Wild Sagebrush Buttercups on the hillsides of our farm – weeks ahead of normal. So cheerful! When these come out, we know we’ve made it through the cold time once again.
Greetings, all.
Another post and dash – or maybe a dash and post?
I have been terribly guilt-ridden about neglecting this blog these past few months, but I am still hoping the situation is temporary.
We are in the throes of an incredibly early spring – at least three weeks ahead of normal! – which means that the pressure is on to get out into the garden. As we operate a small perennial nursery, this means that all of the digging and dividing which generally starts early April is suddenly crucially time sensitive, starting right now, as plants are bursting out of the ground and growing inches per day.
In the meantime, all of the normal greenhouse chores are accelerated as well, what with the work being quite literally doubled. The days are much too short for everything I need to pack into them, and I won’t even go into the complexities of this being something of a re-start year after a two-year sabbatical from the nursery, or the brand-new greenhouse still being finished with the propagation house bursting at the seams with things ready for the transfer to the growing-out house. And then there’s the new partnership with a retailer in the city (“no pressure” – ha! – it seemed like such a grand idea last fall…well, it still seems like a win-win scenario, but I’m getting a bit jittery with this new learning curve) and an important tomato plant order from the market garden down the road.
And look – beautiful Hepatica! My daughter was out with the camera today, capturing our early spring.
What else? Still involved in a major way with our regional performing arts festival, with events running through March, April and May. A rewarding involvement, but definitely time consuming at a time of year when the hours are extra precious.
A few health issues, with family members and myself, sobering reminders of how quickly our physical equilibrium can be set a-rocking.
Well, after all the above, you might be excused for thinking I’m complaining, but I’m really not. Just explaining why the book posts have come to an almost complete stop. I’m still reading for a stolen hour at night, mostly old friends and nothing too challenging – Elizabeth von Arnim, J.B. Priestley, O. Douglas, Elizabeth Goudge, D.E. Stevenson, and an eclectic selection of short stories from a serendipitous boxful of 1960s’ Argosy magazines found in a local thrift store.
Life certainly isn’t boring. And it’s mostly full of good stuff. Just a wee bit over full right now…
Snowdrops are a borderline-hardy plant for us, but we treasure our small colonies and rejoice when they burst through the protective cover of last autumn’s fallen leaves. A far cry from the vast drifts of milder climes, but in their quiet way a reminder of other beloved gardens we’ve visited, real and literary.
If anyone wants to keep up with my other life – the gardening one – I do occasionally post snippets of personal stuff on our nursery website/blog – http://www.hillfarmnursery.com. Though right now I’m mostly updating the plant lists, getting ready to post the year’s offerings and adding descriptions and photos to the pages.
I promise I’ll come back to posting book things at some point, because I do miss that so very much. Many thanks to the rest of you for providing me with lots of food for thought; I try to keeep up with reading your wonderful posts, and though I’m not commenting much I sure do appreciate all of your words!
The first Hellebore of the season – here in central British Columbia the Christmas Roses bloom in March and April.
And one last glimpse of my spring garden. This heather came from one of my mother’s friends, with a bit of an interesting backstory – it was smuggled to Canada tucked in her purse from a visit to Austria many decades ago – before the current security inspections in airports made such illicit horticultural importations too fraught with potential trouble to attempt!
Leaves & Pages 