Quail Nest Kerfuffle.

4-13-10 VERMONT: After a run to the garden store for fertilizer, 150 pounds worth, I did the initial application to shrubs and perennials. I finished what clean-up was necessary and did more work on the marten house platform. I weeded the new day lily bed and put snow shovels and winter gear away.

Walking around the pasture with Sam and Chloe, I almost stepped on a nesting quail, at least I think she was a quail. She was scared. I was terrified. She and the nest were invisible. I hope she goes back to incubating.

New blooms: bloodroot.


Can you see the nest and eggs?

How about now?

Frog Season.

4-12-10 VERMONT: There was a dusting of snow a few days ago, but all the snow is gone, even the piles. The pond is ice-free. A few years ago, there was ice and snow lasting another two weeks into the season. Today was sunny, breezy and cool.

I arrived mid-afternoon and got to work doing some yard clean-up, filled the bird feeders, put out rockers and benches, finished setting up the flower bed barriers, did a bit more work on the marten house stand and started putting winter equipment away.

The frogs have been celebrating spring, both ponds have developing egg masses. They have at least three different patterns. Some float on the surface, other are fastened to bottom weeds. The clumps vary in size from softball to golfball. The matrix that holds all the tadpoles ranges from clear to opaque and grey. I guess these are species differences.

In bloom: Hellebore, wild ginger, pachysandra, vinca minor, daffodil, forsythia, snowdrop, crocus, primrose.


Canadian Wild Ginger. Who do you suppose pollinates these flowers that lie on the ground? Ants? Beetles?

Oriental Hellebore, pretty red flower that hangs downward.

March in April.

4-10-10 SHORT HILLS: The weather change was dramatic. We had a T-storm with 0.4 inches of rain. Now we have cold and blustery with 45°, half of what we had three days ago. I am caught up here, for now, time to go to Vermont.

New blooms: apple, mertensia, dogwood, first snowball viburnum.

July in April.

4-8-10 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday set a record high temp in parts of the metro area, it was 90° in some spots or July in April. We’re supposed to get a T-storm tonight and cooler weather tomorrow.

I’ve done more pruning the last few days and sorted out the mess of crushed bamboo. Where bamboo is native, there are no big overhanging trees that lose big branches to heavy snow storms. Here big ash tree branches fell on the bamboo, with the snow, and flattened them. Many shoots were broken, but others were just knocked over. I went through all the stands of bamboo yesterday and today, cutting down the broken shoots, but was able to uncover many and stand them upright. If they stay up, it’ll all work out fairly well.

New blooms: grape hyacinth, redbud, dandelion.


Saucer Magnolia.

Eighty-four Today!

4-6-10 SHORT HILLS: Two more beautiful days, even with a three-minute shower this morning. The ground barely got wet. Actually, I watered the plantings from last fall, all of them are alive, but a few seem slow to come around. It was in the mid-eighties today!

Yesterday I did a lot of pruning and took a carload to the dump, and today I cleaned up the pool area and took down some dead junipers along the pool fence.

All the trees and shrubs are leafing out except the ash trees and the rose-of-Sharon, both of which need a lot of encouragement to take the plunge into spring, or spring into leaf.

New blooms: violet, kerria, pear tree, marsh marigold, trout lily.


Marsh Marigold is at home midst the pachysandra and vinca minor.

Trout lily. I guess the mottled colors and shape of the leaf look like a fish.

Magnolia's big week.

May in April.

4-4-10 SHORT HILLS: Another pair of pretty, warm, sunny days. I am all caught up on fertilizing for now, and it’s time to get back to pruning and trimming.

New blooms: anemone, blood root, clatonia, squill, saucer magnolia.


Blood root. The roots have a red sap. Could that be the source of its name? The petal arrangement is two sets of four petals. The Vinca minor flower next door looks tired.

Concrete and Macadam.

4-2-10 SHORT HILLS: Wow! Three nice days in a row. Our sump pump is still running, if less frequently, and the yard is still semi-liquid in spots. The packysandra opened and the saucer magnolias are threatening.

I used this string of dry days to rebuild the driveway drain. I tore out the crumbling drain well and poured new walls on Wednesday, put down new blacktop on Thursday and finished it up today along with repairs to the curbstones and stonewall on the side of the drive. Back to the garden tomorrow.

New blooms: packsandra.