Starting on the Yard

Canopy of  Norway maples hanging over the yard. 67 degrees yesterday and beautiful. Today, 46 and hard rain. Glad to have spent my first day in the yard yesterday cleaning up. The trees have buds which will soon burst with yellow showers of pollen. Bumble and carpenter bees have already arrived in the yard. In Philadelphia the city is locked down except essential personnel, grocery shopping, and the pharmacy for medication. Since our lock down I've been grocery shopping once a week other wise I stay close to home. On the porch drinking my morning coffee with kitty joining me to watch the birds, squirrels, and other critters. Finished freshening up the paint on my porch and just started new chair cushions finally. Hopefully I'll get around to starting some lettuce and radishes next week.

View from the window.

Gave the birds some fresh water.

Moss 

Cleaned leaves from the flower beds. Narcissus will soon be in bloom. Winter aconite are finished and some scattered crocus and grape hyacinths planted a few years ago returned. One box of rotted wood from an old planter and 1 bag of leaves ready for pick up on trash day. If we weren't receiving rain every other day I'd get more done in the yard.

Still waiting for some perennials to emerge from the ground.

Second columbine planted.

Waiting for my plant delivery so I'll have something for the trellis. I ordered a climbing begonia vine.

Of many hydrangea planted in containers in the yard, little lime planted in the fall has survived. So excited. If I could dig through tree roots, it would be in the ground. Most plants in the ground have a small root ball so I can dig small holes but it gets progressively more difficult each year competing with trees.

It's starting to bud out on old wood. Glad I didn't prune it in the fall.

I'll go out on a dry day and wash down the white fence and paint the black jar planter another color. Should have left it the color it came in.

Planted 2 columbine. The soil is filled with earth worms.

Box wood looks horrible. I'll prune off the dead, soon.

Can't kill last winters pansies. I found these in a container left from the fall and planted them here. Look sad but nurseries are closed and there won't be any more spring plants until the governor opens up the city. I do have some perennials already ordered that should be arriving.

Planted dicentra in the fall. Glad to see it return.

Don't know what these are. The foliage looks like narcissus but didn't plant new bulbs in the yard last fall. Thought the camassia planted 2 seasons ago had died. Looking forward to seeing what these are.

Hope this is the perennial I planted in the fall. Almost started to dig in this spot. Glad I didn't. Can you see that small plant emerging?

Planted the poppies in a spot with a tiny bit more sun. Hope they survive and bloom this spring. Picture below.

Planted 2 woodland phlox last spring and they've returned. Can wait to see the lilac colored blooms and smell their fragrance.

The container boxwood did well this winter with no damage. Probably because of our mild winter.

Started covering cushions for the porch.

Not cut perfectly but that'll do. Now to cut out the fabric. I'm getting to do several projects around the house during this time of isolation.

What do you do when the bakery is closed, non essential. Bake the strawberry shortcake. For my daughter's birthday tomorrow. We can't go out for dinner but we can enjoy one at home. No other family though. We have to stay safe and so do they.