Signs of Spring in my Garden - at Last!

Spring takes on many faces in my Ohio garden.  This is my favorite.  Meet my grandson, Luke.  He's twelve, and several years ago we shopped for these crocus bulbs.  The perennial, lambs ear will come alive soon, as the seasons progress.  That face warms me more than any sunny day!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the grandkids (Luke and twin sister Mollee) are on board to help me do some spring clean-up.  But as you can see, I won't be doing the clean-up today. We got 2" of snow over night, and though its pretty,  I am ready to have winter OVER. 

This is what my garden looked like a couple of days ago.  I'll just have to be willing to wait a little longer.

The early signs of spring come in several great bursts of color.  Here the crocus gives a splash of violet.  I  have yellow ones too that really give a punch! I also enjoy  the primrose path I have just off the patio.  I moved the primrose closer to the house so I could see them.  Initially they were way out back, and I rarely saw them.  That soggy trek was the inspiration for my 'muddy boots' picture in an earlier post. 


I've been contributing to the composter all winter.  I'm waiting for some warm sunshine to start it cooking again.  But the bottom door is hiding some really good stuff  from last year that I'll be using soon.  I have some folks I respect in the composting arena that tell me that egg shells may spread samonilla in the compost.  She recommends microwaving the shells for three minutes before tossing them into the compost.  Sounds reasonable, and I'd rather be safe.

As you can see, I've got an old onion growing in my composter, and the coffee grounds and filters are added daily. Paper towel and toilet paper  rollers, as well as potato skins, celery scraps, carrot peeling, and apple cores all find a new home in my compost pile. If you don't have a compost pile yet, consider starting one.  The microorganisms and great nutrition are free for the asking, and free is always a good thing!

The snow is covering the daffodils today, but as they bloom in the next week or so, consider sprinkeling an organic fertilizer around the base of each.  The bulbs will be gathering energy for next years' blooms as the greens fade, so do not cut off the tops before they turn brown. The extra feed and the natural gathering of nutrition will ensure another great show next year.

What spring has to offer us is priceless - hope, renewal, and satisfaction that we have a hand (albeit, dirty) in this wonderful process. 
Share what Spring means to you.
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