Winter lasted 3 months.

Our first heavy frost of the winter was December 5, 2009. It was late in coming. We had a light frost in October, but nothing took much notice. If the forecast holds, our last frost of this year will be March 9, 2010. That's just over 3 months of winter. I'm not holding my breath just yet. I've seen snow in April. Our average last frost date is April 15.



Today, I'm going to piddle about the yard a bit. I might cut the grass again and do some more weeding and edging. My real plans focus on the gully and seed scattering. Farmers Almanac proclaims today and tomorrow as the best days to start seed and flowerbeds. I'll be doing just that in the gully.

Last summer, I collected cosmos seeds from all my orange and sometimes yellow blooming plants. I'll be scattering these seeds in the area where the ivy and periwinkle have been trampled hauling firewood all winter. I have no doubt some of them will be taken by the birds. Others will fail to sprout for whatever reason. But some should take hold and germinate before the ivy recovers the area. I've also got Forget Me Not seeds for the back side of the perennial bed. I used the weed eater last week to remove many of the winter weeds and give me a little access to the soil there. They'll enjoy the shady nature of that space and should bloom until the heat of summer takes them out. They reseed readily once established. Cosmos do too.

Other plans include moving the tiny maples I marked with pink tape last fall. I chose saplings with brilliant orange or yellow foliage. They're just beginning to bud right now, so moving them shouldn't cause too much stress. It's still wet back there, but the red maples can handle a bit of water.

Finally, I'm going to do what I've been wanting done for several years. In the Wild, the area between my yard and the neighbor's plot, I've got large clumps of daffodils that never bloom. I intend to dig these out today, scattering bulbs in the perennial bed, the shrub border, and along the back of the house where I've neglected planting anything for spring color. It's probably not the best time to move daffodils, but I've got nothing to lose. These clumps need the attention.











I figure I'll get at least another 100 bulbs from these, maybe more. If time allows, I might possibly consider maybe scraping some paint from the trim on the north side of the house, preparing it for the paint I need to apply soon. I'm still unsure about how to handle painting the South side, where the ridgeline is 3 stories off the ground.

It's 39 degrees this morning. The high today should be in the mid 70s. There is also laundry to do.