how the folks who owned this property before us planned their plantings, but shade and three foot spacings are generally not good ideas.  They certainly were consistent though. Next winter we will relocate the mystery plants.  I relocated the grapes about a week ago, one was labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon, not the best choice for this area, but we'll see what happens.

The right photo is a victory, it is of the diseased old peach tree in the front yard that my husband has been nursing back to health, maybe there will be peaches this year!