Frozen Vegetables

This morning at sunrise the frost on the mustard and lettuce was quite beautiful.

Fortunately, it warmed up enough that we could put all the flats of seedlings outside to sunbathe. Since it is the last freezing night of the season, we uncovered the perennials, raked leaf mulch, pulled weeds, planted lettuce and generally celebrated the coming of warm weather.

In the shade garden, native phlox and bluebells are blooming. They were just planted last year so it isn't a great big splash but it still takes away the winter blahs.

Tulips are still bursting with color despite the frosty night last night. And, the daisies my friend Susie gave me last fall are in full bud. I'm eager to see what they are like in bloom.

Ready, set, go get ready to plant!

The Perfection of Spring

The beauty we find in the blooms of spring bulbs is partially because the winter look of the landscape is open, clear and softly colored in tans and greys.

Even when the slim green leaves of the bulbs emerge most of our time is still being spent indoors, braced against the wind and cold.

Then, in March, all this color emerges. Not so much the reds and purples that the heat of summer demands to capture our attention, but soft yellows, whites, and pinks are the colors of spring. Even the red of tulips is tempered by the delicacy of their translucent petals.
The scent of spring is the soft scent of daffodils and the sweet scent of hyacinths. Bright colors contrasting with ground that is mostly shades of brown.

It's no wonder that so many poems and songs have been written about spring. It has its own divinity, don't you think?