In the foreshadow
We're not quite to mid-winter yet, but it sure felt like spring in Portland today. The days are longer, the sun is noticeably higher than it was on Christmas, and some plants are starting to bloom. You can smell them. Winter-blooming daphne is gearing up for a fragrant burst in a couple of weeks. People are out there starting to tinker around in their gardens. We fair weather bikers are pumping up the tires and reacquainting ourselves with our cyclist moves.
The sunsets are nicer. Statistically, the chances of snow and ice are about to drop over the next week or two. In the lawns is moss -- lots of moss. There's a coating of green, not a slime but not far from it, on the driveways, and even the streets. The roses are showing a few tiny shoots, and invite a thoughtful pruning. It will rain again, and get cold again, and make us want to huddle inside again, but today was a gorgeous preview of longer, warmer, sunny days to come.
| Posted at 7:55 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (9)
Rake out the moss and add 25 lbs of fast-acting lime (such as Lilly Miller Super Sweet) for each 2000 sq ft of lawn. The key to moss control is pH. Do it now, before President's Day. An annual plugging/thatching doesn't hurt either. Aeration is important, too.
Posted by Molly | February 2, 2013 9:06 PM
Oxiclean is great for removing slime from sidewalks, driveways, decks, etc. It needs hot water to dissolve, so don't shortchange that step.
Posted by Molly | February 2, 2013 9:08 PM
Loved this post. Glory!
Posted by Ro | February 2, 2013 9:25 PM
Loved this post. Glory!
+1
Posted by Allan L. | February 2, 2013 9:31 PM
Today certainly did feel like Spring is just around the corner.
On the other hand, as us long term residents know, until Winter's officially over it may still have a few surprises in store for us.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | February 2, 2013 10:12 PM
Until I hear the frogs in Tryon Creek Park singing, I know that more freezing weather is possible.
Posted by Jack Bog | February 2, 2013 10:15 PM
I don't know about Tryon Creek Park, but the frogs were singing in Gabriel Park today.
Posted by k2 | February 2, 2013 10:23 PM
I go by what they're doing in the evenings. If I go out in the dark to the parking lot and they're crooning, winter's over. As of Thursday night, no such sound.
Posted by Jack Bog | February 2, 2013 10:27 PM
Beware the ides of March...
The weather pattern looks a lot like last year and the year before, when as I recall, we had a good dump of snow and cold weather at the very end of February.
I always enjoy the slight warming though.
Posted by Portland Native | February 3, 2013 7:39 AM