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| Crocus in Kongens Have 2008 |
The first month of the spring season has arrived and though we still have night frosts forecast until mid-March at least, it does seem that milder weather has finally arrived.
We’ve agreed to have a builder come and do the drain for the garden, and he will get started as soon as possible, which probably means around April 1st when we can reasonably expect the night frost to be completely gone. Of course we do risk a wet spring which could delay the plans, and the Danish April weather is notoriously unreliable. An old Danish saying goes April cannot be trusted; each day she wears a new dress…
I look forward to a weekend in the garden; the meteorologists are promising me sunshine and mild temperatures so I can hopefully get some of the things done that I have kept on postponing, like painting garden furniture and maybe planting up some pots.
I also need to begin drawing up more detailed planting schemes for the planned borders and the raised vegetable beds; I think we have enough to create a lush and blooming garden already, and I do have an overall plan for the garden, but the details need to be filled in so we can get cracking with the sowing and planting as soon as the drain digging is done.
I also need to work out where to make temporary homes for the plants that need to be removed before the drain digging starts; there are a few smallish shrubs and a fair number of perennials that need to be taken out of harm’s way, even though many of them will eventually end up in roughly the same places. Perhaps I can clear some ground for that this weekend, but at least I can have a walk around the garden and find out where it would be easy to create a temporary holding pen.
And finally a few numbers: In Denmark today will be 3 hours and 46 minutes longer than the shortest day of the winter. (The shortest day was 6 hours and 57 minutes.) Even if we still have frost at night, the sheer fact that the night is so much shorter makes it quite clear that winter is on its last breath.
>It's a lovely time of the year when you can actually you can start getting stuck in properly in the garden. And as you said the longer daytime helps!
>Longer days certainly help! I can't wait for the 17-hour days of summer, when the night never becomes really dark…
>Soren, I'm trying to get my head around how much earlier spring comes to Denmark than to the northeast United States. (To give you a comparison, the frost free date in my Maine garden is May 31; and in the warmer climate of south-central Pennsylvania, it is mid-April. I guess you are more under the influence of the warm gulf currents than I realized. -Jean
>We CAN have snow in April, though this is very rare. Generally speaking we tend to only have snow on the ground for 2-3 weeks every winter (mainly in January/February), though the past two winters have been unusually severe. From http://www.wsieurope.com: In March, WSI predicts regional temperature anomalies as follows: Scandinavia Colder than normal UK -Colder than normal Northern Mainland -Milder than normal Southern Mainland -Milder than normalIn April, WSI sees the monthly breakdown as: Scandinavia -Milder than normal UK -Milder than normalNorthern Mainland -Milder than normal Southern Mainland -Cooler than normalIn May, WSI forecasts: Scandinavia -Milder than normal UK -Milder than normal Northern Mainland -Milder than normal Southern Mainland -Colder than normal WSI, providing customized weatherinformation to energy traders, will issue its next seasonal outlook (for the April-June period) on 19 March.So we should be above freezing by the end of March, ready to get cracking with the drainage, planting and sowing… Hooray for the Gulf Stream and its relative the North Atlantic Drift!
>Kære Søren – du får lige en hilsen på dansk. Tak for kommentar på min blog. Altid hyggeligt, når der dukker nye op. Jeg linker til dig nu.
>Hej Claus,Kommentarer på dansk er skam velkomne, og jeg skal da ærligt indrømme, at jeg er smigret over, at du har været forbi min blog. Tak for linket i din blogroll!
>Soren, I am sorry that I haven't stopped by in a while, but I am really busy at the nursery now. you have put together some very ambitious plans for this spring. I am sure the results will be beautiful. Those crocuses are amazing. Carolyn
>Carolyn, isn't that one of the points of a blog? That you drop by and read it when you have the time, rather than feel obligated to check it on a daily basis? I choose to think it a pleasant surprise when people leave a comment, rather than be surprised when they don't…As for the crocuses, it's one of the most amazing crocus displays in Copenhagen, though there are quite a few stunning bulb lawns in other parks. I look forward to touring them over the next couple of weeks…
>Talking of numbers, Soren.. how many Crocuses do you think there are in that picture of yours???Thanks for you comments on my blog, about composting etc. It is interesting to hear about the different approaches that gardeners take to things like this.
>Mark, I have honestly no idea, but considering how close they stand and the area, I'd guesstimate it at 15-20,000 bulbs… It's not, I think, the largest crocus lawn in Copenhagen, but it's more densely planted and consequently more impressive. And the pattern works well in what used to be a renaissance garden but now has more of a baroque feel.And composting is definitely one of the less glamorous but more fascinating aspects of gardening…