A chilly start to a beautiful month. Last night, I brought in the one plant that hates this kind of weather most and left the rest outside. We stayed about a degree above freezing. I can't breathe as sigh of relief because this night will be the real challenge -- the last of the frosty ones until September or October. The weather people are saying it'll drop to 31F or 32F. Either way, that's bad news for my annuals. Millie or not, I'll have to bring some plants in and cover the rest with a sheet. Or two sheets. (You can also buy plant sheets specifically designed for frost protection, but you have to wake up to this several days before you actually need them.)
Cold, blustery, not at all something you'd like to wake up to on May 1st.
Well, never mind -- it's another "Millie and me" day.
With yet another breakfast inside.
It was a late night for me, but I checked off my list the big photo job that has been weighing on me (an overdue photo book that had to be done before June), so I think it was worth it. I say this with very sleepy eyes that find it hard to stay open in a cozy warm house with soft jazz music playing.
Today, my errands are many and they are scattered, so once again, Millie will have to cry herself to sleep in the crate for a couple of hours.
Order of operations? I make a list: rent payments, delivered to proper landlords (when you sublet out, as I did at the Edge, you still have to pay the difference between the true rent and "the incredible bargain!" you gave your tenants). Bags of oranges, delivered to Ed. Soil for perennials that need a transition time before I can plant them at Steffi's House -- picked up from the farmette. And a visit to McKay Nursery, because Beth from Bevalli Gardens told me they have the best selection and organization of perennials in the area and I'm curious.
Almost always, I start with the most boring and work my way up to the delightful. So, payments to landlords and only then, a drive out to Oregon to check out the nursery. (Yes, the next town to the south is called Oregon. Pronounced differently than the state of Oregon. Very confusing to new-commers!)
I am the only shopper at McKay's. The place is huge and much of it still needs plants. They're coming in, but slowly.
The staff is small, the guy who seems in charge of the plantings is pleasant and reasonably knowledgeable (I grade them by how well they know the world of daylilies). But it doesn't have the vibe and the variety of the Flower Factory. I did pick up four pots of perennials for Steffi's yard (to be planted on May 30th). And I suppose now that the Flower Factory is closed, this has some okay plant possibilities. But wait, why am I looking for planting options??
As I drive back to where we live, I pass another nursery -- K&A Greenhouses. I'd just heard an ad for it on Public Radio: they appear to be really dedicated to growing natives and all their plants are locally sourced. And they seem more populated, both with plants and with people.
They have a very limited collection of daylilies.
I see that the plants are being loaded and moved away from outdoor tables. "We're taking them into the greenhouses, because of the frost tonight." I'm surprised. Perennials? "Well, some of them are tender and they'd been in warm places until now. Though this has not been a warm spring." No it hasn't.
I pick up two plants.
I drive over to the farmette.
Ed is outside, working away at clearing the old orchard. He is despondent (though with Ed it's hard to tell, since his mood is always very steady). What am I going to do??
With what ? -- I ask.
With all this -- he waves his arm over the flower fields. It'll soon the a jungle of weeds. One bed, okay -- I could take care of that. But five beds??
I interrupt him. There are 11 beds.
It'll just be all weeds! I dont even know what to take out and anyway, it's a full time job to take care of all of them!
Yes it is, Ed. I tell him -- I'm sad too, to see it all bursting with vitality, ready to bloom all summer long!
We're both sad about it, for different reasons!
I smile at that. He's not incorrect of course. There is so much to be done here and I left it all behind.
I turn to the beds. Millie is at home. I have some time. I'll help you. I have been spot weeding each time I've come here. Let me do a deeper weeding job on at least some of the beds.
We work together. I show him the most pernicious bishop's weed, the creeping charlie -- he digs some out. I've never been able to eradicate these, nor the creeping bellflower. But I have found that pulling them out even without the root arrests the growth enough to permit the perennials to fully develop.
We take a walk through the new orchard. He asks me where to mow. There was a meadow here. Should he cut it back? Yes, now's the time...
After a while I leave. Millie has been in her crate over three hours. That's about the max I can do with her. She is a social girl that suffers terribly (you should hear her howl!) when she is alone.
I drive home and take stock of everything: what exactly have I done with my gardens? I left the farmette, but I'm back there "helping out." And additionally, I'm managing (and paying for) the garden at Steffi's House. And I have to mow the stupid lawn at Sally's House. How exactly have I made my load lighter this season?
And yet, I liked working with Ed outside. And I liked walking away from it so that it wouldn't feel like a huge burden. I also liked designing a new garden of limited scope and proportions and without trees shading it!
I keep the new perennials in the garage, bring in a half dozen fragile plants from the porch, and call it a day. Phew! Happy May 1st to you too!
with so much love...
