Suddenly, all is in bloom. The deciduous trees have cloaked their structures and effectively hiding last year's old tattered nests. However, we know new ones, supposedly surreptitiously, are being built. Just stand still for 15 minutes these days and you will see many birds flying to and fro with bits of stuff in their beaks. Looks like nest building to me.
Such rampant coyness is being exhibited as they pretend indifference while perched on roofs or treetops, and then the swift flight to their new homes.
Along with their antics, it is such a full time with our plants shooting out their new growth and the birds, bees and a plethora of other critters stirring themselves once again.
This year has also brought such confusion. Many plants have been late to bloom, while others are blooming wayyyyy ahead of schedule. My late-season tulips are almost done this year, whereas in previous years they would just now be coming into their own.
Roses blooming already? Yes, and what a surprise. My tree peonies are covered with blooms, and a few are already bursting forth. Too early!
I see around town hybrid rhododendrons covered with their intensely colored blooms, while the sweet specie rhododendrons have been quite modest this year, producing only two or three blooms on each plant.
If the only things you can see in a garden are flowers, rather than hues, textures, form and scale, then you will be most disappointed by such a diminutive display.
While we would all love for warmer temperatures and less rainfall, the cool temperatures have slightly slowed the spring rush, and the rain has given such clarity to the air. After the recent heavy rains, when the sun re-emerged, everything glittered with a crystalline brilliance. Everyone I have spoken with these last few weeks finds that there is an especially magical and color-intensive spectacle this spring.
Yet, at the same time, we are seriously complaining about the sudden return last week of below-normal temperatures. Just as we had determined that we could set out our precious vegetable starts, the cold, cruel air returned. This is not fun! But steady warmth is on its way, just as sure as the sun rises and sets.
While most people have now committed themselves to producing some food within their urban gardens, I hear many questions about the possibility of raising chickens or other livestock within the urban core. For years Seattle has been blessed with the dedicated gardeners/farmers that make up the Seattle Tilth organization. As we move toward more kitchen gardens and urban livestock, Seattle Tilth continues to offer classes and tours that are affordable, and hugely rewarding. Please do not report me to your neighbors if you decide to go ahead and raise some chickens. I did not give you the idea or the information!
Two very interesting classes are listed below:
WHAT: City Chickens 101
WHEN: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., May 30
WHERE: Good Shepherd Center; 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., room 140 (Senior Center).
Learn the most important considerations in caring for a small flock of hens in limited space, including chicken physiology, behavior, health, nutrition, housing and city regulations. This class also covers the variety of chicken breeds.
Questions are encouraged and you will leave this class with the knowledge you need to know to start raising chickens in your own backyard.
COST: $30 for Tilth members, $40 non-members. Advance registration and payment is required. For more information or to download a registration form, visit www.seattletilth.org
WHAT: City Chickens Coop Tour
WHEN: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., July 11
WHERE: in various Seattle
neighborhoods
Come see how local chickens live and lay in the back yards of Seattle. City chickens owners invite you into their backyards for a one-day-only, self-guided tour of chickens and the diverse and imaginative coops throughout the city.
Goats, bees, and ducks are also on this year's tour. Learn about raising all of these interesting urban food producers while enjoying a unique, family friendly weekend activity.
COST: $30. For more information or to download a registration form, visit: www.seattletilth.org.[[In-content Ad]]
