It's Friday Again!?

I look forward to Fridays as much as the next person but this week sure went fast. Warmer temperatures this week melted off some snow and ice but we're headed back in to frigid temperatures this weekend. With heavy snow loads and ice covering the garden and many woody plants, we get questions on how we deal with excessive snow/ice that is bending or compromising the plants. The answer is that we do nothing. When you see your evergreens bending under snow loads, it can be even more damaging to try and remove that snow. In most cases, the plants will adjust as the snow/ice slowly melts off and the plant "bends" back in to shape. We've had issues of heavy snow in March creating more permanent problems but overall, we just leave things alone. If you do try to remove snow from a bent limb/branch, gently nudge from underneath to dislodge the material, not from above which might create more weight on an already compromised limb. We will use twine or rope in late fall to wind branches together on upright conifers so the snow loads don't "splay" them open and create breakage and an unsightly specimen.

It was another ghost town around here today. Dick H., Maury and Dr. Gredler all stopped by and I had a meeting. I've been left alone (which is nice) and have made great progress with seed ordering. I ordered from three of our international vendors (Chiltern, B&T World Seeds and eseeds) to order specialty items that aren't domestically available. It's nice to deal with convenient online ordering which converts euros to U.S. dollars. I think I've ordered seeds from about 30 vendors thus far and should finish next week. Most garden centers already have their 2009 seeds in so consider a weekend visit to get something new and exciting. Perhaps even pick up some easy to grow seeds (nasturtiums, marigolds, veggies, etc.) for your kids, neighbor kids, grandkids, etc. Pass along the experience of growing something from seed out in the garden. This is fast becoming a neglected task for this upcoming generation. A very interesting read is Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. I think every parent that uses computer games and/or TV to occupy the majority of their child's time should be forced to read this! Enjoy Carrol's tulip shot below for the promise of spring!