Certainly, I’ve done something from the many published checklists of chores to be completed in the garden in April. The tasks are extensive, but I’ve accomplished only a few. I ignore the lists and most of the chores since the majority are necessary only in tbe tidiest gatdens.

Perennials have been cut back. No doubt, that’s on the list. And the paths have been cleared of leaves and debris. At least, they were cleared and now probably need it again. But this is a garden. Tidiness is relative, and this one will always swing to the most liberal interpretation.

The paths are cluttered again because I cleared the minimum of leaves, figuring as always that plants will fill in to cover, so who cares? The leaves are a bit thick in places. While most hostas are up, or at least visible, I notice a few where matted leaves are mounded. Pull the leaves, and there’s a clump of one of the smaller hostas. In fact, nothing was hurt. It would have poked through eventually.

Today, I liberated the overwintered plants from the basement. How nice to get this mess moved outdoors where all will remain sheltered in the shade of a Japanese maple while they become acclimated to the great outdoors. No more frost is in the forecast, and if there is one, it’s likely to be mild enough I won’t bring anything back indoors.

I’ve planted a bunch, lots of fillers for the small gaps that remain after thirty-six years of planting. The one of this and that fern order should arrive in the next week. There are fifty or sixty varieties here now, and don’t ask me to identify most without looking at tags I started last year. Some, I’ll never identify.

Why plant so many? First, I have the shade, and they’re superb for providing varying shape and texture. But mostly, I often noticed ferns while visiting gardens, in particular in the Pacific Northwest, where some tall natives stand out. While I lusted over various spotted Asian mayapples (below) that are too costly, I realized I could contrast large leafed hostas with ferns and maybe slip in a few of the cheaper mayapples.

But back to getting things done, or not. I tossed a few handfuls of fertilizer on the small Japanese maples. I need these to get some size while I’m still here to enjoy them. Nothing else gets fertilized. Why? Everything grows without it. Fallen leaves are free if your standards of neatness allow leaving them in place to decay.

I’ve done the bare minimum of pruning. Broken and dead branches were cut, and bigleaf hydrangeas cut to the first green leaf, which was then killed in last week’s freeze. There are no plants shaped into balls or cones. Until a few years ago, a boxwood stood too close to a patio, so I shaped it into a tall cone. What a pain and a relief when it was chopped out along with neighbors when the sunroom was constructed.

And that’s it. Of course, there’s little things that are done every day. A few weeds to pull. With most of the hostas up, I’ll need to spray the deer repellent. But, spring growth is coming on quickly. If there’s something I  missed, it’ll soon be covered over.