Holly Trozzo and Aaron Shubrook arrive at the A.M. Cuddy Gardens, and team up for some heavy duty yard chores!
FRIDAY – April 5
We began our first task of the weekend, which was to fill, compact and grade an area of the ditch at the front of the property to allow cars to park on the lawn. We used up the excess soil from the newly planted cedar windbreak by loading it into the Kubota tractor bucket by hand, unloading it onto the specified area, spreading it with a rake, and compacting it with a hand tamper every few inches.
“Why don’t you compact it with the tractor?” says Michael Pascoe, “That’s what I would do.”
So we did:
Buckets and buckets of soil went into this area, compacted again and again until the final grade was made. Next - we cover it with sod!
SATURDAY – April 6
As the sodding continued, we were very grateful and fortunate that the forecasted rain held off so as not to make this heavy job even heavier.
A second Kubota tractor with trailer was signed out today, and we used this to begin our second large task of removing all of the brush piles laid around the property. As a team, Aaron and I would load the trailer to a towering height and tie it down with rope for transport. Thanks to last semesters Arboriculture class, we were both quite proficient in tying quick knots.
We took turns driving the tractor out to the burn pile; while I drove the beautiful,scenic drive to the burn pile, Aaron continued on with the sodding as he’d had previous experience in the task and could complete it quicker than I. While Aaron drove to the burn pile, I collected large sticks from the front lawns and garden beds, raked and cleaned up the very front lawn where the majority of the pruning took place and the largest brush piles were.
SUNDAY – April 7
Today the rest of the brush was removed to the burn pile. As a courtesy to our neighbours here at the Cuddy Gardens, on our final trip to the burn pile we picked up the sticks that had jostled themselves loose on all the previous trips on those roads.
Unfortunately we were unable to complete all of our sod duties for this weekend, but we composted the majority of the remaining sod as instructed, leaving enough to complete the few areas we had left.
The rest of our day was spent raking the lawns of large debris (tricky..with the strong wind against us) and cleaning off the hard surfaces around the property.
To end the weekend, all equipment was cleaned off well with the power washer and returned to the tool shed in its proper place.
Our plant profile is for Crocus x ‘Yellow Man’
Family: IRIDACEAE
Genus: Crocus
Cultivar: x ‘Yellow Man’
Common Name: Yellow Man Dutch Crocus
Category: Bulbs
Type: Perennial
Canadian Hardiness Zone: 4-9
Landscape: One of the first in any landscape to bloom, it is planted to add colour.
Native Range: Southern Europe and the Alps
Growth: Fast
Flowering Period: March to April
Propagation: By division or sow seeds outdoors in the fall.
Light Requirements: Full sun to dappled shade.
Water Requirements: Moderate
Flower Description: Flowers are oval, open in the sun, and close when the weather is dull.
Leaf Description: Leaves are long and thin, bearing a pale green or white stripe down the centre.
Colour Description: Dark Yellow to orange yellow
Cultivation: Grow in full sun to dappled shade with a well-drained soil.
Pests: Birds, mice or other small rodents may eat the corms. Prone to rot or mold if storing.
References: http://www.almanac.com/plant/crocuses, http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/crocus-vernus-cvs-dutch-crocus.aspx, http://northernshade.ca/2010/04/21/crocus-vernus/
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