As February Wanes

It appears that March is going to live up to its reputation and come in like a lion. I left the house yesterday morning without a jacket, since it was 67 degrees at 8 a.m., and by 4:00 yesterday afternoon it was in the 40’s and I was wishing I hadn’t made that oversight. Apparently, it’s going to snow here tonight. We might even get an entire inch! If you live in Nashville, don’t forget to run out to the grocery and stock up on enough milk, bread and toilet paper to last you at least a month–it might actually snow TWO inches, and then what would we do?!?

I’m sorry. Perhaps that’s a little too catty, but after living here for 15 years it still makes me laugh–the great public reaction when the four letter “s” word appears in the forecast! The only thing that I ask is that if you are a Nashville resident, please, PLEASE stay off the roads. People like me who grew up where it snows will be out driving around trying to enjoy it. We don’t need to be dodging the rest of you.

Okay, I’ll leave you alone now. I do have to say that the garden is coming back to life. The daylilies are poking their noses up from beneath the mulch, other perennials are beginning to make appearances and the early spring things are looking glorious. The witchhazels, which I blogged about a few posts back, are at their peak now–fabulous displays of brilliant yellow that brighten my day whether the sun is shining or not. The hellebores are rocking, too! I mentioned earlier that I had lost a number of my good hellebores in the zero degree weather this winter, but I was at a local nursery yesterday and found some new ones. I’ll be going back next week to make my selections.

Iris reticulata is also blooming now. This is a tiny purple iris that grows from a small bulb. It’s always one of the very first flowers to appear in the spring and although its show lasts but a few days, it’s worth having a few in the garden as a reminder that spring IS on the way. They’ll even bloom in the snow if they have to and I can’t say enough good about a plant that will do that! I was at Cheekwood (the botanical garden) the other day and the snowdrops, winter aconites, cornelian cherry dogwoods (Cornus mas), wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) and several other plants were in full bloom. The quinces were trying hard–big, fat buds that were just ready to burst. I’m sure they’ll be fabulous this coming week, if the cold weather associated with the snow doesn’t snap them.

Thank you, as always, for taking a look at the blog. As March begins, the new blog schedule will go into full effect. My goal is to be in the garden every Monday, weather permitting, working to get my new little place whipped into shape so that I can really enjoy it this summer. On Monday evenings, I’ll blog about and post photos of the day’s activities and fill you in on what’s happening in the garden. Then, later in the week (probably Thursdays) there will be a second post on a more general gardening topic–a new plant, a new product, a hint or two about what YOU should be doing in the garden…..and who knows what else. We’ll see which muses strike! I’ll also post anytime there is a new magazine piece coming out and will try to keep you up-to-date on what new things might be coming your way on the television show, Volunteer Gardener.

Until then, enjoy the snow and happy gardening!