spring prep

Temperatures are unusually warm for March in New England — 72 degrees yesterday! So of course I put on my shorts and started prepping the garden for spring. I actually cut my grasses back last week…

spring prep: cut back the grasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’ grasses were already sending up green shoots. Doh!

The Nassella Tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) actually looked like this the entire winter…

spring prep:  the nassella tenuissima is still green!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green in the center! That just goes to show you how oddly mild it was here.

Cut back all the Hakonochloas, as well. They likely won’t show growth until some time in April.

I won’t bore you with more grass cutting — I’m sure that was more than enough to do the trick. But did I mention that last August I bought a Mission Black Fig? Oops, sorry. I protected it the same way I did the Musa basjoo banana last December, and uncovered it yesterday.

White tarp (to reflect rather than retain heat) came off…

spring prep: wrapped fig tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That revealed the crazy cylinder that David’s going to sink out back in the ground to cover the pond pump…

spring prep: tarp removed from fig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I pulled out the straw I stuffed in around the branches…

spring prep: fig wrapped in straw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And lookie dat! There’s my tiny fig tree!

spring prep: fig is unveiled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn’t look like much, I know. And it’s not, yet. I’ll have to reposition this to give it more room, actually. Given its southern position against a warm wall, it should be able to make it through in a New England winter — theoretically, and if I protect it every year. We shall see.

I’d better get out there and uncover the banana.

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2 Responses to “spring prep”

  1. Wendy says:

    Wow, you guys have been busy while we were away! I still think we’re due for a freak snow storm in mid-April.

  2. Brook says:

    don’t say that, Wendy! no more snow!

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