gardening days are here!

I made a flickr mosaic! Some favorites recently seen by me.

Sewing and knitting no longer matter to me it seems; it's time to get out in the garden!
I recieved my tiny order from Raintree Nursery: four Red Pearl lingonberries and two Blue Honeysuckles. I have them all planted out in their various spots. I also bought a really hot shit set of pruners, which I have been wanting for years, so I have been out cutting things back carefully and with much joy... I am not afraid to prune anymore! I used to agonize that I would impose my ignorant will on another being by pruning, but working in someone else's garden last year helped me to relax about it. So I have, and subsequently I have pruned all the fruit trees we planted: Asian pear, Winter Banana apple, my amazing Shipova, which a cross between a Mountain Ash (rowan to you old world folk) and a pear. Also, I found my Aronia, Black Currant, and Currant/Gooseberry cross in amongst the berry vines...
It seems we won't ever be lacking in Vitamin C around here!

With all the cuttings from these prunings, I want to start new plants. I don't have any Rootone, and the willow hasn't put out leaves here yet (how many of you know the trick of making a mash of new willow leaf growth and water, and soaking that which you wish to root in it? There is so much growth hormone in the willow that it stimulates root production...) but as I was pruning the Butterfly Bush, I felt strongly that it would act in the same as willow for this application. If you think about it, a stick of Buddleia will root wherever you stick it into the ground, much like willow. And there was just something about those leaf buds, I had to go ahead and make a Buddleia mash.

The Aronia cuttings are currently soaking in it (although those are bamboo support sticks in the picture). We'll see if my intuition was correct. I want to get around those nursery prices...

throught the wonderful blog, Kinship in Color and Wool, I found a link to Sowing Seeds Outdoors in Winter. Not necessarily applicable in the PNW spring! But fascinating nonetheless, and I will be trying it next year.

Here are some more garden photos.


new growth on the fennel
This fennel seed came from the paved frontage road that led to my old neighborhood in Humboldt county. It's called Maple Hills fennel (by me) and I am so very happy to have it in this garden! Fennel is one of my favorite plants and reminiscent of childhood.


a bit of lovage
This is lovage most wonderful herb beloved by swallowtail butterflies. Every year I find a caterpillar on it, but I never see the butterfly emerge. The birds must get the beast, so I keep planting more lovage in hopes that one year a swallowtail will grow in my garden!
You can use it in cooking, too, but is so strong. Put a few leaves in your tomatoes when you can them.