It's That Uncertain Time of Year

This morning the sun is shining brightly and the garden is sparkling. This is the time of year when Mother Nature gives us those brief hints of what we gardeners are all anxiously awaiting – Spring! But first, she toys with us as she did yesterday when the day started off with gray skies dropping a slushy mix that promptly turned to snow and back to rain. There were even a few dry periods in the mix and the sun was permitted to peek through the clouds now and then. It was winter, then spring, then winter, etc. Today’s weather is supposed to bring more of the same, but at least this day has a sunny beginning!

Still snuggled among their sturdy leaves, daffodil buds are beginning to show. They are ready to burst forth with a mass of color on our first really warm and sun filled day. I know just how they feel. I’ll turn my face up to greet the rays of sunshine, stand tall, and relish the warmth penetrating to the depths of my being. My winter-weary muscles will move easier and I’ll feel a renewed desire to be one with my garden. There is nothing like the energy that comes directly from the sun!

But, I must bring myself back to reality and enjoy the subtle changes that are happening every day in the garden. This is treasure hunting season when I look closely at the mulch searching for the tell-tale signs of plants pushing up, testing the conditions before plowing their way through. 

Unlike daffodils, these plants, like the emerging trillium pictured above, are much more careful and reserved in their approach. They know all about Mother Nature’s little weather tricks. She’ll make them think that spring is here and then zap them with the cold reality: It is still winter! Ouch! That can really hurt. Keeping one’s nose of leaves tucked tightly together and under the mulch blanket is the prudent thing to do.

But, there are many plants that have adapted to the cold weather, scoffing at Mother Nature. If it freezes, they just bend down and out-wait her. They are so good at playing dead and she falls for it every year. In my garden, hellebores are the experts at this little trick. I’ve seen them lying completely flat against the ground covered in snow and ice in the morning and then standing tall with blooms wide open after a few hours in temperatures just above freezing. 

Then, there are plants that blatantly flaunt their skills like Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ with gorgeous clusters of bloom held wide open on completely bare stems taking whatever Ms. Nature tosses at her.

I wish I could figure out how they do it. I think I’ll continue to play it safe for a while longer – inside - my hands cradling a hot cup of tea - periodically taking short daily jaunts outside to check things out. One morning in the near future, I know that I’ll wake to that long awaited warm day filled with the sun’s energy – until then, I’ll be patient.