Meadowsweet Cottage: I Blinked and It's Winter Again

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

I Blinked and It's Winter Again

"Rain", they said. Sounded good to me. Instead...it's snowing. Again.

It's a good day to put yardwork on hold--actually that's not even an option since the weather gods clearly are not favoring gardeners.

Still, I can and did plan my next project. Since the chickens are no more, and there will clearly not be any more if the HOA has its way, their chicken coop can be moved out of the run and repurposed. After measuring it, I found it fits nicely in an unused space that has way too much shade and cedar duff to be useful for plants. The coop will become a mini-storage shed. It's a good place to stash pots and soil and frequently-used fertilizers. In the winter, I can fit garden hoses, BBQ tools and tools out of the elements.

I'm thrilled I constructed it as a modular coop. The roof, coop and base are all separate units so it will be relatively easy to move.

My huge old common lilac tree broke in the Sierra Cement snowfall a few months ago. As soon as it's blossomed, it's getting replaced by a much prettier lilac named Agincourt Beauty. I just repotted it into a roomy five-gallon pot and it's funny to think of this little twelve-inch lilac replacing a twelve foot tree. What a change that will be!

When the lilac branch broke, it also took down part of a honeysuckle plant that shaded the chickens, provided cover from hawks and kept at least part of the run free of snow. I gave it a hard pruning--it might stay or it might not. The run previously was used for vegetables and that's my plan again. There was too much shade from the cherry tree which is almost completely dead and slated for removal soon as well as from the lilac tree. There should be plenty of hot sun again and I intend to take advantage of it for pole beans and sunflowers.

The Sensation lilac (fourth from the left) is calling my name--I love picotee flowers. Where to put it though? I'm pondering the possibilities.