from a couple of years ago, before I gave up on the hummingbird feederSpring is such a gorgeous time of year. Everything wants to grow. Brown hills turn green. Flowers burst forth. New life abounds. All of creation sings out with joy. Right?
Well, sure. But there is also this:
I'm told that Spring began on March 20. Can't prove it by me. We had about a week of delightful weather: temps in the low 70's, blue skies, birdsong - it was wonderful. That was back in March. Maybe even before the 20th, I'm not sure. Since then, it's been cold. Or wet. Or windy. Or cold and windy. Or wet and cold.
For the last 2 weeks, the wind has been ever-present and unrelenting. This is no gentle breeze. No, no. This is shake the house, break off branches, kill the new leaves, 30 mph wind gusting up to 45 mph. And the sound! Rattling the vents, howling through the trees, it is not a pleasant sound like rain or thunder. O how I despise wind. (To be fair, I hasten to add that it is much easier to deal with since the landlord replaced the 40+ year-old windows two summers ago. The wind actually cracked two of those old windows. But I still hate the wind, more than anything else in my life.)
between gusts, all is well
however, that does not last long, and this poor
little tree gets whipped around quite a lot.
Which is why I have to tie the tree (as well as
the hanging basket, not pictured) to the balcony.
Otherwise it would be rolling around or
crashing into the window.
It's also been incredibly cold here. Now, of course "cold" is relative - I am fully aware that I live in what is known as a temperate climate. (Just F.Y.I. to those who have not lived here, that means that it can be in the 50ºs or the 80ºs in April, August, November or January. Just sayin'.) So yes, in the low 50ºs all season long. Outside and in. I refuse to turn on the heat after April 1, so it's been about 58º in here most of the time. Layers of sweatshirts, heavy socks, and blankets abound.
The one good thing I can say about this unseasonably cold season is this: It's kept the ladybugs around.
my hero. or heroine.
See, Spring also brings aphids. They spring to life like everything else. The unfair advantage that Nature gave to aphids is that they can reproduce asexually. Which means that where one aphid is, three days later you can have a hundred sucking the life out of your plants. I have seen clusters of aphids where this is abundantly apparent - one large aphid surrounded by 99 little ones. It's kind of amazing, but it is really not a pleasant thing to see a favorite plant encrusted with the vile things.
Sadly, this is an indoor infestation. The plant had to be
destroyed, lest the infestation spread to more plants.
There are things one can try to eradicate the pestilence. I'm told that a good, hard spray of water will knock them off the plants and all will be well. That would be great, except that I (a) grow everything in pots, and the spray would empty the pots of soil and (b) have no hose. There is insecticidal soap, a "green", safe way of killing many garden pests. Unfortunately, you have to hit every bug that needs to be killed, and when they are everywhere, some are bound to be missed (see reproduction habits, above.) Also, the spray wilts the flowers - not a happy side effect. Enter the ladybug.
This critter is amazing. It can eat 100 aphids a day. Multiply that by the 1500 bugs you get in a container at the garden center for under $10, and you've got one environmentally-friendly pest solution. Trouble is, my gardening space is only about 3' wide and 9' long, and those ladybugs have wings. They are fickle things, not giving one thought to the fact that I've given them their freedom, and will fly away into a calm, blue sky and warm sun.
Ah HA! The silver lining. The little darlings are staying right here in my garden, hoovering up the aphids at a rapid pace. How wonderful. Maybe when the weather rights itself (one can always hope) and we get the Spring that is due to us, the flowers will still be around to enjoy.
maybe they'll even multiply!
That would almost make all this misery worth it. Almost.
Well, sure. But there is also this:
I'm told that Spring began on March 20. Can't prove it by me. We had about a week of delightful weather: temps in the low 70's, blue skies, birdsong - it was wonderful. That was back in March. Maybe even before the 20th, I'm not sure. Since then, it's been cold. Or wet. Or windy. Or cold and windy. Or wet and cold.
For the last 2 weeks, the wind has been ever-present and unrelenting. This is no gentle breeze. No, no. This is shake the house, break off branches, kill the new leaves, 30 mph wind gusting up to 45 mph. And the sound! Rattling the vents, howling through the trees, it is not a pleasant sound like rain or thunder. O how I despise wind. (To be fair, I hasten to add that it is much easier to deal with since the landlord replaced the 40+ year-old windows two summers ago. The wind actually cracked two of those old windows. But I still hate the wind, more than anything else in my life.)
between gusts, all is well
however, that does not last long, and this poorlittle tree gets whipped around quite a lot.
Which is why I have to tie the tree (as well asthe hanging basket, not pictured) to the balcony.
Otherwise it would be rolling around or
crashing into the window.
The one good thing I can say about this unseasonably cold season is this: It's kept the ladybugs around.
my hero. or heroine.
Sadly, this is an indoor infestation. The plant had to bedestroyed, lest the infestation spread to more plants.
This critter is amazing. It can eat 100 aphids a day. Multiply that by the 1500 bugs you get in a container at the garden center for under $10, and you've got one environmentally-friendly pest solution. Trouble is, my gardening space is only about 3' wide and 9' long, and those ladybugs have wings. They are fickle things, not giving one thought to the fact that I've given them their freedom, and will fly away into a calm, blue sky and warm sun.
Ah HA! The silver lining. The little darlings are staying right here in my garden, hoovering up the aphids at a rapid pace. How wonderful. Maybe when the weather rights itself (one can always hope) and we get the Spring that is due to us, the flowers will still be around to enjoy.
maybe they'll even multiply!
