They are saying (who are “they”, by the way?) that the temperature might reach 80 degrees on Monday.  That will be quite a change from today when it might have hit 60. Maybe.  As a person who is happiest when I am digging in the dirt, this spring (and I use the term reluctantly) has been less than pleasant.  I like to work in the garden when it isn’t too, too hot, but when it is too, too wet, not so much.  One good thing, weeds do come out pretty readily from soggy soil.  But planting must wait for another day– or another week, perhaps.

I bought a pair of hardy kiwi vines from a mail order place in Oregon.  I purchased a pair of them locally last year, and the male died, while the female survived and is doing quite well.  So I needed another male (they won’t set fruit without a male present) and decided to add another female also.  But it has been too wet to plant them, so they are sitting in their pots.  These kiwis are not the brown fuzzy ones that you find at the grocery.  Those must be grown in warmer climates.  These are green ones the size of large grapes, and they are hardy in this area.  I’ve always wanted to try to grow them.

They vine, of course, as the name implies, and I’ve got to put up a sturdy trellis pretty soon so that the one that is growing from last year and the male from this year, which are pretty good sized already, have somewhere to go.  The second female is still tiny– I just transplanted her into a nursery pot to grow on since I can’t plant in the ground yet.

I’ll keep you posted on how they do.

Written by Lynn on the slope of Teasel Hill where the temperature is around 60 and rain threatens–again.

Whew!  Easter has come and gone already! What happened to that week?  The shrubs have begun to arrive, and we’re getting ready for our Spring Pansy Fling.  Watch for details coming soon!

Written by Lynn on the slope of Teasel Hill on a Thursay when we took a half day off, finally!

The sun is beginning to melt the snow– hurray!  And the temperature was more moderate today than it has been.  Can I hope this is good news?  The calendar says spring is coming, do you suppose it’s true?

We brought more staff in to transplant today.  The plants are germinating, and the sun makes them grow more quickly.  We are beginning to make signs and stock up on the supplies we need to make it all work.  On Saturday, we’ll be open our regular hours from 9 to 5 for the first time since Christmas.  We’re excited, are you? Come on in and have a cookie and a cup of coffee with us.

Written by Lynn on the slope of Teasel Hill while watching The Biggest Loser.

We woke up today to a thick layer of drifted snow everywhere– driveway, patio, against the garage… So what does my wonderful husband shovel out first?  The bird feeding area.  He just couldn’t stand eating his own breakfast while the birds couldn’t get to theirs. 

Good news in that area: the red winged blackbirds are back!  They always mean that spring is coming.  Everyone thinks it’s the robin that marks the coming of spring, but they actually spend the winter in the woods, while the blackbirds migrate and return about this time every year.   They’ll become a pest after a while as they increase in number and gobble up all the bird seed, but for a while at least, they are a welcome sight!

Written by Lynn on the slope of Teasel Hill where the snow has begun to melt a little. 

The first cuttings (Regal geraniums) have arrived and are ready to be potted up.  And so the year begins.  We are excited to be started on the quick journey to Spring.  The pace will pick up now, as deliveries arrive nearly every day for the next few weeks.  Soon the greenhouses will smell of damp, warm earth and sunshine.  (We hope, anyway.  Let the snow go away, please!)

 Written by Lynn on the slope of Teasel Hill where the air is cold, cold, cold.