Bramlage Garden - March - Week 4

Posted by Georgene A. Bramlage Mar 20, 2006

The Vernal Equinox arrives today, March 20, at 1:26 P.M. EST according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. My articles on March 22, and March 29 show why it is important for designers and gardeners to be aware of the sun's position in the sky.

The winds here keep trying to bring snow down from Canada, but the "white stuff" doesn't last long. The deer keep eating the yew shrubs along the east side of the house. And judging by what the cat brings onto the breezeway, the shrews and moles are active above ground. Birds are singing their spring songs, but are still active at the feeders.

My next reports will be from Virginia in The Shenandoah Valley and

Central Regions where I'll be helping two new homeowners with their landscapes.

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Week #3

Daylight increases as we approach the spring equinox on March 20th. Snowdrops in their sheltered spot... under the Euonymus alata (winged euonymus) are in good bloom. While the Cornus mas, (Cornelian cherry - not a real cherry - but a member of the dogwood family)is ready to burst into bloom any day now. Tomrrow, I'll bring some of these branches in to force. Abeliophyllum distichum, sometimes called "white forsythia - is also ready to burst into bloom! It is a distant relative of the forythia, but there the resemblence stops! The "white forsythia", although very messy in habit, has exquisite fragrant, tiny white or pink-tinged flowers. I forced some branches of this shrub several weeks back and the fragrance filled the whole kitchen and dining area.