Last Christmas my grocery store sold stone pine cones as a decorative odd thing to have on your table. Put it in a warm place, they said, and the cone will open up and there you will be able to harvest the pine kernels. Well, the cone was beautiful as it was, about 9
centimeters big (3.5 inches). We tried to “warm it up”, but nothing worked. So I decided to keep it in the southern window of our house. And yesterday I discovered it had opened up, the spring sun basking down on it. So beautiful, so magic. With the black pine kernels tucked inside each “leaf”. I cracked one open and tasted it – absolutely wonderful!
Some of you have been wondering what the Heart for the World looks like today, in the beginning of spring. For you who have not read about it, go back and read about the construction of this special heart, a flower bed filled with tulip bulbs. The post is called A Heart for the World. As a reminder, here is a photo of how it looked at the end of the autumn 2015.
This is the heart bed, newly digged in the slope in front of our house, autumn 2015.
Today, april 2016, the heart looks like this. I have protected the tulips against deers with a chicken net across the bed, placed on poles to hold the net up in the air so the tulips have room to grow. Really, I have no idea what to do when these 30 centimeters (12 inches) of room for growing is used up and the tulips need more space.
On top of every pole I put a plastic bottle or a metal can to make the net move smoothly over the area and not get stuck on the poles. Some extra poles hold the net to the ground all around the bed.
For extra protection I put wads of unwashed sheepwool here and there, and soaked it with the badsmelling liquid I get as a side effect from my Bokashi compost. I dilute it a bit and spray on the wool. I have noticed the deers avoid places where I have sprayed this stuff.
I will keep you posted on what happens with the Heart for the World. I can tell you all the neighbours are as excited as I am about it.
Exactly. Listen to your ants. Have you ever realized it’s impossible to hear the sound of one single ant marching through the forest? But if you bend down over thousands of ants building and repairing their anthill in the warming sunshine of spring – then you can actually HEAR the ants. Try for yourself.
Slowly, slowly spring is approaching and everything is coming to life. Good for me, to be able to enjoy the awakening during a longer period of time. Some samples:
Well, now, look what came by today in my garden! A really royal visit, the “queen of the forest”. This time a mother and her two one year old calves. They banged through my too tiny fence, broke a post on the way, hurried down the slope, missed the roses and the tulips – and were chased away by me so they couldn´t have their usual apple buds meal. But before that I had the chance of taking a picture!
ned up, the spring sun basking down on it. So beautiful, so magic. With the black pine kernels tucked inside each “leaf”. I cracked one open and tasted it – absolutely wonderful!
Crazy Swedish Gardener 