Spring is Right Around the Corner

I think that by the beginning of March, most of us who live in cold-winter states are over it.  The last snow, flurry, and ice of the season is often met with great frustration, especially in years when that last cold snap is preceded by a few warm days.  Every year, by the beginning of March, I am itching to get out into the garden.  I've become bored with my favorite indoor activities, and long to open the windows, lounge on the back patio, and pick some of my favorite garden blooms.  Yep, I've definitely got spring fever.  Good thing my yard is coming back to life after its long winter slumber.

 

This weekend, inspired by the unseasonably warm weather, I took a tour around my garden.  Everything is so different from a few short weeks ago when I donned my long winter coat, boots, hat, and gloves to take a look around the yard.  My garden has sprung to life!  Crocus are in full bloom, and my daffodils are on the cusp.  Hyacinth are not far behind.  Even my tulips have begun to gingerly peek out above ground. 

A new addition to this year's garden is garlic, which I planted in November.  I am learning as I go with this crop, although I'm starting to think that it would be a good idea to find an article and read up on what to expect.  I just learned what a garlic scape is, and am now eagerly awaiting my first one.  Luckily, garlic seems to be a crop that doesn't need a whole lot of babysitting.  Without any intervention on my part, I happily found sprouts 8 inches tall. 

Best of all, my rhubarb is beginning to shrug off months of dormancy!  I am especially excited because after two years of waiting, I will be able to harvest some stalks from the rhubarb I planted in 2010.  Last year, I planted an additional 4 rhubarb, but I will most likely have to wait another year to harvest those.  I just love watching the plants return to life each spring.  The first tiny reddish-colored leaves that emerge from the ground are so cute and crinkly that it is hard to imagine that by mid-May, the rhubarb will turn into monstrous stalks.

 

Hooray for the return of spring!