The only green in the woods is on the moss-covered stones or the occasional pine tree.

Welcome to spring!  We’re just seven days into the season and the daily changes in the garden are well under way.  We’ve had a rollercoaster ride weather-wise this past week:  warm days riding around with the car’s windows down, rainy days, snow, and now temperatures inching upward again.  There are still a few patches of snow stubbornly remaining in shaded areas, but the garden is awakening.

Evergreen plants like vinca and those that are semi-evergreen like heuchera (also known as coral bells) have emerged from beneath their winter blankets, challenging the traditional brown uglies of March.  True to form, lawns around here remain swatches of yellow-brown stubs.  One more snowfall should green them up nicely. 

Spring bulbs are popping up in their beds.  Snow drops are in full bloom, coming in second to the witch hazel in the garden’s blooming parade.  Daffodils are growing inches each day and will likely be in bloom soon.  I’m tempted to sit and watch their progress, but there’s so much to do. 

A bleeding heart emerges from beneath a covering of fallen leaves.

This week I’ll be starting my spring cleanup, beginning with gathering pieces of the rugosa rose volunteers cut back during the winter when they bent out over the driveway and threatened anyone foolhardy enough to walk too near.  I’ll also be drastically cutting back the remaining volunteer roses.  I’d intended to do this last spring, but waited too long.  Once they were leafed out and buds formed, the bees arrived, and I couldn’t make myself prune out their rugosa rose buffet. 

This year I’ll do better.  I’ll do the pruning first, before my pollinator buddies arrive.  Right now their main activity surrounds the witch hazel tree.  Lots of buzzing in the air there. 

Today I got to work potting up some roots I’d purchased.  Soon I’ll have starter plants to add daylilies and hosta to the garden once the ground dries out a bit so that it’s workable.  This year I’ll also be growing some annual flowers I plan on using a lot of and some perennials for planting in areas where small, starter plants will have room to grow.

It won’t be long before daytime temperatures are in the 50’s on a regular basis.  Then the real work can begin, including my first attempt at propagating some shrubs using air layering techniques.  I can’t wait. 

Until then, I have seeds started in my Aerogarden (hydroponic) and in traditional seed starting trays.  If plants could be grumpy about being inconvenienced, those on my plant stand would be grumbling at the presence of two seed-starter trays in their space leaving them crowded together. 

With any luck, by the time the seedlings in those trays are large enough to need transplanting, the weather will be warm enough in my unheated sunroom to move them out there where they’ll be one step closer to the great outdoors.

My list of things to do grows longer each day.  And I’m just fine with that.

What’s at the top of your spring to-do list?

Seed starting in my Aerogarden.

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