Back towards the end of March life started to stir and appear from the soil.
First were the spring bulbs in the Cut Flower bed.
The first to show was the hyacinths with lots of iris leaf growth.
The meadow plants started to put on new growth and the comfrey (left) appeared after being dug under when the irrigation system was put in.
I got the eagerly anticipated call from Verna at Fruit Trees and More that my order was in. I went straight away and picked up an Italian plum and many different shrubs and berry bushes.
I also did a thorough search of one of my favourite nurseries Le Coteau Nursery and found many of the trees and shrubs on my list.
At this stage of planting the beds, I am making the big decision about which tree will anchor the ecosystem in each bed. Next, I look for the compatible shrub layer. However, I was sidetracked by the beautiful condition of these hostas at Le Conteau Nursery and bought a collection for the new bed between the cedar fence and the hugelkultur beds. They settled in straight away and put on new growth within a few weeks.
The locals thought the Hostas looked delicious too but nibbled only a few of the lower leaves.
I had said to Sammy I wanted to plant native Dogwood shrubs. One day he brought around some sticks and pushed them into the ground. Already their lovely red stems are a feature in the bed.
While continuing to build up and protect the soil with a mulch layer, I was focused more on planting while the rains continued.
