go bold with cold

The recent rain has been good for the garden.

We're going to add another garden hose spigot in front of the house, but right now, our hoses are in an unwieldy tangle behind the house, and I'm mainly making dozens of trips with a 2-gallon watering can, drenching the recent transplants to promote nice root development.  The rain was much appreciated. 

You can never tell what will happen when you dig up established plants - the whole plant, or just a part of it - and give it a new location.  Sometimes it looks perky within hours...

...and sometimes they droop for days. 

It's all a trial-and-error sort of experiment, which I love.  I've just started another, too.  When I lived in Indiana before, I had great luck with some seeds (mainly annuals), but I rarely got any perennials to grow when I planted the seeds directly into the ground.  I recently planted a few perennial seeds, and was surprised to get no germination.  I did some research, and discovered that perennial seeds need cold stratification - or a freezing/thawing cycle - to soften their shell and prepare them for germination.  No cold stratification, very little germination.  Light bulb moment!  Unfortunately, most sites recommend a 30 - 90 cold stratification process...not the sort of thing you want to read about 2 weeks before planting.  I found a shortcut method that I'm trying out.  First, you fold seeds into a damp paper towel...

...and seal it in a plastic baggie.

Two days in the refrigerator, two days in the freezer, and repeat, repeat.  Hopefully, within a week, I will have "tricked" the seeds into sprout-readiness.  They need to be, because I've plotted out a very, very ambitious garden plan.

That's right...SIX twelve foot by five foot beds, and then a series of smaller beds, which will encircle an 11' x 11' foot open space.  That will be a little 'garden room' with a fire pit and chairs.  Two dump trucks full of compost will be delivered this week, and then plowing will commence.  This is a huge project, but even if I just get the first 6 beds and the garden room space done this year, I'll be pleased.  I'm already running out of space in the new side garden, so I definitely need to spread out!

Meanwhile, in the established garden, peonies are getting ready to bloom. 

Columbines are about a foot tall and just getting ready to bud out.  I planted red, white, purple, pink, and 'mystery' colors...I can't wait to see what opens up!

Foam flowers are blooming...

There are bleeding hearts and anemones...

...and plenty of happy company.

This tiny cat has proven to be quite the hunter.  Not only has she been bringing us frequent voles, but has also been bringing RABBITS.  First a big one...

...but the past two days...BABIES.  It's so sad, but what I've read has made me feel a bit better...that wild rabbits reproduce at an alarming rate, that rabbits are terrible for gardens, and that not not only cats, but coyotes and foxes make meals of them.  And we've got those around, I guess, because I spotted this giant fellow in the barn yard last week, right before I was headed out for a walk!

I've never seen such a big, healthy one, but the wildlife biologist at the local DNR assured me that it was just a well-fed guy that still had a nice winter coat.  We're not ready to do much in the back fields yet, anyway, and they haven't gotten their spring mow.  Todd and I have both found ticks on ourselves this past week, too, so we're minimizing our time back there for now.

Staying close to the house, and enjoying the spring show...the lilacs, the unfurling red maple leaves, and the blooming apple tree.

Have a great week!