Saturday

Well that wasn't supposed to happen! When you plant in spring, your create a checklist of important events: the planting of your lilies. The planting of perennials. The planting of annuals. The planting of seeds. The planting of fruit trees. The planting of other trees. The transplanting of seedlings. Dividing and planting old stuff. Transplanting. All that is on our list this year. (Not necessarily in that order -- you have to work with the weather to determine what happens when.) We'd gotten a late start because of the cold, but we moved quickly and we're catching up. 

One of our bigger projects was establishing that lavender field out back. I searched for good nurseries that sold small plants at good prices and I was pleased to find one with a large selection of English Lavenders. Those are going to be the most adaptable to southern Wisconsin's particular climate. They came on time, I opened the box and let them breathe and earlier this week, Ed and I put them in the ground.

But they looked wonky. I spotted mildew. The roots weren't white and fresh, they were yellow or brown  and dry. Still, this is a solid nursery. Lavender can be slow to perk up. I decided to put them in.

Not only did they not perk up -- they shriveled and died. Most of them are worthless clumps of nothing. 

I called the nursery and they are good people who stand behind their plants. As I was waiting on hold for a pick up, I kept hearing their message: when your plants arrive, wiggle them out of their pots. If the roots look yellow and brittle, your plant may have died in transport.

In my four decades of perennial growing, I have never received a failed batch of plants. Oh, there is the occasional one that needs extra TLC, but it will bounce back once in the ground. I'm stunned that this can happen to some 45-50 plants.

All this means we have to replant the whole bed. But but but.. it's going to be so hot next week and I'll be gone the week after (Chicago)! Have we missed our golden lavender planting window?

A grower is a person who is by nature an optimist (I'm not the first to observe this). I believe in our projects! But this one is off to a rough start. And, of course, we are now once again behind!

On the upside, it is a gorgeous day! Stunning and sunny and just warm enough to feel happy (though the kids complained that the car was too hot and that by the way, their favorite seasons were autumn and winter).

Looking around, you cannot believe that the flowers are far along. Everything is exploding. The tulips, finally!

Our rhubarb is out of control as usual. I haven't made much of a dent in the frozen stalks I'd cut up last summer so I decide to bake a rhubarb cake for breakfast and snacks (the kids love it, I love it, Ed loves it).

This is the morning the older two come over.

(Recently, chasing Ed with a ball is a popular activity around here.)

And after I take the duo home...

(The welcome appearance of dandelions!)

... Ed and I head out to Natalie's Nursery to give her our hundreds of small planting pots and to pick up a couple of flowers to replace the ones devoured by the cheepers, as well as some starter veggies and melons. Ed grew ambitious overnight and decided to go for a bigger produce bed out back. We'll see if these will survive the groundhog and deer attack.

No time to dally in the afternoon. I get to work. And it's a joyous, long stretch of work. Apart from the sad lavender patch, everything else is looking pretty special!

Kids, you're so wrong. All season have their stellar moments, but spring has an unbeatable edge to it: this is when plant life shines!