A Mild Close of Winter
It was definitely a mild winter here in New Jersey. There were some colder temperatures, of course, but nothing too extreme and certainly not sustained throughout the season. There were only a few light dustings of snow, with nothing to really shovel this year (no complaint about that). Of course, with grey days, bare trees and a dormant garden, it was indeed winter - the season was just rather boringly bland and uneventful. I am not one who particularly likes the snow anymore, but I do prefer cold and crisp winter days that make hibernating inside by the fireplace seem like the thing to do, without making one feel as if they were being too lazy. I am unsure of the exact number of fires that we had this year, but it was far less than usual.
So, as February comes to a close and March begins, it is noteworthy to mention that while taking a look around the garden, despite the lack of any real blooms, the shoots of green and other signs of spring are indeed appearing very early this year. My landscape still remains rather barren when viewed from afar, but upon closer inspection, all sorts of things are starting to sprout up and green and bud. It’s all very minor, but all of the activity is early - weeks early - compared to other years. I have noticed over the last five or six years that our winters seem to be less harsh and that the garden seems to come to life earlier and earlier, but this year is by far the earliest spring activity that I have noticed since I have been gardening.
Early signs of spring in the garden
The unsual thing about the garden this year, is that along with the crocus and daffodils and other early spring bloomers that always send up hints of green early, I am also noticing things that usually bloom much later starting to come up too. Muscari blooms here in late April and continues well on into May. And although it tends to send up some of its foliage in the fall, it usually does not begin to green-up until late March; it is currently green and growing. Likewise, some of my alliums and camassias - typically things that I do not see bloom until late May and into June, are already starting to come up near my front walkway. The hydrangea and other shrubs are also starting to green and bud much earlier than any other year.
The oddest thing about what is currently happening in the garden is that so many things seem to be waking up at the same time. In other years there was the anticipation of the first hint of green from one of the early flowering builbs (like crocus), that I have planted in my side garden. Starting in late February, I would always begin to take notice of the brown earth to see if there were any signs of green. Almost invariably, there was one white or one purple crocus that popped up unexpectedly. And it was a sure sign of things to come, but that said, it was the only sign of things to come - the rest of my garden was always still fast asleep and not yet ready to be awoken. This year, almost as if all roused at the very same time, multiple plants that traditionally bloom anywhere from late February through late May are all announcing themselves in an unusual, synchronized cacophony.
This week, the beginning of March, the temperatures are supposed to be unseasonably warm. I fully expect the green growth that I see throughout the garden to increase considerably. This will surely be a busy week in the garden for me - the first attempts of the new gardening season, in fact. Most years I tend to casually get back out in the garden around the middle of March, but this year I am being pulled out much earlier (and I already feel so far behind). Sprouts of green are appearing at the base of many perennials, which I have not even cut back yet. My amelanchier trees are clearly going to be in flower very soon, when they should be blooming in April. And weeds are already showing up - even before the flowers! Yes, there are lots of unexpected things this year, but nothing that cannot be handled; the unusualness of the season is just very pronounced this year - and it is not even spring yet! Clearly, our gardens take great joy in always knowing that they can still surprise us!
Until next time…
