SPRING IS COMING…

It’s now mid-January in the PNW.  Frost in the morning, and then rain, rain, a hint of sun, and more rain again until the “sun” sets.  Though it’s possible that a hard freeze or snow could still happen, signs of spring are appearing everywhere in the yard.

My umbrella protected my iPhone as I roamed around in my winter gardening outfit of sweats and Uggs to snap pictures of the trees and shrubs just beginning to wake.  Buds on branches giving color to a dreary backdrop.  Click.  A few new stems breaching the bark from bulbs I had planted in the fall.  Click.

It was cold, but warm enough to take a few minutes to envision what the buds and sprouts would morph into in the coming months.  Leaves on Japanese Maples.  Flowers on the Contorted Quince.  Fruit on the blueberry and raspberry bushes.  The sprouts that look like thick single blades of grass will eventually grow into Giant Purple Alliums and Saffron Crocus.

I was surprised that I found no sign of the Glory of the Snow bulbs I planted a few months ago.  They are supposed to arrive and bloom early.  Sometimes even when there is still snow on the ground or so I read on the package I bought at the grocery store.  Being grocery store bulbs,  I don’t have a lot of faith that they will grow and emerge. My goal this year is to track the progress of our trees, shrubs, and flowers throughout the year.  Record what they do and when.  I am literally watching the grass grow.  I never thought my life would be this exciting, but there it is.  And I like it.

I can’t say that I am any good at this gardening stuff.  I’m learning as I go.  The Saffron Crocuses I planted this fall that have broken through the soil reminds me of the Purple and White Crocuses that are located in the small flower bed on the other side of our driveway.  I didn’t plant those.  They came with the house.  They show no signs of waking.  Could be that the grassy weeds I pulled at the end of the summer were the Crocuses themselves.  I guess I’ll find out.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell weed from flower stem.  Sometimes I make a snap decision in the garden that I later regret.  It happens.  Don’t judge me.

As I stepped lightly on the soggy soil, I envisioned what colorful surprises the outdoors will have for me.  Several other flowers like tulips and hyacinths should show themselves in the coming months.  Hopefully my lilac bush will actually bloom this year.  Different flowers bloom at different times so there is always something to look forward to.  Spring is coming.  And I am ready.

Except for pulling weeds and allergies.  I am not ready for that.