The pair of wood ducks on the fire prevention pond was a pleasant greeting to the morning.
I bid farewell to the salvia in the Circle Garden at the barn. A leaf or two of green growth was not enough to save. I replaced it with a workaday dianthus, white with purple center. That Lowe’s is stocking dianthus now is a fair indicator that it is a spring bloomer, even if it does not last. The dianthus in the large box garden may take a while longer to bloom because of less sun. I am interested to see if the dianthus in the Circle Garden will burrow itself in this summer, to return next spring.
A little late this year, but I pruned back the two remaining roses to the stems. The rose closest to the porch was already pruned to the stems during the rust epidemic and is coming back handsomely. I added three cubic feet of soil amendment and scraped it in. The soil in that bed is rich, being turned over about this time every year.
I picked up a wildflower seed mix and scattered it along side the driveway. No extensive raking or soil preparation as the last time. Whatever will root and grow will add to the poppies.
The hose had almost no water pressure. The irrigation filter of course was black – must have been a few weeks since I last cleaned it. I will see if less maintenance is required as the pond fills with fresh water.
A Year at the Snake 