Sticks and Stones and Seeds

The yard, as if it was pristine before, is now a jumble of sticks and stones for sure. Everything from small sticks to full-size limbs, ankle-twisting mole trails, transplanted rocks and a pizza box from up the street litter all before me as I look around. While New Dog is only responsible for the box, Mother Nature is to blame for all the rest and, to be sure, as soon as I get it all cleaned up the March winds will dump a new supply on the grass, just like I needed a do-over.

The stones scattered around are the result of Good Samaritan snow plows and errant shoveling after this last snow. There’s one big rock next to the driveway that always gets shoved around when the anonymous friend (I know who you are and Thank You) plows part of my driveway. There’s gonna be a real show when moving day comes for that thing. Hmm, with a lever and fulcrum and…maybe I better look that up.

Anyway, there are other chores to be done. A little maid service in your bird houses and boxes is in order. I’m hearing lots of bird noises in the pre-dawn hours these last few days so it’s time to fix them and their returning relatives a clean place to nest in the coming months. And while you’re at it, why not add a house or two? And by the way, the sound of birdsong before the sun comes up is music, literally, to my ears. Makes the shivering more tolerable during New Dog’s walk.

Late last summer I gathered a small bag of morning glory seed pods right off a neighbor’s vine. His had grown to head height and beyond on a clothesline pole in the back yard, so I was particular to leave lots of pods to reseed for flowers this summer. Some will do that, you know, even though they’re considered annuals. I’ve decided not to start the seeds indoors because the spaces in front of my windows are too drafty to encourage early germination. I’m going to watch where the snow melts first and determine a good sunny spot in the yard to plant the morning glory seeds directly into the soil when the time comes.

Morning glories will grow in almost any soil and need no fertilization. In fact, fertilizer only encourages more leaf growth, and that would be at the expense of the flowers: more leaves, fewer flowers and we don’t want that. They will tolerate almost drought conditions with no extra watering necessary. The only big requirement is some sort of support for the vines to grow on.

Before it’s time to plant outdoors, there is one most important step you must take. Morning glories have a hard seed coat, so you need to soak the seeds in warm water overnight. You could also use a nail file to lightly nick the seed coat before setting them to soak. Plant immediately after soaking.

Planting in the garden should occur after the danger of frost has passed, naturally. Plant seeds six to twelve inches apart and one inch deep. Keep the soil moist but not soggy during germination, which takes about one week. Make sure the seeds are close enough to the support so that the little emerging vines have something to climb on.

Now that’s the way to plant a garden! No fuss, no muss, no pizza boxes.