FEELING STUCK IN A TIME WARP

I cannot believe that it has been two weeks since my last blog entry! It is true that life has been rather busy with several gardening events to attend, but that just doesn't account for enough time to satisfy this feeling that I must have been transported into another dimension. Why else would I not have been in the garden every single day experiencing plants emerging, leaves unfurling, blossoms opening, and all of the other exciting changes that happen so quickly at this time of year. The weather has been cloudy, rainy, and windy with unseasonably cold temperatures for what seems like a very long time. One day just seems to melt into the next and plants are not advancing at their usual pace. Spring officially began yesterday, but it feels as though both the garden and I have been trapped in a "Winter Weather Time Warp". 

Daffodils buds are slow to pop open.

It Almost Felt Like Spring!

My nose caught a whiff of her before I ever saw a blossom. Daphne odora! It felt so good to be outside in dry conditions with the temperature in the fifties and even a bit of sunshine now and then. For the past month, I’d been looking out the front window at her branches laden with buds whose centers each held a spot of dark pink petals ready to burst forth. I hadn’t yet seen any of them open until yesterday when I ventured into the garden to do a little primping and pruning. When I smelled that familiar sweet aroma, I thought for a moment that it was my imagination - perhaps wishful thinking - so I made a beeline for the plant and saw them – two little blossoms open and producing enough fragrance to reach my nose at a distance of thirty feet. I felt the same rush of excitement that I experience every year when Daphne O. takes the stage and announces her presence.

The Garden's Amazing Recovery

I’m so grateful for warmer temperatures and so are all of the plants in the garden - they are such adaptable creatures. If I were to lay down on the ground looking all limp and shriveled in eighteen degree temperatures overnight, I really doubt that just a few hours of temperatures in the thirties would bring me back to life - not only back to life, but perky with a spring in my step, no sign of frostbite, and a big smile on my face.  But, that is what hellebores do.

After two nights of temperatures at twenty degrees and below, this hellebore appears to have irreversible damage. 

But, as temperatures rise into the thirties, the plant plumps up, coming back to life as though nothing had happened.

A Touch of Winter in February

About 6:30 in the morning, I peeked outside at this winter wonderland, then hurried out to take pictures. The snow didn't stick around for very long. By 9:15 the sun was out and the scene was quickly melting away. It was beautiful while it lasted.

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!

SEVERAL DAYS OF SUNSHINE - TIME TO LUST AFTER NEW PLANTS

Soon, there will be a multitude of plant sales and gardening shows filled to the brim with plants begging for a new home and I will be there - vulnerable and filled with uncontrollable desire to take them home and not even consider whether there is space available. I wrote the following article several years ago and my son, Matthew, created the images. It is just as relevant today as it was then, and I'm hoping reading it will jog my memory and help me keep my desire for new plants in check.

WHEN DID MY GARDEN BECOME A FASHION STATEMENT?

For years I have been digging, planting, rearranging, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I have carefully selected plants that catch my eye and placed them in my own little corner of the world without giving much thought to whether my additions fit this year’s definition of “Garden Fashion”. My garden has been the one respite I can count on to take me away from a world filled with dictatorial “ins” and “outs”.

Discovering plants that I enjoy and finding places to plant them is what motivates me to get out there and painfully rediscover every muscle in my aging body. When plant conflicts surface, the offenders are relocated to areas where they can live in harmony with their neighbors. If they are sickly or cannot get along with others, they are quickly dispatched. Whether any of the plants are on any current favorable list is of no significance. I want comfort and contentment in the garden and a place to share with friends who are equally content to be here.

February Hellebores on Parade