Spring is Coming...Very Slowly...But Surely...

I think I speak for everyone in this area when I say that I cannot wait for spring this year. This winter has been like a bad joke, with snowstorm after snowstorm. Now that I have finally been able to see the ground, I have been looking for signs of spring. I took these photos last weekend, just before we were supposed to get another big snowstorm. They were predicting 10-14 inches of new snow, but then we only got about 3 inches. Hey, I’ll take 3 inches of snow over 10-14 any day.

The flower garden is thawing out. There is slightly less snow than this now. Usually next weekend is when I get outside to prune shrubs and start prepping the flower garden for spring.  It may still be too wet to do that. We shall see.

I really should have cut the roses back in the fall to avoid snow and wind damage, but never got around to it. Soon it will be time to prune them for spring.

The kitchen garden is thawing out, too. Again, I would normally start prepping these beds by next weekend. We shall see how things are at that point.

I had been really worried about this variety of boxwood that I have in the “secret garden” area. A few weeks ago I think I had posted a picture of them totally covered in snow. There is definitely some snow damage here. I am pretty worried about the one on the left in this picture.

This is another boxwood I was worried about that is right by the back door. I think it might be able to spring back once the snow melts.

Some of my three container boxwood plants by the back porch are still ice covered from it dripping off the roof of the screened-in back porch. I think they should be just fine, though, after this melts.

The boxwood by the garden gate, in front of the shed/workshop, were totally covered in snow at one point. They look honky-dory now! These are English Boxwood and they were some of the first things I had planted when we moved into this house, so they are well-established at this point.

This was one of the first flowers I discovered trying to push its way out of the cold, wet ground. You can almost hear it saying to itself, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...” as it tries to bud forth. Go on, little guy, you can do it!

The daffodils are also trying to bring us spring. These are in the front yard, by the porch.

More daffodils, this time by the greenhouse in the “secret garden” area. Some of these actually have buds on them. Can’t wait to see their happy, yellow faces.

Another daffodil trying to push its way out, in the little fairy garden. No fairies now. They are still hibernating.

I never thought much about moss until I started seeing different varieties in my yard. These are the mosses on the top of the cedar trashcan bin. Moss must be evergreen. I really want to start learning more about mosses now. I love the one with the bright red tips.

This photo is my “good-bye to winter” photo, because I really, really hope this is the last of the snow. One of my neighbors has a really tall pine tree and it drops pine cones on our roof. You never know where one might end up, it all depends on where it lands on the roof and which way it rolls. I always gather them up and use them in my winter greens displays on the front porch and on the fireplace mantle. Speaking of fires, I’m going to try to squeeze in one or two more before spring. Think I’ll do that tonight.

So good-bye winter, till next year. I can’t say I’ll miss you. Although the last time we had a brutal winter, it was followed by a brutally hot and dry summer. Let’s hope that’s not the case this year.