Post-Easter garden chores

The somewhat earlier approach of warm weather has been welcomed with enthusiasm by gardeners in the Chester area. Along with the pleasure of seeing the greening up of lawns, gardeners have been delighted to spy new growth almost every day as they monitor the dormant beds. For many, those beds are now in need of spring-cleaning, as witnessed by the appearance of Scylla popping up amid the winter mulch of leaves in the shot below.

The cheery splash of colour from early bloomers like heaths (springwood pink, below) seems to lighten the load of raking and cutting back old stalks to make way for spring growth. “Cutting” will be the key word for many in the Club this week, as they make the trip to the Grand Pre Winery in the Annapolis Valley for a lesson in pruning. Following instructions, and under the watchful eye of an employee at the vinyard, club members will actually have the opportunity to practice their techniques on selected vines. A brown bag lunch and the chance to sample some local wines are part of the program. We hope to have some photos and a report next week.

And here below, as an update on the growth of this year’s rhubarb in the Chester area, is a shot of the first real leaves developing in one corner of the patch. This photo was taken ten days after the one that appeared in an earlier blog.

The return of so many birds has turned the fields and gardens in our area into a virtual aviary, with competing songs issuing from a variety of species. Members of the Chester Garden Club are looking forward to learning more about attracting birds to their gardens at the forthcoming meeting of the club on April 19th. The guest speaker will be Kelly Delaney, owner/operator of “For the Birds” nature shop in Mahone Bay.

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