N°6 2024 perpetual calendar

Monday evening, i managed to pull away stilt grass from the north most and middle blueberries. There's no sign of the rescued day lilies but one sedge held up. Violets betray themselves as a rough patch where the fleshy rhizomes wait for spring. The cutleaf coneflower (sochan) have new growth, and i contemplate whether i will be enjoying meals of the greens soon. In the garden, though, the new growth seems so small -- weeks away, i guess.

Tuesday morning: the waning moon hung low, a bright crescent in the trees to the south.  Wednesday it was much lower and harder to see through the trees, but it glowed gold with Venus nearby. Arcturus is now directly overhead at 6 am.

It warmed later in the week, with frog song frequent.

I've scouted for signs of the trout lilies, with no sighting.  The Crocus tommasinianus ‘Roseus’ and hellebore continue.

I've checked trees and shrubs for buds. Blueberries are swelling as they do -- and i wonder if i should still cut the tall whips back so can sheet the plants. Hmm. But the elderberries i planted this winter seem to have broken bud. Oh little plants!

And speaking of the newly planted, the tea camellia is gone. I'll buy more sooner or later and will protect the plantling from the deer. Green leaves are too tempting. I just thought it was shielded from interest and so small.

I planted creeping red fescue in the area just south (uphill) of the east berm. I'd left leaves down, and there's a good deal of stilt grass (which left thatch) and Indian strawberry incursion there. I suspect it will get a bit more sun with the tree thinning. I hope the grass gets a head start on the stilt grass and can crowd it out. Leaving the leaves down did create some bald patches, and i realize how i've got a problem with lingering leaves in the west part of the yard. I also put down the "Five Star" fescue mix where the crepe myrtle was at the edge of the old yard (and where the elderberries are now. That was pretty thick summer weeds, which raked up, and a few patches of fine fescue. With more mid and late day sun, i got a sun mix for this area. Where the chestnut has begun shading the old yard, i put down more creeping red. Under the fig, though, there seems to be a nice bed of moss growing, so i may just scalp that of moss competitors.

I hope i am up to collecting seed from the native grass in the east yard this May. I would have preferred to be planting plugs in bald spots or scattering its seed. I am so delighted with it as a low mow ground cover.

Outside of our cooler hollow in the woods, i've seen daffodils blooming. At Fearrington, a lovely neighborhood where we frequently walk Carrie, there is some bright pink flowering tree near the entrance, and  yellow crocuses (maybe Field of Gold?) blooming in a yard. Some other early blooming plants are popping  out -- i assume some are witch hazels.

8 Feb  (10.7 kWh) was the first day since to generate more than 10 kWh of power since 19 October (10.6) . 10 Feb hit 10.6 kWh.