Post party: Business as usual with garden plans

Never in my long life have I ever been so thrilled, felt so honored or been so affected as at the 90th birthday party that my kids put together for me at Arlo’s on March 5.

I had hopes of course, of seeing some old friends there, but the wonderful, truly beloved faces from the past who showed up were beyond belief! Pals from the ‘80s — who became friends when I first moved here from Coeur d’Alene — and former co-workers/volunteers from a bevy of backgrounds kept coming in and the ensuing screams, laughs, hugs and often teary-eyed reminiscences were worth a whole 90 years’ worth of living! Thanks, too, to those lovely folks who sent cards and/or called with greetings and short chats about enjoying the bird, garden, or recipe columns over the years. I am not so naïve as to think everyone around here loves — or even likes — me, but the outpouring of love and kindness I did receive was bountiful enough for a lifetime.

On now, to the business of upcoming springtime. My most current interest is the recent arrival of a sizeable flock of Juncos — probably about 30 or so — including White-winged and/or Slate-colored black/grey Juncos and the buff-breasted Oregon Juncos. All of course, sport the black heads and white outer tail feathers, and share the endearing trait of scratching like little chickens as they inspect the ground for their gift of sunflower seeds. The winter population of Nuthatches and Chickadees remains but it won’t be long before they return to their preferred high country. A healthy year-round resident group will stay to continue their adorable capers at the feeders and birdbath. Daughter Diane reported her first Robin the other day, but I have still to welcome my long-time sparse Robin residents — 1 pair only for many years now.

With spring making such great (and probably deceiving) strides, it shouldn’t be too long before the Grosbeaks return. Last year was my first-ever with a bumper “crop” of Evening and Pine Grosbeaks — having only hosted one or two rare visitors during past years. I’m hoping for a return of at least some of them this year. They are such truly friendly birds, acknowledging my presence in the yard and feeding unafraid around my feet as I broadcast the sunflower seeds. Too, last year’s readers may recall my mention of their seeming kindness to the tiny Pine Siskins who hovered close to the big guys while foraging in the feeding area.

The deer, thankfully, have pretty much moved up Schweitzer Mountain following the receding snow cover, and I’ve put my mind to deterring some of their depredations again this year. My much-abused “Sanctuary Garden” — sadly much crushed and torn during last season’s horrific white fir catastrophe during which I had to remove nearly a dozen of my beetle-destroyed grove — will need lots of TLC this year, and it’s my plan to restore as much of it as I can. Ironically, I had just had a flagstone path installed last year and though it leads to kind of a “dead end” now, it does give me the leeway of making a couple of much-needed changes.

One of them will be active deer-proofing with plants. We all know they love Hostas — and though I used a fake snake to good advantage last year, I figure it only really worked since said Hosta was in a pot. Those that were planted throughout the area were generally found and eaten — even those I had so cleverly (I thought) planted amongst such deer-proof plants as Brunnera, Pulmonaria, ferns and such.

So I’ll insert more of those plants — Brunnera has so many lovely leaf-patterns now — and transplant my formerly potted Tradescantia (Spider flower), some Betony from the front area and add the pretty spark of red Astilbe as well as more Monkshood, Digitalis, and ferns, all of which are thankfully spurned by the deer. I love my copious growth of native Bracken fern, by the way, and welcome its beauty and vitality.

Natives will rule, of course, with the Brunnera and (some) ferns about the only exceptions. I already have a bountiful ground-cover of Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) , carpets of exquisite violets, and many wild natives have come to settle in as well — Bloodroot, Solomon’s Seal, both native Clematis — white Sweet Autumn (Lngustifolica), and Blue (Columbiana), which latter which has over the years leaped up into the aged and gnarled Serviceberry tree and crowns it each summer with a halo of bee-tempting blue-bell flowers followed by darling fuzzy “wigs” of seed puffs in fall.

My hope is that the damage done by felling trees and big tromping feet collecting the branches and twigs didn’t smash everything to death. In a few days, I’ll be able to go out my lonely stone path and assess the damage and establish a list of what I’ll need to re-coup. Then the planting and re-planting will begin. After 90 years it’s a “mere bagatelle”! Should be an interesting summer!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.