Early Spring Cleaning

By the calendar it's not yet late winter, but the weather is pure spring.  Today we evicted the weeds from the Heritage Center beds and cut back the remainder of last year's perennial stems.  The columbines are emerging  In the Rain Garden some of the invading grasses and winter weeds are pushing up through the leaf mulch, so those were also evicted.  The bee balm is showing signs of life.  At the Native Plant Garden, we began cutting back the broomsedge and again evicted the invading winter weeds.  Our one elderberry shrub is beginning to leaf out.

I forgot to get a photo of our progress in the gardens, but I will share one of a woodland scene from a few days ago.  This moss-covered boulder speaks of many seasons of undisturbed tranquility off the beaten path, pleasant to contemplate after several hours of garden chores.
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