Spring is definitely in full swing here today. Somehow it got very warm overnight, after weeks of freezing morning temperatures. Hopefully this hot spell won’t last long, but we do know what’s coming. Spring offers us a time of rejuvenation. In the garden it is often short due to lack of rain. But there is that magic week where the temperatures are above freezing and it rains every night. We started the month with snow still on the ground. We got right to work cleaning up after the new well where the front entrance was devastated. Here are some before and after shots of what kept us busy here.
Yes we worked hard and moved stone. Not only in the paths, but also in two soapstone troughs.
Now let’s turn our attention to our upcoming “BNARGS BBG Outreach” program at the Berkshire Botanical’s Mothers Day Plant Sale. Make no mistake. Properly advertised plant sales draw in the crowds. And that’s the occasion where we might interest new members. For this past Saturday at the Stonecrop’s annual sale, people drove over 4 hours to score the perfect plant. There was a line before it opened at 9 a.m.! Clearly it was a hit.
In April at our last BNARGS meeting, after a stellar talk by Anne Spiegel, BNARGS held a seedling sale. It too drew people from hours away. And what a great plant selection. I bid (just had to) on a Lomatium grayi that was dug just for the occasion. Another name for this Northwest native is Gray’s Desert Parsley. A member of the Apiaceae, it grows in dry rocky slopes. It has been over three years now that I have tried to get one going in the garden. And up at the front entrance will be the very place for it as it will go dormant while the salvias flower.
At that meeting we had a signup list for volunteers for the two days -May 10 and 11. They will be long days: 9-5. If you still want to sign-up, just shoot me an email.
The next regular meeting will be a workshop to make another styrofoam trough. What great fun we had last year! Start checking you local market for the size you want. In the meantime, Happy Spring!
Berkshire Chapter NARGS 