Tis the season of Anticipation

This photo is recording the emergence of fritillaria meleagris, a bulb that should be in every Homer garden.

If you have a friend with a good size clutch of these truly lovely bulbs ask for a handful right now and get them in the ground. From then on they will tend themselves. They self seed and the bulbs multiply, creating a lovely splash of color. Keep on the lookout for their blooms in front of The Bookstore.

They are also known as Checkered Lily or Snake’s Head. The lovely thing about using botanical Latin is that we are all talking about the same plant, the common names are so widely varied that they become confusing. We can all be talking about the same plant, using different names, and getting no where fast.

I can almost take a walk around the garden, there is still punchy snow to contend with but I am only somewhat deterred. I actually started raking in the West Garden, up to the snow line.

This bed is under a larch and the leaf drop is thick which has successfully kept everything underneath it alive. So there I am, removing it probably too soon. I do this every year and sometimes it a mistake and sometimes not. But that’s how I got the photo of the fritillaria.

But the point of being out there (that garden is on the way to the greenhouse) was to assess the wind and snow damage to trees and shrubs. This is when I want my own chain saw ~ what I consider to be a tool of liberation.

This is also an excellent time to do any shrub/rose/tree pruning. Let’s get a grip on this before these plants burst into leaf and there you are, wondering where the time went when you really could have made a difference.

On to the greenhouse: I have added generous scoops of alfalfa meal to each bin. I love this product. I include it in the spring feed: compost, aged manure, alfalfa meal. Broadcast over everything. The hose is a bit of a nuisance, it needs to be hooked up and unhooked up each and every time I use it; coiled back into the greenhouse to prevent any freezing. But I’m thankful for it, for running water …

The bins have been thoroughly watered, the heaters are working, tomorrow is the first of April and the lettuce starts that at the moment are under lights in the guest room will go into the bins. The tuber begonias will also go out and get comfortable on their shelf. But the tomatoes may need to wait a couple of more days. The low temperature is holding at about 40 degrees, which is right where I want it. Vegetable seeds will be planted this week …

Patience.

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Rosemary Fitzpatrick, the Kachemak Gardener

Having arrived in Alaska May, 1972 I have had much to contend with on the gardening front. The impetus to start gardening can be traced directly to empty grocery store shelves in 1973 due to a Teamsters strike. That was a wake up call. The first garden was on a gravel pad in Eagle River, the second in Wasilla. That one was rounded out with two goats, a flock of chickens and our two children. The third in Homer, where we settled in 1978, is the spot where much was learned. Starting in 1990 I have written the Kachemak Gardener in an attempt to encourage new gardeners and those of you who have tried and failed. Stick with me, let’s get you gardening.

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