So excited to see buds on the fragrant viburnum this year!

Leaves unfurling – so beautiful.

Lilacs are coming.

The redbud trees are full of buds.

Last year the Japanese lilacs had not a single bloom. This year both trees are ready for a great show of blooms!

A few more weeks, and beauty will abound in the garden!

It has been a cold wet spring. Farmers are behind in planting crops. Some trees are barely budding out. Local nurseries have had very slow sales so far. Nights have still been down to 3 or 4 degrees. I have had very few days in the garden.

We had one beautiful day in April. Doug and I raked everything, cut down the grasses, tidied up, got out the furniture, and Doug even got the hedge pruned.

And we had our first coffee on the patio that day.

We were very happy to get all that done on that day, because, one month later, we have hardly done anything else.

In twenty-three years living here, we have never had deer damage.

But it appears they have found us.

Rabbits have never eaten the Hostas before. Neither have the groundhogs.

I’m looking up some deer deterrent recipes. These beds are farthest from the house, and closest to the field and bush. The damage is ugly, and I’ll see it all summer on these Hostas. So I have to find a solution.

March 23rd. A beautiful sunny day. Still snow patches and soggy ground, but I took the first walk around.

The magnolia trees have lots of buds.

The tall grasses are always a challenge to clean up.

Every barberry bush has been trimmed down. The prickliest shrub, but it’s one of the few not sprayed or covered.
(Sprayed with Scoot or covered with burlap.)

The Spireas are all efficiently pruned by the rabbits, too. But these plants don’t seem to mind a good cutting back.

And the snowdrops are peeking out!

I have started seedlings under lights again. All flowers this year. Looking forward to a cutting garden. A few other ideas in the dreaming and planning stage. Here’s hoping for a great gardening season ahead!

The front of the house needed some work.

First of all, since we always drive on the grass here to park, we decided to pave this area.

A little extra beside the driveway.

It extended to the front patio area, up to the steps.

But then we noticed the steps were not in good shape.

So Doug jack-hammered them out.

And new steps were made.

And then a new planter box was constructed.

New door, some plants, and it is a great improvement.

Last year was the first year of bloom for the sweet shrub.

Or Calycanthus floridus if you want to get fancy.

But this spring there were lots of buds.

Quite lovely in bloom.

And it’s really hardy here too.  Such a beauty to look forward to every year.

 

I planted a silverlace vine on the pergola about 4 years ago.

It did really well there.  Maybe too well.

On the next post is a Wisteria, and the silverlace was starting to take over that space too.

I spent some time last fall and this spring cutting a lot of the silverlace back.

And I was thinking, this is going to be a big job every year, keeping this plant under control.

But then this happened.

This spring, there was no growth.

In the mass of branches, I couldn’t find any sign of life.

I dug around at the very bottom of the trunk.

Maybe it was girdled by the rabbits?  I don’t know for sure.

But I did know I now didn’t have to feel bad about ripping it out.

So I got some help.

It was quite a job to cut it all out.  And to dig out the roots.

I planted some morning glory there, and now the wisteria will have lots of room to spread.

 

 

I bought some new bulbs last fall, crown imperials, or fritillaria imperialis.

They both bloomed quite nicely.

Something ate these tulips, something taller than a rabbit.

The Redbud is really beautiful this year.

This is my favourite new garden guest.

This guest is not welcome, nor is the skunk, the groundhogs, or the rabbits.

The lily beetles are back.

I received a box full of dahlia bulbs and canna bulbs.  So I planted some up to give them a head start.

Always lots on the go in the garden!