Mike, I can't wait to get at the garden this year. But today, when I went out there, it was a soggy layer over frozen earth.

Tonight, on my was home from work it was snowing and the roads were pretty bad.

My first order of business will be to clean up any debris that got left there when winter hit. It always sneaks up on me here.

Then I'll lime, fertlize and till.

I won't start many of my butterfly seedlings until late march or april, in my little hoophouse.

I use this winter "off" time to research and learn.

Memory problems? What? tee-hee-hee! Camelot being the size that it is, I think you are PERMITTED to have memory problems! I'd just sit back on the deck with my coffee and THINK about what needs to get done...and breathe in all that wonderfully clean, crisp air...

Naaah...there IS so much work to be done, for sure. Since almost the entire 2006 was spent with T's health issues and some of Bill's as well, my garden is just pathetic. I've been slowly getting it back in shape and mine is not nearly 1/100 Camelot's!

I did purchase some new Passiflora plants to replace those that died. The freeze killed some of my Buddleia so I need to order some new ones. DH isn't too keen on my Lavatera maritima ("I hate those things! They are so ugly! Get rid of 'em, Sherry.") so they are going although I am keeping one-I think I will transplant them at school and perhaps give one as a prize at the butterfly science training I am doing tomorrow. Lots of transplanting and removing of plants that just don't seem to be 'doing anything' is the order of the game for me this time around and ordering plants that I want to have in their places...

OH, and saving Monarchs from the pathetic Milkweed from the freeze! DH and I went up to take a look at the Milkweed last weekend at a local overwintering site. He was in shock at the sight and just shook his head. I told him it looked WAY better. In fact, I was surprised that there was some growth! I rescued four larvae and one viable egg (actually, several eggs but only one was viable). The gardeners had removed much of the 'dead' Asclepias from the gardens and it was so sad.

SIXTY BB's, Mike? Was that a typo? LOL! I'll be lucky to have enough room for two.

With that said, a few things are coming to life in my garden, like the hyacinths, grape hyacinths, puschkinias, crocus, hellebores (foetidus and orientalis), and I have noticed the buds beginning to swell on the little Black Cherry (prunus serotina) seedlings, Japanese Maple, contorted mulberry, itea, and green growth on the Sweet Autumn clematis.

I have a few more sprouts coming up now, including the monarda citriodora, and yellow coreopsis (native), and the Blessed Thistle I mentioned in an earlier post.

I guess it will be soon that I'll need to get out and start trimming back the dead growth on things (need to go get trash bags), pulling out weeds, plumping up the beds with some chickie manure, and getting the sod cut on my new bed (which means having some newspaper put down, and then soil, compost, and manure delivered to put in it)

I'll be anxious also to see if some of my borderline (zone 7) plants made it through this very cold winter. I have to remember those plants that don't usually show their heads until late spring (click on the "memory bank").

BTW, I am suffering from Camelot-envy. Thought about you, Mike, yesterday, when I was listening to the Judge's decision in the Anna Nicole case, and he compared her desires to those of Camelot, Knights of the Round Table, etc. (well, he also included the "all for one, one for all" phrase which is actually not associated with Camelot, but the Three Musketeers - is that a mixed metaphor?). Most of us will just have to live vicariously thru images of your garden!

Also note that I could not possibly take care of all that land either!

Susan

I'm amazed at the amount of media and viewer attention for the entire Anna Nicole Smith life/death/trials. Is judge Larry for real? I LMAO last night at the segment on judge Larry on Countdown.

mike

I think it's pretty much what everyone experienced when Marilyn Monroe died, too. Probably more, but because there are so many more major news stations now. Also, because we now have more forensics technology available as well.

Never seen anything like it in probate court, but I've never seen anyone argue over place of burial, either. I worked in this area of law. Most probate judges here in OKC just want to look at the DOCUMENTS, have the attorney's submit a draft ORDER for review, and then they will render a decision based upon consideration of the statutes, case law, and perhaps common law, if any exists.

I kinda liked the guy when all was said and done. He brought to light a lot of things about the parties that remained in the dark until then (dirty laundry).

I'm just anxious to see how Bahamian law is applied to the paternity and custody issues. I understand their laws are quite archaic and over the top.

Susan

Mike,

I just started visiting the butterfly forum this summer, and have not seen pictures of your gardens. Do you have them posted somewhere??

Ginger

I can't believe this, but I'm following the whole inane ANS thing! On Saturday nights my local TV station shows ET - there's nothing much else to watch or listen to at the time, so I started watching their coverage months before her, and maybe even her son's, death. I thought it was dumb, but I just kept watching out of lack of anything else to watch before I went to sleep, and now I can't wait until Larry Birkhead can prove he's the Baby Daddy! :) I love that crazy judge!
Three more dead pine trees have come down since I got back from Florida, so we've got a man with a chainsaw and a strong back coming to take care of it. I'm still planting like crazy - the hurricane aftermath continues to dominate my gardening, unfortunately.
MissSherry

No doubt, MissSherry, you'll be busy for awhile.

I agree - Larry's the father. At least he is able to support himself and the baby. Howard clearly was living off of ANS's money and stated so in open court.

I'm trying to get out there and clear some of the winter debris, and finding all kinds of things beginning to pop up in the garden. I pruned my contorted mulberry today - had to do quite a bit. It was beginning to shade the bed below it too much, and I wanted to raise the canopy a bit and open up the interior. Also pruned my Japanese Maple the same way. Cleaned up some of the dead branches of my gladiolas, zinnias, etc. in the front bed. Now, it's just clean up, clean up, clean up!

Susan

I'd like to see your garden photos, too, Mike. My February tasks are starting cuttings, planting seeds, torching bad baby weeds, and clearing away old plant debris e.g. Spanish Needles. The birds loved the brushy stems so much that I left it through the winter. My Red Buckeye is bursting out with leaves and blooms, so I had to release it from the old stuff. I also have to jump up and down to celebrate all the baby butterfly food seedlings coming up, such as the Partridge Peas, Toadflax, Johnny Jump Ups, etc. The landscape is still rather colorless, but winter is about to end. The Viceroy cats are coming out of their hibernaculae to see if there's anything to eat on the Willow Trees. So far they've gone hungry.
Carol

Carol,

I'll send you, and anyone else who wants them, some pictures of our one-acre butterfly sanctuary. We still have two DVD's that Karen shot of our Camelot in 2005. The DVDs give a much better "picture" of the sanctuary AND BUTTERFLY VISITORS than our still photos. If anyone wants the DVD, just send me your mailing address(mcronin@radford.edu). I'll put you on the mailing list. All I ask is that recipients of the DVD agree to mail it on to the next person requesting it.

mike

I took a little tour yesterday of the yard, and there is so much coming up now, I just cannot believe it!

I trimmed back my contorted mulberry and my Japanese Maple. Things coming up in the backyard are: bulbs, including daffs, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, crocus, puschkinias. The hellebores, epimedium, acanthus mollis, irises, northern sea oats, campanulas, anemone robustissima, thalictrums, are all putting up new growth. The snowdrops are blooming, and daffs have bloom stalks up on them!

In the front yard, I have lots of lychnis, tulips, phlomis, gaillardia pulchella (the one that's supposed to be an annual, but stayed green all winter), more iris, and reseeding liminanthes douglasii are all coming up.

Not sure if my lavendar or rosemary made it yet or not. Darn it.

Susan

I'm seeing new growth all over, too! The one and only serviceberry/amelanchier arborea that I planted has leafed out big time, and many other plants are doing the same. My buddleia asiatica got top killed by a freeze, but I noticed that it's making new growth from the bottom.
I saw a cloudless sulphur yesterday, and today I saw my first duskywing bouncing around, stopping occasionally to bask in the sun. It's either a horace's or a juvenal's - that was the first butterfly I saw last year, too. This is the second year in a row that I haven't seen spring azures early, so I guess the hurricane damaged their host plants - they're much less numerous than they used to be. I've been planting some more this afternoon - a dogwood and two red crossvines. I'll be planting some more tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the ........ :)
MissSherry

It's definitely time for the Falcate Orangetips to be heading this way, so everyone be on the lookout for them.

Susan

Mike, thanks for the DVD! I sure enjoyed a chance to "walk" through your beautiful butterfly habitat! I'm ready to pass it along for the next person to enjoy. I didn't see any list with the DVD so I'm awaiting your instructions. Thank you, thank you!!
Carol

Oh my, I would LOVE to see that DVD. Please let me know if there is a waiting list. :)

Once my (little, tiny, miniscule, etc) yard dries out - it is one big slop of mud right now - I gotta get at it with the rest of you!

Sandy (who only has 4 Buddleia - thanks for the alternate year trimming tip though!)