Almost everything has sprouted BUT almost none of the seedlings are forming true leaves. The one exception is some Black Eyed Susan Vine I decided to try even though the seeds are really old. And everything is spindly. I feel like my green thumb has faded.
A frosty night left many of the spring flowers face down, but most of them have righted themselves. Shrubs and trees are showing signs of life, even the Japanese maple that the sparrows have damaged. Maybe if I keep the bird feeders full in the backyard, the sparrows will leave this tree in the front yard alone.
One of the trunks of the sandcherry shrub has a trunk canker. Very gross. From what I have (just recently) read, sandcherries rarely live more than ten years because of problems like this. I can't find a blog post about planting this specimen, but it is mentioned in one from 2008. I really like its spring flowers and purple leaves, so if it succumbs, I may just plant another.
As you can see in the pic above, this bush has required some severe pruning, not only to remove dead limbs but to keep it from scratching my car. If I do plant another, I will locate it farther from the driveway.
On a completely unrelated topic, last fall I had to call my home improvement company to come fix some sagging soffits. The contractor did part of the work from the roof, where he noticed my chimney needed repair. It was too late to get it done then, with cold weather coming, but I made sure to get on the schedule for this spring. It's all fixed now. The fireplace is woodburning and doesn't draw well, so I never use it. If that contractor had not been on the roof, I would have had no idea that there was a problem until something happened that might have resulted in actual damage. So, if you have a chimney, you might want to have it inspected, just in case, even if you don't use it.
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