After the one-two (3,4,5,6,?) punch winter has given our country this year, all of us are longing for warmer, milder weather. We got a taste of that here this week when the sun came out and temperatures rose into the 60's here at Pittsgrove finally melting away most of the several inches of snow that had accumulated for weeks.
I spent a good part of the day collecting and breaking up the branches that have fallen from some of the extremely windy days that we have been experiencing. I wandered the property to get a guesstimate on how well our beds held up over the winter. Snow cover is actually quite beneficial for most plants in providing insulation from harsh temperatures, but it also means that deer, so prevalent in much of our area, are deprived of primary food sources in fields and woods. This year they ate a good portion of our Manhattan Euonymous that they have never touched in the 20 or so years of its existence next to our well. The rest of the gardens seem to have held up pretty well so far, but the truth will come out when spring finally arrives and we see what survived.
During the next spate of mild weather, get out and examine your gardens. Push back any plants that may have heaved, clean up any debris that you didn't get to in the fall, and you'll be a step ahead of the game.
The other day I saw two bluebirds and a butterfly. Can Spring be far behind?
Think Spring!
Cheryl
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