Having survived the first third of the dreary winter months, I will presumably outlast the chill to again greet the splendid blooms of ‘Merrill’  and ‘Royal Star’ magnolias (below) in the early weeks of March. Labor in the garden will not be required until then, though I might gain some steam to brush leaves aside from the numerous clumps of hellebores so that February flowers are more readily viewed.

Again, I will not remove the weathered foliage of hellebores lest the garden appear even more bare. No doubt, their appearance is improved when browned leaves are snipped in late December, and this task is considerably more difficult when emerging flowers do not allow the gardener to carelessly grab a fist full of foliage and chop.

No matter. I’m content with daily walk throughs to enjoy the scattered flowers of witch hazels (Hamamelis vernalis, above), then snowdrops and winter aconites as the winter progresses. I will quickly catch up on cleanup chores with the first mild days of March when it is a joy to be working in the garden.

As the winter inches along, I regularly monitor swelling flowers of paperbushes (Edgeworthia chrysantha, above), my marker for spring’s arrival. While flowers might arrive late in January in the mildest winter, I’m often disappointed by late February flowering. I hope not to wait so long this year.