by CKR
It's been getting warmer, although not particularly pleasant. We've had wind most of the time it's been warmer. But the snow is melting, gone from most of my yard except the north-facing slopes.
I've been wanting to spread some more native flower and grass seeds. I have some that I bought at least two years ago, and seeds don't stay good forever. I also had some evening primrose seeds that I bought in a small envelope with a pretty picture on the front. Now is one of the best times for planting them. I've recently had official confirmation of what I've suspected: that cold and snow actually help their germination. So every time a storm has been predicted, I've thought, I should get out in the yard and spread the seeds.
But I didn't, until today. That's probably three storms I've missed.
It's cloudy but not too windy, the temperature in the 40s. Just right for spreading native seeds before a storm. I've been picky before and carefully mixed the seeds with soil, then raked the places where I was spreading them. Another advantage of now is that the soil is broken up from rain, snow and frost, lots of cracks and valleys that the seeds can fall into. I raked a couple of places, but mostly just strewed the seeds around: flowers here, grass there, some of both.
And the seed is gone.
Of course, getting out also lets me see what's happening. Yesterday it seemed to me that the cheatgrass near the house, in the not-yet-cleared flowerbeds, was getting a bit greener (first photo). It's just cheatgrass, but it is green. It reminds me that another chore I can undertake on these warmer days is to clear the dead stuff out of the flowerbeds. But spreading the seeds was the higher priority.
I also remembered this week that I planted quite a few bulbs last fall: daffodils, tulips, and a number of other things that seemed like a good idea at the time. None of them are coming up yet, and I don't recall where all of them are. Fortunately, I have no reason to dig in the flowerbeds yet.
I tend to forget what I've planted where, so I've become more conscientious about planting the tags as well as the plants. I was delighted to see this little bit of green (second photo). It's in a rocky place that dries out terribly; several plants haven't made it there. The next photo helps you to see the scale. There was another tiny plant, this one a mystery species, in the rock garden in back, very green, possibly a penstemon from seeds I strewed last year. Too difficult a slope, and I didn't have the camera.
This residence still looks closed for the winter. I think it belongs to the lizards rather than the rock squirrels.
