SPRING IS COMMING

I decided that since spring is close to coming, I should get another post done for our blog, so here goes. Today is sunny and clear, a little chilly  but not too bad. Janice and I have been pruning trees, shrubs, and vines.



 We have the Filbert trees at the top of the yard done and they look so very much better. We have removed one rooted sucker and still need to remove two or three more, and will give to the kids.

 While pruning the filberts, we dug up the strawberries and after we finish filling the area with soil we will re-plant them.

 This Spartan Apple looks so very much better since it got it's hair cut.

 This Asian Pear looks weird because the tree still has two varieties grafted onto it. When I bought it the tree had two Asian and two European pears grafted to it. Needless to say that is the last multi-varietal tree I purchase as I don't care for the look of the trees, and they are extremely hard to prune.

 In this picture the little tree in the fore ground is a Honey Crisp, then the Bosc Pear at the end of the greenhouse and another Asian Pear behind the garden shed. The two Pears are pruned, I have not pruned the Honey Crisp yet as I want to use the trimmings for Scion Wood for grafting some root stocks that I have as well as the large Spartan I am top working.

 Well if you remember from the last post the plum tree that was horribly over grown, is now pruned and looking better. The Spartan in the fore ground was cleft grafted last year, but only one graft took, so I am going to graft most of the brushy twigs this year and then choose which to leave later.

 The Kiwi are cut back to the top of where we are building the Pergola, and back to single stems.

 Unfortunately when you prune plants you get lots of waste that will need to be chipped or burned.

 Just another pile of chipper food.

 The pond this time of year is very nice, clear and full.

 I truly love the pasture this time of year, but we still need to cut the fallen tree and branches.

 The other day Janice and I dug out a small clump of bamboo (see second from the bottom) that was too far out the other side of the group, and re-planted it into an opening where it is seen now.

 Janice's Linton Rose is blooming to beat the band right now. It usually continues for a long time in the spring.

This is Janice's over grown herb garden and the contorted Filbert it has as a center piece. If you look close at the Filbert's branches closer to the Bay tree, you can see some Catkins (blooms). It will be interesting to see if it produces nuts this year.

 Another sure sign of spring is time for babies. This is a little buckling born last night to Ginger, one of our babies from last year.

He isn't named yet but he is friendly and so very cute, makes you want to just hold him forever.

Our little Ginger looks like any other mommy goat now, but she is unsure of things. but taking great care of the baby.

The little one weighed in at seven pounds. The next one due to kid is Brownie (Ginger's mother) and then Meg, Ginger's sister is due to kid last.

While out there, I have been wanting to remove three small Hemlock trees from the Bee Yard, so that was completed as well as Janice pruning most of the lower branches on the Cedar trees in that end of the property. I took the Hemlocks and gave the two lightest ones to the girls (goats) and the fullest one to the two boys.