Daffodils galore, Perennials popping up!

Our crocuses are already in decline, while our daffodils are numerous and swaying in the (still chilly) winds. Some blossom trees have ignored the generally low temperatures, and have burst forth their buds. Spring has arrived on Gabriola, although we all wish that warmer temperatures were here, as well.

Sara and the kids went to Vancouver by ferry over the Easter weekend and took in the latest Hannah Montana 3-D concert movie. The best of both worlds is the promo line used to advertise this show, which is about a country bumpkin brunette who puts on a blonde wig and becomes a superstar. In the movie, she performs both as Hannah, and as herself, Miley Cyrus.

Hedgehog loves the TV show and she was thrilled by the movie. They also went on a big Easter egg hunt at a community centre. I was left at home to complete my week’s freelance assignments and take care of our coterie of pets.

Sara has carted in many barrels worth of horse manure and compost over the first two months of the year, so now we have a very thick layer of fertile, organic humus for our flowers and vegetables. We also treated the soil with Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow initially, and now that our bulbs are in flower, we fed them with Iguana Juice Bloom.

This 100% organic fertilizer can be used effectively in both soil and hydroponics grows, indoors or out. If you’re contemplating using it for your indoor garden, rest assured that it doesn’t clog up your system, like some organic ferts do. Friends who have indoor grows on the island are raving about how smoothly this refined plant food works in their hydroponics systems.

I’m also spraying our roses with Scorpion Juice and watering them with a Barricade mixture to impart acquired systemic resistance (SAR) and thicken their cell walls, so they can repel pathogens and pests much more easily. Prevention is the key behind these excellent Advanced Nutrients products.

It’s a bit too early to plant peas and beans, but Sara has been to our local garden centre and has returned with some annual flowers for our flower boxes, as well as seeds for more flowers and vegetables. On top of that, she’s got a whole number of plants growing in big, green barrels for transplanting at a later date. She really enjoys digging in the dirt and sometimes I have to take her supper out to her, because she wants to stay out and stay dirty until there is even a hint of daylight left.

Sorry about not blogging regularly anymore, but the demands of my job have become such that I don’t have as much free time as I used to have. I’ll try to keep a photo journal of our garden, though—hope you enjoy looking at the pictures.