Continuing the Cold March

Few flowers are blooming other than the hellebores featured last time and this patch of crocus in the grass.  these are the few that have survived a chomping marauder who has been chewing leaves and flowers from every bulb in the labyrinth area.  A rabbit has been active, but so are the long legged rats they call deer.  It is so frustrating since each year something new has become the "daily special" on the menu.

So, here is evidence of the last few weeks of cutting down the tall grasses. All of those short brown stalks in the front of the photo were 5-6 feet tall, and will return to that height in a few weeks.  Assuming the weather gets warmer!  This view from the neighbor's yard shows a variety of things on the site, including the ten tons of rock put in two years ago this month.  At the bottom of the picture you can see the remains of a concrete retaining wall put in many years before we bought the property.  It was intended to keep everything from sliding down, but soon slid down the slope and broke up itself.  Seeing the collapsed house on the coast near Seattle brings up worries about whether this area could every become that unstable.

Swinging the camera to look across at the slope behind the house, you can see how steeply it drops down to the flats, about 85 feet down.  Part of that area is covered by tall grasses, which slows down the erosion, and the mixture of hollies and Russian Olive is visible.  I try to control the size of olives, and am beginning to cut them back severely so other plants can grow in around them, eventually to get rid of them. 

The witch hazel trees are showing their yellow flowers, a very long season of bloom this year over the last month.  These are  Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise.'  Two of the original three are still alive after being there for ten years.  It is a tough spot for them, but they are such a cheerful presence.  Cutting a few pieces to bring into the house permeates the room with the characteristic pungent smell, another joy when temperatures are cold.

This weekend will be devoted to spreading mulch around before it becomes difficult with emerging foliage.  There are 40 bags awaiting my soon to be sore muscles.