D-day minus 7 weeks

With baby Ashley due in seven weeks I've been hard at work crafting up a storm. My big project won't be revealed until the baby shower, which is just days away. Momma-to-be, Amanda, and Daddy-to be, Dan, will be here Sunday to be feted by their friends and family. A visit to my favorite craft store, Ben Franklin, gave me lots of fun ideas for decorating for the event. Using their paper cut dies, I cut 3-D flowers and butterflies to match the nursery colors. I'll post photos of all next week.

In the mean time I've been busy with other important matters. It is Spring after all and my garden has been calling loudly to get my attention. Over the past few weeks I've trimmed back overgrown shrubs and trees and cleaned up the dead foliage of my perennials. Early Spring is an excellent time to prune your deciduous trees and shrubs. First of all you can see the structure of the plants which makes guiding the growth pattern much easier. Secondly, it's best to prune before the sap starts rising in Spring. There's less sappy mess, and the cuts will heal quickly. And lastly, pruning before growth starts can thicken the growth of your shrub as the new growth comes in. (This is because once you remove each apical or top bud, the plant wants to send out two shoots from below the cut.) 

If you're uncomfortable pruning, or need a good refresher resource, I highly recommend Cass Turnbull's "Guide to Pruning - What, When, Where and How to Prune for a Beautiful Garden".  Cass is a Washington State Certified Landscaper and Arborist who has gardened professionally for decades. Besides teaching at local vocational colleges in the Puget Sound area, she is the founder of Plant Amnesty whose mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs. Check out their website at  http://www.plantamnesty.org. They list lots of useful information, a list of upcoming events, and a "wall of shame" of photos of maligned trees.

An aside for my fellow Pine Lake Garden Club members -  I divided perennials and potted up:

18 - gallon pots of Siberian Iris

9 - gallon pots of Autumn Joy Sedum

3 - gallon pots of Heuchera and

3 - two gallon pots of Hosta

These, along with plants from the gardens of every club member, will be for sale at our annual Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the Sammamish Presbyterian Church. All proceeds fund a scholarship for a student in the Horticulture program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology.