Goodbye snow, ice and dark days! Hello spring, warmer days and sunshine!
Such a lot of extra work getting rid of that winter storm in December. But it feels good to have the sun on your back and blisters on your hands.
Chemainus Communities in Bloom is back in action. Hundreds of blue pansies are planted, first meeting of the year behind us.
We have a ‘Flower of the Year’. It’s the mixed Cosmos. Again. Our first Flower of the Year was Cosmos and it was so successful we decided to repeat. Free seeds will be available in Chemainus in April.
Easter weekend is around the corner, time to open the doors to the greenhouses, prop open cold frames, take begonias and fuchsias out of cold storage, repot and fertilize.
Let the fresh air do its thing, breathe. Cut the lawn at the highest level of blade and once again, breathe. There is nothing quite like the scent of newly mowed grass. Refill your hummingbird feeder. Sow seeds, divide perennials, pick violas, narcissus and anemones in the early morning. Enjoy.
We Dig – Do It Now Tips
• All spring digging should be completed by the end of the month
• Shear winter flowering heathers and forsythia after blooming
• Plant glads and dahlias in Easter week
• Plant porch and patio tubs
• All plants and the lawns need help with spring growth…feed
• Conifers should be pruned before new growth starts
• Sow grass seed
• Rake grass before mowing, keep at 11/2 – 2 inch height
• Herbs like lime and grit. Mix one handful of ground oyster shells into each herb planting hole
• Remove, by rubbing, all soft buds now appearing on main trunk of young trees
• Bait garden and flower beds for slugs…crush your egg shells and spread around the base of plants…slugs hate egg shells…
• Deadhead spring bulbs but do not cut the leaves back
• Plant fuschias and red hot pokers to attract hummingbirds
Did you know…
…that the flower of the month is the Sweet Pea, meaning goodbye?
…vanilla flavouring comes from the pod of an orchid? Vanilla planifolia
…avocados and pumpkins are fruits, not veggies, but rhubarb is a veggie?
…iris means ‘rainbow’ in Greek?
…trees are the longest-living organisms on earth?
…pomology, is the study of fruit?
…lacanophobia is the fear of vegetables?
Pick of the Month – Camellia
There are 100-300 species, and 3,000 hybrids.
Evergreen shrub or tree growing up to 60’. Blooms in April, flowers come in a variety of colours from white to red. Like shade and the protection of a building. Need to be watered frequently. Cultivated in China and Japan for centuries before coming to Europe and North America.
AND…in the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Chemainus Communities in Bloom next meets Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m., Steeples Activity Room.
Check out our blog at wedigchemainus.ca.