New Thread for April Week 3
hazelinok
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What's in bloom in your garden this week, April 3rd?
Comments (13)I still have the crop from last week: Crocus Hellebores Snowdrops Hyacinths with a few additions: Cornus Mas-2 different varieties. This is their first year blooming. Yeah! Forsythia Flowering Quince are just about to open A few daffs That's it at the moment....See MoreWhat happened in your garden this week - April 3rd?
Comments (14)Sifted compost and spread it around some newer mixed beds. I really just needed the space, those 3-section compost bin systems are actually one section too few, no matter how big the sections are. Made a mental note that when building my next one, I'll remember that each bin should be slightly smaller than the previous one. Kind of a no-brainer, but I never remember it until a few seasons into using the bins. I also dug up some volunteers that grew all last season in bad places - rose campion in a line of boxwood, big yellow snapdragon on the edge of the front path ... that kind of thing. You kind of hate to move smething that you love, that took the initiative to pop up of its own volition, but at some point you just ahve to pull rank and show these plants that you are, at least nominally, in control of the garden. Got my first case of tendonitis of the season. It's bad enough that I can't shift my car with my right hand, which means it's ALMOST bad enough to keep me out of the garden. And, I spent many hours walking around the vicinity of the back door trying to finalize plans for a new paved seating area. I'd love to be able to plop down on a patio right outside the door, but the "profile" of the back of my house doesn't really allow that, because of additions and bulkheads and a mini-deck at the door. So, I'm going to have to figure out a way to provide the sense of partial enclosure that the house walls normally provide, somewhere away from the house. The actual bricklaying will be the easy part, it's figuring out where everything will work that I find really difficult....See MoreParis thread -- trip 2-3 weeks before, during or after Easter..
Comments (19)Is this your first trip to Paris and or London? If you have three weeks, I would certainly plan to do more than Paris, especially if I had not been to Europe before and was not a frequent traveller ... you can do a lot comfortably in three weeks. Let me start off by saying though, I really would not go to Paris in April. My first trip as a "grown up" was April in Paris, and I just assumed it was a good time ago (isn't there a famous song?). The song is probably just because the guy needed two syllables. April in Paris is usually cold and rainy. I have been there a dozen times on business and 4 times for pleasure, and I much prefer June or September. I totally understand the spring break timing. I am confronted with that every year too ... it seems you either go skiiing, go to the beach, or you have to go somewhere off season. Drives me crazy. But I truly believe April is suboptimal, and I had to say that upfront. One of the best things about Paris is just strolling about, and it is much nicer if it is green and pleasant. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, I'd do it in June. One of my favorite places in the world is the Bagatelle, a small tulip garden in the Bois du Bologne. In April it will be barren. So will Giverny, a great day trip to Monet's home. Okay so I have said my piece on that and will desist! The Georges V on the right bank is steps from the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elyssees. Over the years it had been flagged as a few different brands, but it is currently a Four Seasons. I tended to stay there on business, and while it is excellent, it is not my first choice for leisure. I don't really like the Champs Elysee ... it has large, modern stores on that section .. and I would much rather be based on the left bank for leisure. My fave is La Lutetia, but I just looked it up and it is closed for renovations. I also like the Hotel Montalambert and Relais Christine, both left bank. Do note that both cities are very pricey as I am sure you know. Moreover, unlike American brands, rooms are typically very very small and often cannot accommodate a third person. Lastly, try to be very specific about the actual room and get photos. Many hotels are in older buildings and the rooms are anything but cookie cutter. One person can have a fabulous charming room and the other a dump. But in my mind it feels much more Parisian to stay in an old building! So keep that in mind when looking into alternates. As far as an itinerary, I would try to take the full three weeks so as to maximize the bang for your buck on flying over there. BTW I just read about a new all business class airline into Paris that, for business class, is quite reasonable. If you don't want to spring for a flat bed seat, fly during the day, land at night, and get right on the local schedule. Avoid caffeine, drink lots of water, get sun and exercise and you won't have any jet lag. I would consider flying into London (frankly between Gatwick and LHR there are so many flights and carriers that you can usually get the best deals). I would consider excursions to Stonehenge and Bath. Then I'd take the Chunnel to Paris. No one needs to tell you what to see in Paris! Outside of Paris I'd consider train trips to Versailles of course, and maybe to Chartres to see the famous cathedral and have dinner. If you are going a full three weeks, I might throw in Belgium and do an open jaw, flying into one city and out of a different one. I like the Hop on Hop off buses, tacky though they are, because they give you a quick lay of the the land. I usually research the "36 hours in" or "three perfect days in" articles in advance, to get ideas about what Id like to do. These are from the NY Times and periodicals so more timely than guidebooks....See MoreApril Planting/Conversation Thread: The Sequel, April 19 & Beyond
Comments (193)Amy, Congrats on the turnips and I think the parsnips will be fine. With all the cloudy days we tend to have at this time of the year, even if the parsnips leaves sunburn a little in the first couple of days after you harvested the turnips, I'd think that new growth will appear and the plants themselves will be fine. Turnips grown in the fall can turn woody too if the gardener leaves them in the ground too long. I know people who are stuck in that bigger is better mentality (with which I strongly disagree) and they leave their turnips in the ground until they are huge and woody and not fit to eat. Bon, If you were out in the wind and cold pulling weeds yesterday, I'm fearing you're crossing over to the dark side. The wind here was gusting in the upper 40s and lower 50s and I stayed indoors as much as possible as did Tim, the dogs and the cats. The chickens didn't like the wind either and spent a lot of time huddled under the shrubs and even came up onto the porch and huddled up close to the exterior of the wall to stay out of the wind. Augustus the turkey spent most of his day huddled underneath the gigantic Burford hollies on the south side of the porch, gobbling away. That wind was strong and cold. I hate ivy and all kinds of it try to invade from the northwest corner of the garden. I have some smilax, poison ivy and Virginia creeper vines to pull out of the corner of the garden this week, as well as some unknown ivy-looking creeping and crawling vines that I don't want there either. Where does all this crap come from? I blame the wild birds. I think they sit on the fence and plant things. Dawn...See Morehazelinok
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