Xeric Garden Calender - SpringSpring is here, and it's the feeling of seeing a long missed friend who arrives unexpectedly. It can seem as though winter will never leave, then suddenly, overnight sometimes, it's spring. You know it from the birdsong; the buds plumping up and exploding into a froth of green leaves. AnticipationRain falls, instead of snow, and the mud is slick on top of melting ice. Once the ground thaws, bulbs emerge even before the snow's completely gone.
Days warm, even though the nights can still be chilly, but it's okay, you know the sun will have a warmth to it, and all the dark dreary drab days will be forgotten.Spring can never be rated highly enough. The energy, the excitement, the euphoria; if only we could bottle it. Okay, enough of that, it's time to get to work. But wait - don't be too hasty to clean up the debris of the perennials you left from the fall. You could be demolishing a cocoon or chrysalis of a delicate butterfly, or a dainty sprout emerging from the dark earth could be damaged by the frost if you take away the mulch of leaves and stems. So slowly, carefully, even though you have so little time to get it all done. EuphoriaTake time to breathe deeply, and enjoy. Watch the rapidly melting ice and snow, and the emergence of bulbs you had forgotten you planted last fall.Take lots of pictures, as it's fleeting - by tomorrow it will look much different than it does today. Capture the moment when sunlight glistens on raindrops, and as each new flower opens. Once the initial giddiness has ebbed, you can clean up, spread compost and dig your vegetable bed. The seeds you started in January will be ready to go into a cold frame to be hardened off. Planting can begin! ChoresBy mid April, bare patches have emerged, and due to incredible foresight on my part, I happened to plant stock plants of the most popular Thymus in a place that bares off first. Once I've got some flats prepared - filled with sterile soilless media and watered - propagation can begin. It takes about half an hour to collect cuttings, prepare them, and stick one flat of 72 plugs. They are kept in the greenhouse to root, as it's crucial that they don't dry out at any time until they've rooted.
In between four and six weeks later, they'll be ready to ship to the customer. I try not to ship them later than that as they will grow into the adjacent cells, and need to be cut before planting. No big deal, but more work for the customer. It's a fine line between having roots right to the bottom of the cell, and not too much upper growth.Thyme propagation fills a good percentage of time up until the middle of June when they start to bloom, after which they won't root and tend to rot or dry up too much. Another thing that needs attention is fertilizing of pretty much everything. Compost tea is a good all round pick-me-up for plants in the xeric garden. You can make this by putting compost, chicken manure or comfrey leaves in a burlap bag to soak in a bucket of water for a few days to a few weeks. Caution: chicken manure will smell very strong! Dilute the concentrate between one and ten times with water, then water the foliage and soil around your plants. You'll be amazed at how your plants thank you.
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