The sure sign that late spring has arrived is the farmers market with its spectacle of flat after flat of flowers. I go just to view the display, having raised my own requirements this past winter. While there is nothing exotic exhibited, the sheer mass of color thaws out and brings joy to the heart of this gardener. On an early sunny day, in itself a wondrous thing locally, one may even believe that winter is over. So many naive gardeners leave with armloads of flowers and can't wait to plant them immediately. After these photos were taken we had one killing frost and then a mild one. I neglected to bring a flat of coleus that was hardening outdoors into shelter and lost it. The following morning they were very soft.
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Marigolds seem to be one of the most popular flowers offered for sale. Perhaps one reason is that they are presented in full, seductive bloom causing viewers to salivate.
Where I live annuals could not be planted outside until Memorial Day, the end of May and more often than not the last day for a killing frost. For the last several years the planting date could be earlier by one to two weeks with reasonable confidence for survival. Global warming?
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This year local apple farmers lost one third of their crop due to the killing frost which arrived after the trees were in flower. Strawberry growers lost up to half their crop. A last ditch attempt by nature to overcome global warming?
Later this year we will take a pair of canvas bags with us when we go to the farmers market. We may have to empty them in the car's trunk to make room for more purchases of local produce. The flowers that gratified the soul may be gone but what will replace them satisfies the body.
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This past winter the deer have finished off one rhododendron and decimated half a dozen yews. Five have already been removed and the sixth is awaiting its turn. The local, minute population of coyotes, has many people needlessly frightened but I only wish they would be hungry enough to take down the overpopulation of deer. Unfortunately coyotes subsist on much smaller game, insects and apples. Hey, with the apple crop down maybe there is a chance. I
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