March Flowers and Such

March flowers finally arrived here in Robin's Nest! Winter held on longer this year, and there were no flowers blooming at the end of February. I don't think that's ever happened before! I sure am glad to see them. I'm trying to savor each one, knowing that next year we'll be in a new home, and someone else will get to enjoy them. It's hard to leave a beloved garden behind, but exciting too. I'll be building a new Nest, but it will have a smaller footprint. 

In the meantime, I've been working on winter cleanup. But I'm also tweaking the garden so that it will be a bit simpler for its future owner. I don't want a non-gardener to see it and be too overwhelmed to buy the place. I'm removing plants that are testy, and the ones that don't contribute much. And I'll be limiting the annuals that I usually plug into every available space. 

I've already begun writing an "instruction manual" to the new owners, as I did when I left my last garden. I'd hate for them to start ripping things out willy nilly, without knowing what's what.. My main advice is "wait a year", so that they can see each bulb and perennial in season as it arrives. I know, I can't really control what they do, but at least I'll give them some idea of what to expect. Yes, I'll leave behind my collection of plant tags, in case they want to get to know the place. This house was a new build when we moved in, so every single thing was planted by our hands. So we have lots of tags! 

The weather is still all over the place, winter one day, spring the next, then back to winter. So I'm not spending every moment outside like I might in the summer. Indoor pursuits include cooking, crochet, and bit of redecorating. If it seems like a strange time to redecorate, it's because I'm already planning how my new home will look, and using my current home as a staging ground. 

I've caught a few nice sunsets, despite the awkward place it happens at this time of year. I keep wondering what kind of sky views I'll have in my new house. We did purposely choose a home with the back facing south, just like this one, and it's a new subdivision with baby trees that won't block my view. I'll have to find new spots to catch the view, I'm sure. That's half the fun of moving! Mostly we'll be near our family again, which is the point of the whole thing. 

Thanks for stopping by my Nest, as usual! Next year at this time, my Nest will be back home in Michigan, and this place will be someone else's Nest. Life goes on. 

March in Ohio

 Like so much of the country, we had a mild winter here in Ohio, which extended into bizarre warm days in February and early March. I was wearing sandals by March 4th! All the plants began to wake up, and things started to bloom early. But by mid month, Mother Nature seemed to remember that spring is generally chilly in March, and she did an about face. We had snow and cold, and all the blooming was halted. Even my pansies weren't happy, and they don't usually mind a chill. I stuck pansy pots into the garage for days on end, and covered the other ones with heavy towels. But finally here at the end of the month, we seem to be past the winter weather. 

Although a few flowers peeked out last month, the warm weather in early March is what really made the difference. 

During that burst of warm weather early in the month, I knew that I'd hear the spring peepers singing at the nearby wetland area. I absolutely LOVE this sound, and it's much louder than you would think. This area is remote enough that I can usually just stop my car in the middle of the road, turn off the engine, and record right out the window. Keep in mind this video is meant to by heard, not seen! 

During the cold spell mid month, I went back to indoor pursuits. I crocheted a few cat toys, hung out my newly painted birdhouse, made felt flowers for my cord wreath, watched my Hoya plant bloom, finished my neutral crochet blanket, baked lemon cookies, and filled my favorite vase with orange carnations. I'm someone who just loves to add those extra touches around the house, whether it's fresh flowers, homemade cookies, new crochet blankets or other extras. 

In preparation for Easter, I put out a few decorations, mostly to celebrate spring. My favorite is the blue and white pottery bunny below, since it's Polish pottery. My husband is 100% Polish! 

I stopped in at one of my favorite autumn parks the other day, Chestnut Ridge, when I realized that I've never visited there in early spring. While most of the trees are still bare, I did find a big patch of forsythia, mossy trees, and a blooming serviceberry tree. Most of the white blooming trees seen right now are the dreaded invasive pear trees, but I noticed there were none to be seen at this park. Good! 

 Once the short spell of cold weather was past, the flowers began to bloom again, especially the hellebores.  And yes, I do have a pear tree! But I didn't plant it here, it was placed by the city we live in. It's at least 20 years old, so I doubt it will live much longer. In the meantime, it is pretty. Just don't tell anyone I said that. Ha!

My skywatching is tricky in the month of March, as the sunsets line up in a way that's harder to catch from my house. Soon enough, it will be back in the front where I can see it better. By cruising around nearby, I can always find other sunset views. 

Thanks for coming by to see what's going on in Robin's Nest this month. I always appreciate when you stop by here! Hope to see you at the end of April, where I'll surely have plenty of tulips to share. I even spotted one today, but I'll save that for next time. Till then!