It’s so easy to count the reasons spring is my favorite season. Contrary weather is not one of them.

After blissful days of sunshine, warm (as in “is it summer already?”) temperatures, open windows, and working in the garden, clouds descended, the temperature dropped, and rain arrived. Of course, the sun came out again, but those blissfully balmy temperatures are in hiding.  Still, I can enjoy the daily changes in the garden.

The daffodils are in their glory, a riot of yellow, white, and orange.  The tulips are patiently waiting their turn to bloom.  The buds on the quince are fat and red.  Their flowers will burst open soon.  The leaves will follow after the flowers have had time to show off. 

As I check the ground covering plants I installed along the stone wall by my driveway, I’m thrilled to see the creeping phlox came through the winter well and are covered with buds in varying degrees of development.  When they bloom, it will be gorgeous.  All too soon, the flowers will fade and all that will remain will be low mounds of green that expand a little each year. 

Alongside the creeping phlox, I’ve added another of my favorite plants.  A friend introduced me to heucheras (a/k/a coral bells) a few years back.  Each year since then, I’ve added a few more to my collection.  I love the variety of colors the leaves display:  peaches and purples, reds, and neon greens.  Even when nothing is flowering in the garden, they provide a colorful show.

The leaves on the lilacs have opened and will soon achieve their full growth.  The buds haven’t started to swell yet, but they will soon.  The anticipation of the scent of lilacs drifting through my windows makes me smile. 

The bleeding hearts have emerged and are growing so fast I’m tempted to measure morning and night to document their progress.  Nearby, the trout lilies are nearly ready to bloom. 

Nothing in the garden is sleeping in.

And me?  What am I doing besides admiring nature’s handiwork?  I’m cutting back damaged shrubbery and weeding.  And more weeding.  It’s endless.  The grass keeps trying to grow back, and I do my best to make sure the lawn stays gone.  And then there’s the goldenrod.  It’s beautiful and the bees love it, but it tends to be a bit of a bully.  It spreads anywhere and everywhere.  My saddle hoe has already gotten quite a workout, and I’ve barely begun my annual counterattack.  There’s more to deal with in all the places goldenrod shouldn’t be growing.  There’ll still be plenty for the bees. just not along paths and in my garden beds.    

In the meantime, weeding offers yet another chance to see what’s growing in the garden and all the little changes every day.