Perhaps it is because of the construction behind the house, but this seasons I feel like I am more tuned into what is happening in the garden. I make a point of checking out the construction site at least once a day and then make a tour through the garden to check the progress there.
I was beginning to wonder if my severe pruning of the Clytostoma vine outside my office would be the end of it. I hadn't noticed any new growth on any of the 3 individual plants. Oh well, I figured I would have to remove them and start over. We all make mistakes.
Imagine my surprise and happiness, though, when I noticed new growth starting a few days ago. Little red buds and leaves are starting to appear at nodes along the vines and it looks like it will recover after all. Whew! The trellis where it grows is in need of some major repairs, but I think I am going to prop it up, get one more season's use out of it and then, perhaps, replace it with something new.
Once I removed all the vines from this trellis, I noticed that there was some pretty severe rot and termite damage. I was also surprised to find none up the uprights were actually in the ground. It appears that it has survived all these years just standing on the soil. The original owners hadn't even placed blocks or bricks under the feet.
I expect the locust tree to start budding any day now. According to my garden calendar, this occurred on March 15th in 20054 and March 18th in 2003. Not sure why I didn't note it last year, but life sometimes gets in the way of gardening.
The way I can recall these dates is that I simply record them directly into my computer calendar as they occur and then mark them as recurring yearly events. As much as I like my paper journals, I find this method of garden journaling much more useful. I still draw plans and make notes in my paper journal, but date-related items go right into the calendar.
We are finally getting the rain we so much need. In the past 2 weeks we have had several heavy storms and just as many good, long, slow periods of showers. Of course, once the rain ends, I have several irrigation issues that will need to be addressed. It is the same every Spring. Drip emitters are plugged or disconnected, soaker hoses blocked, hose fittings disintegrated. Just a part of maintaining the garden from year to year.
I hope all is going well in your garden. I would love to hear about it. You can send email to me directly at
agn@welchwrite.com or post comments here on the web site.
Keep digging and be well!
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