I congratulate myself for refusing to whine excessively through this overly long and chilly winter. While not cold to an extreme, a month of snow cover is reason enough for sorrowful moans and groans, and yet somehow I survived in good spirits to experience this glorious week when spring has undeniably arrived. With spring bulbs…

The planting of sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis) between a stone path and stream was a disappointment at the start. Small plants grow slowly, but today, the creeping stems have filled the area, long ago crowding out a daphne and a large portion of what was once a vigorous clump of Japanese Forest grass (Hakonechloa…

While handfuls of the garden’s hellebores flowered quickly after the snow melted in early February, most were weeks later. In this second week of March, peak bloom is near. While I would have enjoyed more flowers in late winter, this is among the many delights that I have no control over. Over the few decades…

The upcoming week will be busy, perhaps the busiest of the year. With temperatures in the sixties and seventies, I’ll be indoors only to eat and sleep (and maybe to rest up a few minutes). This is the long-awaited cleanup week, but I’ll also make the season’s first trip to the garden center. After pulling…

The wild swings in temperature in March are not unusual and hardly a concern early in the spring. Yes, the warm, sunny afternoons are glorious, but freezing nights and some chilly days are expected in the weeks to come. In the garden, the ups and downs aren’t a problem, in particular since the winter chill…

The garden is getting close. A year ago, this point was reached by early February, but a colder and snowier winter has delayed flowering by weeks. But we’re almost there. In milder winters, there will be short periods of bloom with holdover buds from autumn flowering and spring flowering camellias. The flowers are typically ruined…

I am never in a rush to begin the garden’s hard labor, and there is plenty to be done. With several very mild days in late February, I’m happy to delay the hours of cleanup, excusing that overwintering insects must not be disturbed. Conveniently, I take the word of those who claim expertise in such…

I’ve recently noted that flowering in the garden has been delayed by a chilly January and a weeks long cover of snow. Temperatures during the month were not extreme, just colder than in recent mild winters. Looking at my log of photos from the past year, I’m surprised by the abundant flowers in the first…

The weather forecast promises fifties (Fahrenheit) and a sixty degree day or two for the last week of February. I am long past ready for the cold to be over, so I designate this twenty-five degree day as the last of winter. Of course, there will be chilly days scattered through March and even into…

I can feel it. My enthusiasm is growing. On each sunny day, my wandering through the garden has become more focused. As last week’s snow melted, I paused to enjoy flowers of several hellebores (below), lifting buds to check progress on some, and removing a blanket of leaves that covered swelling buds on others. I’m…

Today’s snow should be no more than a minor inconvenience. Temperatures have risen just above freezing, and tomorrow will be considerably milder with rain by the weekend, so this snow cover is unlikely to stick around for long. The road out front was plowed early this morning, down to bare, wet pavement this time instead…