White Day-After Christmas

April 22, 2024

The Garden Awakens

Anise 'Woodland Red' ( Illicium floridanum ) A few weeks ago, I thought spring would never arrive, but now the change is astonishing. The nights are still cold (40s and sometimes even 30s) so planting tender annuals and vegetables is unwise although I have already succumbed, but covering and uncovering things gets old quickly. Someone made a wise comment last week and I must agree with them - "Don't plant anything tender until after May 1". Several plants are blooming like never before. One is the Anise shrub (above and below). I don't know if the recent tree pruning, which is allowing more sun into the woodland path, is affecting it or perhaps it is just age, but I've never seen so many blooms. Michael refers to this as "the stinky fish shrub" and I have to admit to smell of the flowers is quite unpleasant. It is so beautiful that I can overlook that. The old pink dogwood tree, which was already here, shades our woodland path and it too is prett

Although we did not get a white Christmas, it did snow sometime during the early morning hours and we woke up to a heavy dusting (I would say under 1"). There have been on-and-off flurries all day but the ground is clear this afternoon. Tonight we get the coldest temperatures of the year with the low predicted at 19. That is about as cold as it got all last winter so we may be in for a colder season this year.

Oddly, I have not bothered to cover any plants up yet but I may drop a cloth over a few before heading to bed tonight.