Garden Update: First Crocus, Hazelnut Catkins, Sedum, and Bulb Action

While the West Coast has found itself with winter floods, here in Northern Indiana, we’ve had an unseasonably warm winter. I expected that, although even I’ve been surprised by just how warm: fifties to upper sixties in February. With sun! Thankfully, we’ve had at least some rain and a few snow showers, too, but as crazy as this weather is, it arrived as a welcome treat. We’ve taken many long walks on trails and in the woods, and I even spent some time cleaning up the garden.

Yesterday, I noticed a lot of bulbs beginning to poke through. When I took over Haus Am See in Fall 2015, I added another 1,000 Spring bulbs to the hundreds I had already planted around Faery Hof. I didn’t know how many would return this year, as apparently, not all tulips remain perennial. It looks like most plan to reveal themselves again, as I see signs of hyacinths, daffodils and tulips poking their way through mulch and thyme. Last Fall, I  planted another 100 or so bulbs, mostly a wide blooming time array of daffodils and some extra hyacinths.

What a nice surprise to see some crocus, though! These two smiled at me yesterday, as I moved mulch to weed. Normally, the bunnies eat these before I get to enjoy them, but here they bloom — the very first harbingers of Spring:

Some of the nine sacred hazel trees and shrubs boast lots of male catkins and even some of the bright red female flowers ready for wind fertilization:

If the weather continues this way, the early bulbs will start blooming as early as March. I feel heartened that my early, mid, late succession varieties should ensure blooms even if we get another very cold spell. Something will flower! In the meantime, we have sedum:

People keep asking if I will miss my garden whenever we move. Yes and no. I do love the blooms! And I have put tons of time, money and love into these yards, carefully selecting varieties of flowers, shrubs, trees and perennial vegetables for maximum continual harvest throughout the months. I always want to have a prolific garden, and I’ve received a massive education from my time outside. I know which fruits don’t live up to the permaculture hype (at least to our tastes and aesthetics), and I know which plants create more trouble than their food and/or beauty justifies if I want to do more than farm. And I do — once we move.

Not knowing the when or precisely where makes gardening here less enticing, since I don’t know if we’ll be here for Spring, Summer and Fall, or just Spring. I don’t know how many seeds to plant, or when. David collected a 5-gallon bucket of worm castings from our basement worm factory/winter compost center, so I’ll spread that out on some beds this afternoon or maybe Monday.

Temperatures look good for lettuce and carrot growing, so I’ll get some in after tomorrow’s snow. As for other crops, I will likely err on the side of very short harvest times, which means no cushaw or Fairy Tale pumpkins this year, but maybe a super fast growing small variety of winter squash I picked up from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I will likely also treat myself to more plant starts than usual from the farmers market and local growers.

We do love us some fresh, prolific greens! Had I known we’d have these temperatures, I would have started a bunch of new chard, spinach, kale and romaine in January. We’re going through so many purchased organic greens right now that it really makes me appreciate just how much produce the garden yields. In any case, I will continue to work with the Faeries and Spirits of the Land here and on the other end of our move, along with Reiki Healing Attunements, sigils and visualization, intending all unfolds in proper time and place, both old and new, there and here … with new caretakers for both houses and yards. And while we wait for time to unfurl?

Flowers and yums!

Blessed Be.