KCB Assessing Winter’s Damage Or How to change Doom and Gloom to Groom and Bloom

KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are proud to tell you that KCB rules as the 2008 Maine Master Gardener of the Year. And we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family.

Today the temperature they say will hit 70 in some parts of the Greater Portland and surrounding areas. I can attest that it was 80 ° in my part of Portland. The part that is my attic apartment. A far cry from the ocean breezes that would filter through my former apartment. Nevertheless, I opened all the skylights and my one actual window. A CD that incorporates classical music such as Bach and Pachelbel with the sounds of the ocean almost has me believing that….. Who am I kidding? One can try, can’t they.

The season of spring is truly a time to look forward. It is a time of rebirth, regrowth and rejuvenation. It is exactly what I should be doing. This is also the time of the year that gardeners will check their landscapes for any damage that the past winter may have brought about.

Broken limbs, split and even downed trees litter lawns. A visit to one of my clients unveiled a Rhododendron that will be 1/3 of it’s former self once I prune away the broken branches. Another client said good-bye to an Oak Tree that stood it’s ground when that particular part of Falmouth consisted of a Salt-water Farm or two. It is sad to see it go, better the tree than the house my client quipped. It had never been the same since THE Ice Storm of ’98. Suffered again during the Patriot Day Storm 9 years later. As gardeners we say good-bye to lavender that we pampered only to vanquish in a snow less frigid winter. Peonies that survived generations can be lost when excessive spring rains bring about flooded conditions. As long as we are not physically damaged, our houses remain intact, we can replant. We roll up our sleeves, amend our soil, edge, plant, prune and persevere.

I have 2 more client’s landscapes to visit this week. My first order of the day will be to walk the property to assess any winter’s damage. Even when my client indicates that they made it thru the winter without loosing a branch, my inspection goes deeper. When something is lost, I am not filled with dread but hope. I consider it my Groom and Bloom take on the Doom and Gloom that is often touted by news bites from the media.

This season I have suffered some winters damage of my own. I have always felt more than blessed by my client base. It is more than just a living for me, it is a way to give back. To offer beauty. I will say good-bye to some of my clients this year for reasons that are what they are. Lifestyle changes, relocations, even the economy. As with the weather, I have no control. All I can do is roll up my sleeves amend what I must, plant myself where I can and persevere. I will allow myself to access winter’s damage one last time. Then on to groom and bloom. How about you?

KCB for Skillin's Greenhouses
April 17, 2009