The Garden, Getting Going
The tulips are in their last gorgeous days — that bittersweet stage where they're almost too heavy for their stems, flopping open in the afternoon light like they've given everything they have. I'm soaking it in before they're gone.
The lettuce, on the other hand, is absolutely thriving. Starting it indoors this year turned out to be one of those small decisions that pays off in a big way. It's lush, it's tender, it's a win.
I've also been watching a little lineup of lupine, bee balm, and perennials that have been waiting in the wings — started indoors, doing their quiet growing thing, ready to go out into the world. The question is: when?
Which brings me to the real drama of late March in North Carolina.
The Waiting Game
Will this be spring? Or will we get one more cold snap that wrecks everything you were brave enough to plant early?
The eternal debate. April 15 is the traditional last frost date for this area, and some years it matters and some years it doesn't and you never know which year you're in until it's too late. Part of me wants to get everything in the ground. Part of me knows better.
For now, the perennials wait. The bee balm waits. The lupine sits in its little cells and looks healthy and patient and I am trying to match its energy.
The Last Dumpster Weekend
We are in the final push to get the kitchen demo cleaned out — which means this weekend is a chaotic, satisfying scramble to haul, sort, and make peace with what's staying and what's going. There's something clarifying about a dumpster deadline. The landscaping still needs attention, but the structural mess is clearing.
Progress is progress.
The Egg Situation
Eight hens in full spring laying mode is not a small thing. I have more eggs than I know what to do with. Neighbors, coworkers, anyone who makes eye contact — they're getting eggs. If you see me, assume I have eggs.
More soon. The kitchen is still in process, the garden is in its maybe-phase, and the house just keeps revealing itself, one weekend at a time.
— Jayme
Written by
Jayme Anderson
Agency owner, luxury brand strategist, and the voice behind The Manor on Banner.
