Welcome, Spring!

They say it has begun—spring. And thus, this first day of spring is for dark clouds and snow showers. Does this sounds right to you? Well, yes… we had another snowy day today, and the day before yesterday—snow melted with rain, and it is cold and cloudy, which means the few perennials I have already sitting outside waiting to be planted will have to wait yet another day until our little parcel of earth gets soaked in sunshine.

Nevertheless, I’m always encouraged with the first day of spring. It’s like the beginning of something new; a promising future, and certainly the time to put away my winter boots and bring in the pretty sandals. Right? Well... maybe not yet.

One thing surely helps—as cold as it has been, I’ve already done quite a lot of spring cleaning in the garden. All debris and dead leaves have been picked up—ten or so large trash bags of them; shrubs and roses have been pruned and soil fertilized. And yes, ‘every’ dead leave were removed from every one of the rose bushes!

I know I know, crazy stuff, right? But that’s just how I am. An unkempt garden is like an unkempt house to me. And I can’t stand it! ;) So I don’t mind the hard work if it pays off at the end.

Plant debris is organic matter—I know. Debris will help with water retention in the summer months, and yes, I would love to think that I should leave debris and leaves as hiding places for frogs and toads too. But there are no frogs around here—no spring peepers to delight my spirit on warm spring evenings. Don’t you just love those little "tinkletoes”? Their songs are magical and I wish I lived close to the marshes and wait for their choruses under a canopy of Mangrove trees.

Tulips are already popping up everywhere—a meager beginning; yet, the garden is already looking so much lovelier under my eyes…

The Iris Reticulata are always the first rays of hope to burst—is a welcome shot of brilliant blue in the garden. They bring so much joy! I can’t imagine a world without flowers—the life-death-and-regeneration cycle, the circle of life and the hope of life after death. Nature truly amazes me. Oh yes, I’m ready for some sunshine and lovely spring days. You?