But it was welcome this night. First, we were greeted with a cacophony of thunder and a glorious lightshow. Safe at home again, the rains continued all night into the morning hours slowing to a mesmerizing drizzle. The grounds and flowerbeds were soaking it up fast, not knowing for sure when the next would come. Saturday dawned overcast, but as I stepped out my door, the first thing I noticed was some little green sprouts poking out of the thin strip of dirt on the right - my iris were awakening!
To my left the larger bed had been well soaked, but was basically undisturbed by the downpour. The bulbs here will take longer to show themselves, but along the edges teeny tiny sprigs of alyssum were spreading along the length of the sidewalk. One of the boys had expressed concern that the rains would wash the seeds away, but I knew they were tucked safe in the soil. We also have some unwelcomed guests.... snails! I'm sure the saturated ground has brought them out. A little research with Google has me thinking these are carnivorous and not of danger to my precious roots and plants, but I know nothing about these creatures. Carolyn, can you help?
On the way to take Logan to work this dullish morning, I noticed the redbud flowers were now all over yards and in the streets, along with a ton of tree leaves of various design. The rakes will have their work cut out for them next week. As we drove on, I wondered if the delivery of this much needed water did not account for all the additional color I was seeing today....... the yellow of Carolina jessamine and white of Bradford pears. Each couple of days I see more and more signs of glorious Spring.
And today, as the sun shines, I went to work on a small patch of ground to the right of the driveway at the corner with the house. It was weedy with hardpacked dirt, and not only grew rocks for me, but a great big huge slab of limestone three inches down. Started to leave it but decided I couldn't let anything so massive impede the roots of the flowers and plants I plan to install there. So I'm off to the garden center - I don't want to have to wait any for my bulbs and seeds to bloom. I want, oh - I mean 'need', some bedding plants that already have some blossoms on them. Until then, take care and thank you for visiting me today.
3 comments:
Oh, I LOVE to see bulbs poking through! And no doubt that snail was happy to hear the falling of the rain - very impressive photograph :-). keep gardening - and keep sharing the results with us, Jeri-Sue.
I know you will make something beautiful out of that little patch of ground. I've never seen a snail that looks like that - all of ours have those circle shells that are about the size of a 50-cent piece. The pear tree is breathtaking. Yesterday, on my way back from grocery shopping, I drove along Petrovitsky Road. On either side of it, on a one-block area, are planted two kinds of decorative trees. They bloom in two shades of pinks - one light and the other a deep rose. They are also in bloom and so beautiful. Wish you could have been there to see them.
Hi Jeri Sue. Oh I am so glad you NEEDED those plants LOL. So tell me what did you come home with? The trees in bloom are lovely, and I am particularly fond of the bradford pears. As to your asking my help about yur snails. He's an interesting looking fellow. I do know that slugs and snails eat green and the more tender the more they enjoy..however I am also a firm believer that to have a garden one must also overlook some behaviors as natural state of whom an insect is and its purpose...and that all things in a garden work together...in harmony. Its why we should polant threee fennel and abundant crop of parsley...some to harvest some for the caterpillars to devour and we should pleased they eat it not hand pick them off. Without caterpillars we have no butterflys..without a food source to enjoy they will not come to our garden to make their transition into beauty. That said though snails and slugs mate with themselves and can produce 30 eggs at a time that hatch and within a short time have reached adulthood to whereas they also will reproduce abundantly. So what I am saying is they could become a problem, and watch your seedlings too, if you see them getting devoured likely the culprit. You might want to survey for eggs that look like little gel balls beneath the soil also and if I were you I would discard those so you don't get overrun with the creatures. Obviously they like wet and are nocturnal so lifting any wood or rock during the day to observe how many might be hiding out underneath will give you a good indication of how many have come to take up residence or if its just a few which in what case I might leave well alone. The birds will see to keeping a small amount under control. I can't recommend any chemical use since I use no chemicals upon the earth for ANY reason. I'd sooner loose my garden then I would resort to chemical use that endangers wildlife and our environment. I can't suggest salt as some might as I suspect that would be a cruel death...I might use the beer gig and at least try to tell myself they died in a druken state of happiness...since snails have lungs to breath a sprinkling of diatemous earth upon the area they snail across would cause them to breath it in and smother. And of curse there is always hand picking whihc is the best of any way to rid a garden of somethign unwanted. For now I'd open your eyes and evaluate the situation...it's like family coming to visit, a few makes a nice visit, all of them at one times result in feeling overwhelmed and a not so good visit for anyone. Let me know what you find when you investigate their hiding spots. I enjoyed a day in my garden yesterday and today its cold and dreary and raining. Spring will come to stay, won't she? Enjoying your posts here my friend and look forward to the next one.
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