Well, it's here... officially. Spring arrived with her entourage of courtesans, dressed in their colorful finery. The thing is - not taking Leap Year into account - I completely missed it. Not that we were awake at 11 PM on Tuesday. No, that is way past our bedtimes. (We function in a time zone somewhere out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I fear!) Regardless, I thought we could see what Spring unpacked this week...
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| Festive flowers of the Lungwort |
As I write this post, however, the wind is howling outside and temperatures have hovered in the 40's all day.
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| Early blossoms on the Candytuft |
It feels downright wintry right now, but looking around the farm, there is no doubt...
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| happy Hellebore, freshly transplanted here |
I check the garden daily to see what is happening there.
The rhubarb is up.
The garlic is growing nicely... especially the earliest planted, which sprouted in the fall (pictured farthest away) and continued to grow all during our mild winter. I'm looking forward to harvesting some very big garlic bulbs in a few months.
My mint tea garden is returning nicely. I've had no need for planting chamomile seeds as this, too, overwintered beautifully.
As are many of the herbs. Parsley overwintered beneath the shelter of a very large sage plant.
The first of the onions has emerged, and I believe there are some tiny lettuce sprouts that have come up. I've placed some netting over these boxes to discourage bunnies from digging nests here - a habit from previous years they have tried to repeat... and it never ends well (Chester loves searching for baby bunnies!)
In the greenhouse, with a small heater keeping the cold night air out, everything has germinated.
Baby plants grow bigger by the day.
These seeds arrived this week and are now in pots. I thought that homegrown loofas would be complement homemade soaps, perfectly!
Right outside the greenhouse, peonies have popped up. It seems there are exciting surprises each and every day!
It's funny... winter just did not seem as long as it typically does and I'm not sure why? Is it because I tried to embrace the coziness of the season? Or, maybe because it was so mild it didn't wear me down? This is the first year that I didn't feel an urgency for Spring's arrival. And, here she is.... already here!
Comments
How lovely to have herbs that overwinter!
Oh, I could have sent you as many loofah seeds as you needed. Once you grow loofah, you always have seed. Just to let you know, it can be eaten. Once the gourds get about 4 inches long, they can be picked and eaten. They taste much like zucchini and can be enjoyed cooked or raw. I will be growing it again this year. It's such a showstopper with all of the beautiful yellow flowers, and the pollinators adore it!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful world with us, Bev. Hope you are feeling stronger every day.
Spring has sprung in our little haven in the Southwest valley outside of Albuquerque, NM. Today we will have to make sure everything is tied down. March winds of enchantment are forecast. Hope everyone has a great first day of Spring.
I'm hoping to be able to garden more this year. I did help plant some last year; We usually have such rainy springs that we seldom get early crops planted.
I always enjoy your posts. I love animals and all of yours are so full of personality. Also your beautiful flowers and hand made clothing & crafts. Thanks!!
The lungwort is pretty.. Does it bloom all summer?
The hellebore looks happy. So much vegetation popping up early!
I think that winter didn't seem as long because there was really no defining line between seasons this year due to a mild winter. I don't think we have any single digit temps here. I only had to drip the water in my kitchen sink two nights this year. I do that when we get down to the low teens at night so my pipes don't freeze.
Stay warm on this beautiful but cold today. Hugs