March Hellebore and Granular Gypsum!

(Hellebore is another name for Lenten Rose--we have both purple and green ones.)

Today was a pleasant day for March and so Stan was outside pruning peach trees. We also fertilized the trees with a 6-23-23 (low nitrogen) fertilizer.

Something new this year was spreading granular gypsum around the trees to help prevent corking in the pears and apples. However, it takes a couple of years to work so that is a long-term aid. I also spread some gypsum on areas of the garden with harder soil and gypsum is supposed to soften clay soil. They are calling for rain tonight so the timing should be right. I want to grow carrots around the house where the grapes were last year so in addition to topsoil we'll be adding, I figured that gypsum couldn't hurt.

It was also time to put down sulfur/sulphur on the blueberry plants to keep the soil acidic. I'll have to do that again around May.

As I was cleaning last years dead flowers out of the east bed, I was surprised to see the Lenten Rose/Hellebore were almost ready to bloom. And I found a surprise hiding under a rug/tarp...a sunny little pansy!