Monday, March 08, 2010

March: Early signs of spring

Well, it's March 8; there had better be some signs of spring by now or I'd be sobbing in a snowdrift. The yard is still about half-covered in snow and ice, but with temps in the 40s this week and even some rain, the snow is disappearing quickly. Where it has unfrozen, the soil is a sodden, muddy mess, as is my kitchen floor. Oh well, that's the price we pay for sights like this...

IMG_4865
Species tulips. Hopefully the orange stripes will go away now that they're exposed to the sunlight.

IMG_4863
Hyacinths!

IMG_4883
Peony sprout. I don't even like peonies but, well, there it is.

IMG_4897
Daffodils!

IMG_4889
The rhododendron survived the winter just fine in its sheltered corner.

IMG_4891
I had forgotten about these irises. My grandma gave me a bunch of rhizomes last fall and I stuck them into a random hole temporarily. They seem to be doing okay despite having a hose on them. (No, I never brought the hose in. I always meant to, but, you know.)

IMG_4884
Two species of moss now live in my shade garden, one leafy and one fuzzy (those are technical bryophyte terms, I'm sure). Also, the columbines are starting to grow.

And, as always, there are dogs:
IMG_4870
Lucy keeps an eye on the neighborhood squirrels and birds. She takes her job very seriously.

IMG_4871
Foley blends in well with the dead winter vegetation. Need to tie a bright pink bow around her neck so we can find her.

What's growing in your yard?

5 comments:

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Foley's got some serious camouflage going on, but what a sweet expression - was there a squirrel? Don't feel too bad about leaving the hose out, I accidentally left one of mine out too. Have you heard about a new product that's for washing muddy paws? You put the paw into the thing that's filled with water and when the paw is pulled out, it's clean. I'd have bought that had it been around when I had the Borzoi. Nothing like mud balls between the toe pads.

garden girl said...

Yay! Such a happy time of year when those first tender green sprouts start showing themselves!

Looks like the doggies are enjoying the fine spring weather too.

There's lots of stuff popping up here too - it's really starting to look and feel like spring.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your garden is way ahead of mine. (I'm a little north in Rockford). I'm jealous:) Your greyhound is beautiful. She does seem to blend into the background:)
Marnei

Ramble on Rose said...

Yeah! What wonderful things to find! So far I have been too much of a wimp to really look for signs of life in the garden. I'll start gingerly digging under the leaves and then get cold, wet and discouraged and just go inside. I think I'm secretly scared that nothing's there, so I keep stalling!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

My hyacinths were about exactly as high as yours on that date, but my tulips didn't come up til a bit later. You know, I was never wild about peonies but a client gave me some divisions... now I really look forward to them blooming. I'm not wild about the flower itself, but I *love* the bright red foliage (I think of them as faerie Tiki torches) and I adore the buds before they open (so Monetesque). And I like the ants on the buds, too. Eh yep.