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Honeybees + Crocus + Puschkinia = Spring (sort of)

The beauty of gardening is there is often the opportunity for astonishment. Here we are, mid April, the snow is still deep at elevation and here at 396’  it lingers. Stubborn. But it is slowly revealing the perennial beds. 

The urge to get out there and clean up last years spent foliage is strong. I leave it over winter to act as mulch and it does so with great success, but now I’m ever so tired of it. I want to remove it, toss it on the compost pile, let the minor bulbs shine. 


But then the ‘what ifs’ start. What if the temperature drops even though the ten day forecast says it shouldn’t, who hasn’t been fooled by that one? So there I am, gingerly cleaning up around what I consider to be super hardy perennials, trying not to uncover the foxgloves that I really and truly want to shine this year and that will succumb to hard freeze like we had this morning. 


There have been mysterious perfectly round holes in the snow. I guessed that they were the results of rodent nests, but no ~ they are perennials bursting through the snow. All of the peonies are looking strong, eager. Quite the switch from last year when I lost most of them. The two or three pulmonarias are poking up fresh leaves through last years debris. Delphiniums are showing signs of life. Primulas are looking strong. This is all beyond delightful. 


Methinks these signs of life through the snow are indicative of not much frost in the ground. Our two gates which offer access to the garden have been functioning perfectly all season. This is not often the case. We usually need to wrestle them to and fro. A gate that opens and closes without a struggle is a sure sign of frost free ground. 


Speaking of primulas (primrose) I bought three early on and used them to bring relief to a bare dining room table. One quickly succumbed but the other two are thriving. During the day they can be found on the arm of a Derek chair on the deck, soaking up the sun yet still cool temperatures, back in the house in the afternoon, but they will find a home in the East Garden once the weather has settled. Their compatriots have formed large clumps and are blooming at this very moment. 


Another delight are the honeybees. The crocus and Puschkinia are welcoming them with open petals. There is at least one hive on our street and more a couple of blocks over. Every spring they come for a visit, somehow knowing that there will be a greeting. There have been times when a clutch of crocus couldn’t be seen there would be so many honeybees. 


Speaking of bees have your read A Sting in the Tale and A Buzz in the Meadow by Dave Goulson? Goulson is the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in England. For a scientist he certainly can write an entertaining book on bees. 


There is also a movement ‘No Mow May’ where those in suburbia don’t mow their lawns for the month and offer food and shelter to all kinds of insects and birds. For those of you who have an expanse of grass you might consider not mowing the entire stretch, let the edges go natural, see what happens. Sign up for the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District newsletter. It is absolutely packed with excellent information.


                                                          Puschkinia with busy honeybee

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