Red Raspberry Patch

At the back southwest corner of our yard, beyond the perennial path, is a patch of raspberries that we've enjoyed for years.  It's an everbearing variety that produces in June and September.  It measures about 10 feet by 14 feet.  We always get a good crop, enough for eating fresh, in pies, freezing and giving away.  Each spring my associate gardener aka hubby trims the bushes and weeds the base of the patch, which he did this year about two weeks ago.

The only problem is that we've always had to fight our way into the center in order to get those berries and came away with lots of scratches from the thorny bushes.

It only took me 40 years to come up with the idea to cut a path through the center, making picking and weeding so much easier! So that's what we did yesterday. Here are the before and after photos.

We placed weed block fabric in the pathway and mulch on top to keep it neat and weed free.

Two blossoming peach trees form a canopy over the raspberry bed. The collars on the trunks of the trees help to deter squirrels and chipmunks.   A patch of blackberries is to the left of the raspberries.  We moved the compost bin to the back of the patch so it isn't so much of an eyesore!

The birdhouse is occupied by a pair of juncos.  A climbing honeysuckle winds around the pole.

Spring in the Perennial Path

It's a beautiful day to be in the garden, full of the colors of Spring.

Clumps of blue forget-me-nots pop up all over the place!

Bleeding Heart

Last fall on Oct. 8th I added a "Tulip Bulb" post when I dug up and replanted my bulbs on both sides of the arbor at the beginning of the path.  Many of the bulbs produced flowers and with the chicken wire on top of the planted area, those pesky squirrels couldn't dig them up!

Asparagus

The aspargus is sending up shoots and we've already harvested about 25 spears. It's one of the first crops to appear in our vegetable garden.  The problem is that it's in a bad location, about in the middle of the garden.  We've had this patch of asparagus for about 30 years, so I've decided to start a new crop in a better location with a newer hybrid variety called Jersey Supreme.  I ordered ten two-year crowns through the mail and they arrived in perfect shape.

First, an 8 inch deep trench was dug about 12 inches wide.  In the trench was added a layer of composted cow manure and mixed in with the garden soil in the bottom of the trench. Then the crowns were placed in the bottom of the trench with 12 inch spacing between each crown.  More composted manure was sprinkled on top of the crowns and then they were covered with the garden soil.  The soil was tamped down and the covered trench was watered.

The spears should begin to push through the soil in the next couple of weeks and we'll be all set for another 30 years. ; )

trench with composted manure mixed with garden soil at bottom

asparagus crowns set in trench

Early Bloomers

hyacinths among the daffodils and budding tulips

The hyacinths are blooming and their fragrance fills the air.  One of the fun things about a perennial garden is anticipating the next flowers to bloom throughout the season.  The pink and red primroses are flowering, too.

primrose

primrose

Golden Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils

William Wordsworth

Glory of the Snow

Another of my first flowers to appear in the spring is Glory of the Snow, also known as Chionodoxa, a small flowering bulb in shades of lilac with white throats.

The photos show them growing among the daffodils, which should be opening in a few days.   

Chionodoxa is a member of the lily family and native to Turkey.  It grows about 6" tall and should be planted in sun to part shade in well-drained soil. The bulbs spread easily.