Piedmont Gardener

Are you feeling lucky?

At my house, “lawn care” consists of occasional mowing, mostly so I don’t step on snakes or pick up too many ticks. Although some grassy patches do exist, much of our lawn is a mix of weeds/wildflowers/whatever. And whenever a bare spot appears, I sow it in Dutch white clover. The clover feeds bees, bunnies, and other grazers, adds nutrients to the soil, prevents soil erosion, and looks nice and green — a winner all around in my book.

Occasionally, we get a patch of clover chock full of luck — that is, if you believe four-leaf clovers are lucky. Wonder Spouse took this shot of a lucky patch growing on our hillside. How many four-leafers can you spot?

Clover makes me think of shamrocks, and shamrocks remind me that St. Patrick’s Day is just two weeks away. For me, St. Patrick’s Day marks the moment when the forest canopy goes fuzzy. Bare branches are adorned by the catkin flowers of  oaks, ashes, and hickories, with the last flush of crimson maple flowers adding pizzazz to the display. A month later, the forest will be a soft pastel green as new leaves emerge to soften the hard lines of branches.

Of course, before we get to pastel spring leaves, I’ve got approximately ten thousand items on my gardening to-do list, so I’d best get to it.  Spring sunshine fast becomes summer swelter weather around these parts.