Yesterday, the hops, honeyberry and elderberry came in the mail. I only had a chance to plant one of the honeyberry plants before the boys dragged me off to the swale.
They wanted to explore and get muddy and I wanted to see if there was any new growth.
None of us were disappointed.
Almost every single tree we planted is budding. Of the trees we purchased, all cherry varieties–nanking, sugar sweet, rootstock–are sprouting leaves like crazy. I even saw a few flowers. Most of the apple trees we planted are sprouting. I only saw one or two that weren’t.
The iris I planted have popped through the surface of the soil.
And just about everything we planted using cuttings and rooting hormone is thriving. The dogwood and willows from Ray’s grandparents, the tree from a friend and some of the oaks that we planted as well.
There is quite a bit of the white dutch clover we threw down growing, but not nearly what I expected. I blame the wind.
We are, however, getting the berms cover cropped without doing anything. All of the grasses, lamb’s quarters and milkweed are coming back up. Plus, the seed bombs that the boys threw down are starting to show.
After walking all over the swales and marveling at all the new growth, I wrangled the boys and went over to check on the girls. They were a little salty because we had not been out to see them since the morning, and they wanted some treats.
So I threw some lamb’s quarters down along with some of the weeds I’d pulled from the kitchen garden.
“It’s no watermelon,” one of them clucked, “but I guess it’ll do.”
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