“Two old planks of knotty pine
And a couple of nails
poke right on through”
After assembling the framework for a new raised bed this week, I could not get
that David Byrne and Dirty Projectors song out of my head. Not an altogether
bad thing. I nailed together four discarded 2x6’s, which were of three
different lengths. It won’t be the prettiest garden bed, but should be just
fine for growing veggies (once I get it filled with dirt).
It’s been unseasonably warm (eighty-degree days) and
continues to storm several times a week here. The Cherry trees, Redbud, Carolina Jessamine, Hyacinths, and Phlox have added their blooms to the chorus of spring flowers.
And my allergies are going nuts. Because the pollen count is usually highest in
the morning, I try to work outside in the afternoons.
Ginger, Peony, and Baptisia are all bursting out of the
ground, with quite unusual looking foliage. Now is a good time to place some
sort of support on top of your peonies in anticipation of large, heavy blooms
in the future. Sow seeds of cool-season veggies like lettuce, snap peas,
carrots, beets, and spinach.
Evergreens such as yews and boxwoods can be pruned now. But
please do not use an electric hedge trimmer on your boxwoods; that landscape
sin is akin to Crape murder in my book. Best results (aesthetic and
horticultural) are achieved by selective pruning instead of shearing. Select
the longest branches and trim them out with pruners, opening up small holes on
the periphery of the foliage to let in light and air.
Saunders Brothers is a fantastic source of information about
all things boxwood.
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