On the cusp

Despite some snow this week, it is beginning to feel like spring. The birds are starting to gather nesting materials (and unfortunately, a pair of sparrows are interested in the bluebird box) and my earliest daffodils have broken through. I expect to tackle fall cleanup this week.

I am still puzzled over the differences between the witch hazel bushes. One I purchased in 2016 from Riverview Native Plant Nursery (which is no longer in business), the other four were planted by Sanctuary Native Landscapes in 2022. They are not alike, even now when they are just starting to come back to life, despite both being "straight" species. Maybe someday I will figure it out.

(I just did a Google Lens on these photos. The reddish one may be 'Boskoop'. I will have to investigate further.)

After cleaning out one wren house and the bluebird house, I decided to hang the cat birdhouse in the Japanese maple out front, on the east side of the house, away from the weather. When I am lying on the living room couch, I can watch it for activity.

I am not growing any seedlings this year, but I did decide to try growing leaf lettuce inside (because the stuff in the grocery store is a gamble). Today I filled a couple of the plastic containers that the grocery greens come in with seed starting soil and planted some seeds.

On the left is the Burpee 'Looseleaf Blend', on the right High Mowing 'Gourmet Blend Lettuce'. Beneath the containers is a seed starting warming pad; extra plastic containers form domes over the future seedlings and capture the condensation.

I'm loosely following instructions I found here. We'll see how this works out.