Breathing Room

Walking by the greenhouse, this past Saturday, while finishing up the last little bit of pruning lavender, I could have sworn I heard a collective groan sounding something like, "We want out! If daffodils are free, so are we!" from inside. So, I opened the door only to find a not exactly group of happy campers, while steamy humidity, having nowhere else to go, spilled out into the sunny March air. The greenhouse, a.k.a. my happy place, was a mass of green exploding out of their pots while tufts of colored blossoms were opening like umbrellas in a rainstorm.

Picture the jungle straight out of Jumanji and the man eating vine that almost gobbled up Robin Williams in the movie. The situation that seemed under control only a few days before, now seemed out of control and close to riot conditions.

It's only the middle of March, a day when I should've been planting sweet pea seeds, cutting back tree branches, raking up left over leaves and just starting on the lavender pruning process (here is where I groan).  But, instead I dropped everything to rescue rosemary's, myrtles, bays and and annual lavenders from almost certain claustrophobia.  What is happening to my happy place?  I know it's early to start the outdoor holding beds, but what else could I do? Everybody needed some breathing room and the greenhouse was way past providing that.

Of course, who wouldn't want out of a cramped, hot greenhouse when there is a "bloomin party" going on all over the place outside.  Cherry blossoms, hyacinths, forsythia, saucer and star magnolias and daffodils are all dressed in their frilliest of frocks.  Even azaleas, red buds and tulips, typically late, are rushing to dress up for the party outside and, who woke up the dogwoods???!!!  My neighbors flock of guinea hens also got wind of all of the excitement and flew their coop, choosing the dangerous road to dance in while one of the lady guinneas came a calling at my back door for morning tea in the springtime garden...how very neighborly of her.

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yes, back to the greenhouse--I took 28 potted plants with their roots poking through the drain holes like big toes breaking through old socks out of the greenhouse, trimmed their roots and repotted them with fresh soil before transferring them into their new location, outside in the holding bed of the parterre garden.  I told each one not to get too comfortable since I'm sure Mother Nature is not quite finished tricking us with her fickle feminine ways, this year. Even though the Spring Equinox has arrived, our official frost free date around here is not until Mother's Day weekend and almost every one of these pots may be making a return  trip back into the greenhouse should she threaten with a long running cold snap after this long running warm up.  And, for as many plants as I took out of the greenhouse, I have many, many more that are staying put until I'm absolutely sure the warm weather takes up permanent residence.  I'm on to you, Mother Nature...been there, done that!

Meanwhile, Peter finished up in the new raised bed garden out behind the garage.  He filled the six-foot by six-foot raised beds with fresh dirt, manure and leaf compost.  They are so new and clean and right now it's nice to just to gaze upon them and lazily dream away the possibilities of color and texture in a quaint cottage garden that will add to the scenery here at Blooming Hill.  More growing space...more breathing room in the gardens...more breathing room!