The first of May has finally come and the garden has awakened.  Daffodils are in bloom everywhere in the yard, a succession of early, mid, and late season bloomers.  Tulips in brilliant orange and yellow accompany them, along with the last of the early flowering hyacinth.  The peach tree by the woods is covered in pink blossoms, promising peaches this summer if I can figure out a way to keep the deer from harvesting them first.  The evergreen rhododendron has begun to bloom, a splattering of deep pink blossoms against the green.  The lilacs’ buds are showing their deep purple hue in anticipation of opening mid month.  Perennials are emerging from the ground across the garden.  And everything has turned a brilliant green—in part thanks to a bumper crop of weeds taking full advantage of warmer temperatures and April showers.

While I indulge in all the springtime garden joy as I walk around my yard, I’m on the lookout for the fallout from last winter’s weather oddities.  Usually by January we have at least a foot of snow covering the ground.  Even after the traditional January thaw when temperatures rise and rain replaces snow, once the temperature drops, the snowfall returns and a white blanket covers the garden, insulating and protecting the roots of perennial plants, shrubs, and trees.  This year that insulation was often absent when temperatures dropped, so I’m concerned about damage to my usually faithful perennials.

Among my favorite plants are the moss phlox.  They’re evergreen, so usually they’re ready to go come spring.  This year, I was dismayed to find a lot of brown instead.  Much to my relief, warmer temperatures and those famous April showers brought on a flush of growth and they all greened up remarkably well.  Not long after, buds appeared and soon they’ll be in full bloom.  It’s a truly magnificent show. 

My catmint wasn’t so lucky—at least not yet.  The spring growth is a fraction of what it was last year, but I’m hoping that, catmint being catmint, it will bounce back over the coming weeks.

Other plants seem to be doing well, in fact, better than I’d expected overall.  It’s spring, a time of rebirth and renewal, so I really shouldn’t be surprised the garden is doing just fine.

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