Eric and Sky

Sky Holbrook and Eric Stacey – Weekend Practical Blog

 

Friday March 28, 2014:

We arrived at Cuddy’s on the gloomy Friday morning as eager as could be to get going on spring clean-up. Although the threat of a rainy snow mix made the day feel much like a Monday, we pushed on and made the best of it. With our listed tasks assigned by Lucas we started out with a clean-up of the patio area, cutting back the ivy, euonymus, lavender and paying some attention to the pond being careful not to spook the fishes.  After a little bit of pruning on the boxwoods and a final sweep, the patio was starting to look seasonal again! By lunch we had moved to the upper lawn to prune out some stragglers on the taxus (yew) and clean up more perennials. Throughout the afternoon we worked our rakes to suppress some nasty snow mold that’s seems to be popping up everywhere.

 

Saturday March 29, 2014

Saturday morning wasn’t as wet although the wind had some bite, which just made the coffee taste even better. We started the morning with the hefty task of pruning the mass of hydrangeas near the woodland garden with the ultimate goal of reducing some height and rejuvenating their true form. As the debris piled up, we began working on cleaning up the turf area which is becoming over run with snow mold, lightly raking to help dethatch and get some air to the soggy roots.

 

We continued marching on insisting that this snow melt so that we could tackle other tasks like cutting back grasses and cleaning seed pods from the Gliditsia tricanthos (Honey Locust) that were scattered throughout the perennial beds. With more deadheading of hostas we continued to jump from task to task somewhat handicapped by the persisting snow. After break we took a walk through the grounds to see if there was anything else that we could do, ending up in the hosta garden. After deadheading and a quick cleanup we packed it in for the day eager to get on with Sunday.

 

Sunday March 30, 2014

Sunday was looking quite promising as the sun shone in our tired eyes on the way to Cuddy’s. Today was an important day to finish up any tasks that had to be put off because of snow. We took care of what we could in the grass border cutting back those grasses that weren’t buried in snow and pulled some old bean from the fence and arbor leading into the rose garden finishing with a thorough rake of the turf around the roses. The sun was nice and the vitamin D felt good. It was enjoyable as we finished up the day by helping water the hoop house and shining up the tractors. All in all, a productive weekend even though we were limited to what we could do. Tomorrow is another day, another day closer to paradise. 

 

 

Galanthus nivalis – Common Snowdrop

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Genus: Galanthus

Species: nivalis

Category: Herbaceous

Type: Bulb, Perennial

Origin: Found in meadows and hillsides throughout Europe from the Pyrenees Mountains to Ukraine.

USDA Hardiness:  Zone 3 to Zone 8

Canada Hardiness:  Zone 3 to Zone 7

Height: 10-15cm

Spread: 10cm-15cm

Growth: Fast

Flowering Period:  January to April

 

General Description: Galanthus nivalis has hardened off leaf tips that allow the plant to penetrate the snow; allowing for a beautiful display of small white flowers in the early months of spring.  Avoid planting single bulbs, but instead plant in small clusters. The bulb of the plant is poisonous to humans.

ID Characteristic: Small white bell-like flower on a single stock with two to three leaves.

Landscape Use:  Large masses, rock garden, under trees and shrubs, at the fronts of borders or in front of flowering shrubs, in lawns, or along woodland paths.

Shape: A single bell-like flower hanging from a stiff leafless stalk.

Propagation: It does not seed. It needs to be lifted and divided into clumps every two years just after flowering. Replant and allow leaves to die back naturally.

Cultivation: Should be lifted and split about every three years. Prefer full sun and a rich, well-drained soil. Can be planted in either autumn or when dormant.

Pests: Keel slug.

Habitat: Mostly deciduous woodland, but occasionally coniferous woodland. Also in meadows, pasture, amongst scrub, near rivers and on stony slopes, particularly on calcareous soils.

Leaf Description: Each bulb generally produces two narrow linear leaves that are a bluish-green in colour. The leaf-tips hardened off in order to break through the frozen ground.

Flower Description: Small white flower that hangs down loosely with only one flower per stem. The inner flower segments contain a green patch towards the tip. In the early stages of development the bloom will often be found encased in a paper-like sheath.

Colour Description: White flower with green patches on the inner flower segment. Two to three bluish-green leaves on a single stock.

Texture Description: Leaves are smooth with hardened tips.