Spring cleaning has been in my bones since I was a little girl, helping my mom drag the old carpets outside to give it a good flogging with the ‘mattenklopper’ (carpet beater). I loved that job! I was not always particularly helpful with the way I used the devise (my family will tell) however there is something about starting afresh, cleaning out the cobwebs, letting in the air, that brings out the best in me, so naturally for me spring cleaning in the garden is like an orgy.
I love how spring is so promising, still so full of potential, so flawless. It entices me to daydreams of graceful Lilies, perfectly straight; Snapdragons and lots of it; voluptuous garden Roses and intense magenta Peonies. Things don’t always work out the way I imagine and any advise the reader wants to share with me on growing tall strong flower stems, I’ll be all ears and love to learn more.
I’m exited to rake away the layer of leaves (that I deposited there in the fall to protect against the elements as well as weeds), and find out which plants have survived the hard frosts we’ve experienced last winter. There are still many plants that are not at all ready to poke their heads out of the ground but many can’t wait to stretch their plant bodies up into an April world.
