Spring Arrives

"It's spring:
to my heart's content
I gaze at the treetops
shrouded in haze
and budding."
Princess Shikishi

Another year, another long cold winter has come and gone. Spring is finally here! 

We had a large amount of snow and some of it has yet to melt. 

However, today was the first day when I could get out into the garden to see how much clean up and repair work will be needed. 

I started by cutting back the dead bamboo shoots on all of the clumping bamboo plants. I was able to get to them this year before the new shoots have emerged, making the cutting much easier. 

 

The new shoots should begin to sprout in the next couple of weeks. It will take some time for the plants to grow back and fill in - usually mid to late August before the reach full size.

I also had to fix the latch on the back gate. At some point during the winter, the gate doors kept swinging about - they had about an inch of play to move back and forth. I didn't think it would be an issue, but the wind this winter was strong enough to eventually dislodge the latch. Once the snow fell to almost two feet and froze, I couldn't do much about it. I placed my stone turtle on the inside to help keep the gate in place as the snow melted. I eventually decided to replace the latch with a cane bolt. 

It works very well. The doors are now very secure and have no play at all. It also looks nice as well. The bolt will also make it more difficult for unwelcome guests to get in. I probably should have used a cane bolt in the first place.