It’s that first perfect spring day that happened to fall on a weekend and we’re all outside trying to get caught up. Our failings are so incredibly evident, but beside them, amongst them, beautiful little gems throughout the garden are calling out, hoping for some of the attention they deserve. Do we see them or are we mostly just going from one job to the next?
Pulmonaria ‘Diana Clare’ like a jewel in the low, late winter light.
Veronica ‘Georgia Blue,’ giving ‘Diana Clare’ a run for her money. I should have taken time to remove all the dead leaves and stems for these photos, but, honestly, are these plants not pretty enough to overcome a little leaf litter? All the brown around them just enables them to shine that much brighter.
But, hey, know what? It’s still March. It might feel like spring but it’s still freaking winter! And winter is hard. It’s hard on plants and it’s hard on us and we were right to take some of it off. It’s healthy to stress about something else for a while. And so maybe we were caught off guard and might now be a wee bit behind. Nothing wrong with that. Totally okay. And that’s the grace I’d give any of my gardening friends if I saw their gardens looking like mine and them feeling like I do. So why not also give a little of that grace to myself? And you to yourself? What isn’t okay is to miss out on the very first sparkling gifts a brand new gardening season is already sharing with us. There can be no grace for that.
Two easy, little beauties that could escape notice if you’re lost in all your efforts of the moment. Good old grape hyacinth and Chionadoxa.
So go outside and leave the tools behind. Do not miss the first round of daffodils because your eyes could only find the twigs, stems, and spent leaves strewn about their beds. Do not overlook the rockcress while on search and destroy missions against winter cress. Do not spend a gorgeous day in the basement sowing seeds because you’re already late. Nope. Go out and feel the sun. Breath the air. And witness the beauty that already is. There are things you’ve done right out there. Enjoy them. Sure, they were–in years past–probably done late, in haste, and at the expense of an enjoyable garden experience, but we can’t keep banking gardening joy for some far off time. Spend some of it today.
Although I don’t remember it, some years ago I must have tossed some trout lily seeds in one of the back gardens. Brilliant move. All these years later, our first flower.
Two views of the same flower. Every year I transplant some of the seedling hellebores huddled beneath mother plants. It takes a minimum of three years for them to bloom. So far, all of them are good. This one better than most. Veronica ‘Georgia Blue’ in the background.
Other seedling hellebores. Again, they’re all good. Oh, and yes, all these photos were taken today and I’m writing this now while I should be outside. As always, do as I say, not as I do. Happy gardening!
Perfect and this is exactly what I did today, before even seeing it!
Good for you!
Scott,
Thank you for sharing the lovely photos of your blue hued spring blossoms. My husband and I love the cobalt blue blooms of various small spring bulbs and Pulmonaria spp. At one time we grew grape hyacinths under apricot Menton tulips. Sadly, the local deer herd has destroyed any hopes of “tulipmania” in our yard and we must content ourselves with Hellebores and Narcissi, along with bloodroot, Pulmonaria, and Scillia self-seeding throughout our garden beds.
It’s still “winter” here in western PA despite today’s sunshine and balmy 60F temperature this afternoon. We had a severe windstorm last night that left most of the Pittsburgh area without power.
My immediate problem is how to keep the hubby from raking out the garden beds. Both of our grandmothers taught us that “true spring” arrived when forsythia was in bloom, and then it was time to clean up the garden and remove winter mulch. That might have been true when we lived in Buffalo, NY thirty years ago and spring arrived several weeks later than here in Pittsburgh.
We gave little or no reliable snow cover in Pittsburgh and experience extreme temperature fluctuations between 70F to 20F week to week. We’ve lost more plants in March in western PA than in our former reliably snow-covered Buffalo, New York garden. Still, it’s nice to feel the sunshine on our backs when picking up storm debris from around our property.
thank you for your sermon, Brother Scott. You are so right that we need to take time to smell the roses, or in this case those early spots of color. Like Simon and Garfunkel sang, “slow down you walk to fast, gotta make the morning last”.
and the song continues, “Hello lampost, whatcha knowin, I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’!”
And feelin’ groovy!
Excellent advice. All too Spring is gone and you’ve missed most of what’s happening running around getting things done. I am trying very hard to have some mindful moments in each season where I take in what’s happening and just enjoy.
Ah, Grace. Such an important behavior to cherish and remember to practice. Its close relatives, Kindness and Patience, too. Thank you, Scott for an unconditionally beautiful, thoughtful piece of writing.
I love the semi-season, “Almost Spring,” even out here. So full of promise.
And thank you for such a lovely response!
Thanks for this heads-up, from the perennially late-blooming Cape of Cod. We’re just starting to see our very first daffodils blooming here. What most of the country considers “Spring” doesn’t really arrive here until late April. So I have this advance reminder to actually enjoy it. And a few more weeks to put in some work before I could comfortably sit outside and enjoy anything, without my winter woolies on.
Late but never too late? Happy spring to you, whenever it arrives!
This is really great and helpful. Thank you for this!
Sometimes in March, I will have the “winter woolies” on so I can sit on the swing in my grape arbor (not even close to leafing out) and simply feel grateful that I am steward of this land. I’ll do it in Nov., too, or Aug. I think the land appreciates the sentiment no matter what time of year.