Sowing hope

Spring is back! And by that I mean real spring, not this uncanny foretaste of summer we've been sweltering under. None too soon either: I was growing very concerned that we'd burn through a season's worth of blossoms in two or three weeks. There is something exciting about having everything bursting at once, but I miss the stately succession of species that left me in a continual state of both satisfaction and anticipation.

Yesterday our condo's Landscape Committee actually behaved like one for once and did a walk-through of the grounds to plan this year's activity. We have another backbreaking project ahead of us, namely the dismantling of the beds round the maples in the parkway so we can construct a low retaining wall just in from the street. I'm hopeful we can actually get our act together and schedule another work weekend to get it done. It sounds like we're finally throwing in the towel there and just planting the strip with hostas. My woodruff plant did survive, but it isn't thriving, and we have some mysterious squill which no one remembers planting but which is doing quite well so we may see about getting some more.

In the front, monshu's idea of trying a large planter in the cursed spot won favour. At the very least, it would elevate the shrub to the point where dogs couldn't piss on it. We're not sure what to plant in it yet. They were also receptive to my suggestion of putting some kerria in, but they were deaf to my arguments that striving for symmetry is a mug's game when the growing conditions vary so tremendously from one corner to another. So it seems whatever we plant in front of our windows, a specimen has to go in front of Scooter's as well. I expect I'll wait until only one of them dies and then make my case again.