The Lions of March

The hydrangeas need pruning soon, but I’ve grown rather fond of their winter look.

I had little trouble curbing my gardening enthusiasm in February, but give me a sunny day in early March, and I will move heaven and earth to get out there and do something. Even tasks I would have loathed in the autumn, like garden cleanup. In November it’s gray, bitingly cold, and every day there’s a little less daylight. In March … well, it can also be gray and bitingly cold, but at least the days are getting longer. And I had another reason for postponing fall garden cleanup: allowing leaves to remain on the ground improves the winter habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Laziness that’s good for the environment? I’m in!

So this past week I decided to followed the advice of Margaret Roach at A Way to Garden and tackle some early spring chores. Margaret reminded me that I needed to empty our bluebird nest boxes, and on Sunday I rushed out to take care of them.

The bluebird nest boxes in the pasture have been cleared of last year's nests and are now open for business

This year there will be more nest boxes, with baffles to ward off predators. We don’t know if our boxes have been predated in the past, but we still feel bad about leaving them so exposed.

Working outside felt great, and I followed the relatively easy nest box cleanup with a spell of schlepping compost to the raised beds. I had grand ambitions for cutting back perennials and clearing leaves and other debris, but Sunday’s bright sunny weather was followed by a series of cold and windy days that sapped my motivation. I know I could bundle up and soldier on, but the temptation of a book and cup of tea proved too much.

And then on Thursday the wind died down and the sun graced us with its presence, allowing an hour or two of gardening time. I donned my super-warm Icelandic sweater, and together Chris and I made a pretty good start at the White Garden.

Before and After: it may not look like much, but the bulbs are happy to see daylight.

On Saturday, as I was putting the finishing touches on this newsletter, it was sunny with temperatures in the mid-40s (F), which would have been fine if the wind weren’t once again blowing a hoolie. Sunday afternoon brought us light snow! If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that we should take advantage of any window of opportunity, no matter how short. Even small periods of work eventually add up, and the job gets done.

How are your spring garden preparations going? Sound off in the comments!