It was such a pleasure to sink one’s hands into the warm earth, to feel at one’s fingertips the possibilities of the new season. ~Kate Morton
Let me start by saying I have done a fair bit of whining lately because our snow isn’t melting fast enough, and there were no flowers for the start of spring on the 20th. Now this is nothing new here, as we never know how spring will come in.
Sometimes warm and toasty, waking the flowers fast only to freeze them a month later. Other times, a tease of warmth melting the snow, but keeping soil frozen and the flowers at bay. And still other times, all is flooded and a sodden mess.
The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. ~Dave Weinbaum
It does no good, so what is the purpose but to plunge me into a dark, gray mood. So enough! Time to face this spring, and celebrate it however it comes to me. After all I said my spring mantra would be celebrating every moment enveloped in spring’s beauty. For now it is snowy, rainy and chilly, but the snow is melting slowly, and for that I am glad. The red-winged blackbirds have returned, and the deer are showing signs of their winter’s coat changing. So I will continue to watch each slow step spring brings to me, and rejoice in it.
All the spring blooms in this post are from year’s past until I can lay me eyes on this year’s garden, as my Irish grandmother would have said.
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As it is now time to dance at the dawn of the new season, let’s see how folks are celebrating….
We are starting out on the west coast where Chad@Me So Thorny has been having grand weather in California. Chad has been contemplating what spring means to him. And as he says, ‘in a word’ it means faith, hope and love.
“How can you not feel hope when you see a bud about to burst forth? Or when you see new foliage on the rose bush that has been little more than a barbed set of sticks for month? Our faith was tested and found to be true and now we reap the reward of hope. Hope for what is coming soon.”
I am having that same faith again that soon spring will be upon me, and I hope for a lovely garden and flowers to adore. A wonderful inspiring post. Thanks Chad. I needed that.
As we move up the coast to Oregon, [email protected] is celebrating the fact that she has never seen an early spring this wonderful and warm. And she is contemplating the yin and yang of this new season. I love how the Chinese think of spring.
“Spring is a masculine season. In Chinese medicine, spring energy is the energy of the liver—its job to instigate movement and “arouse the mind by allowing tension to build in the body.” Here is a wonderful quote from Dr. Frank Lipman, a respected resource in Chinese medicine: ‘Spring is a time for metamorphosis. Whatever resources have been stored during the darkness of winter are now ready to use as we tap into the primal surging that accompanies this time of new beginnings. Spring is creative, volatile, and powerful and so are we as we enter this phase in our annual cycle.'”
What a great explanation of why I have such energy when spring arrives. I do feel changed and exuberant. And I think it is ten-fold for me as I also have a spring birthday.
As we move into the southern part of the United States, we meet up with Beth@PlantPostings who is taking a respite in Florida, away from the snow in her home state of Wisconsin. Beth is finding a wonderful spring celebration of wildflowers and wildlife at Cedar Point Environmental Park. As Beth describes it:
“The standing trees provide excellent viewing and nesting habitat for Bald Eagles and other birds of prey….The park is thick with butterflies….Many of the plants were familiar–plants that are native in both Florida and Wisconsin, although they bloom much later in the north.”
I definitely can see that this was a special trip and a special spot to take in the spring’s flora and fauna so early in the season.
As we move a bit farther north to Georgia, Karin@Southern
Meadows is celebrating the ‘firsts’ of spring. One that I especially love, Karin described perfectly:
“That first day that feels like Spring. You know the one. The feeling is in the air. The cool morning turns into a glorious sunny day that warms your face. The first day that you peal your layers off when you are working in the garden. The one were the birds are singing as loud as they can way up high in the canopy announcing their arrival. Yes. That one.”
Oh that is the best day of the year for me too, Karin. I am longing for that day, and when it finally appears here, I know I will be celebrating too.
Now we move to the midwest, Illinois to be precise, where Jason@gardeninacity is regaling us with the agony and the ecstasy of spring clean up. As Jason says:
“Ecstasy because, as was the case this past weekend, I am OUTSIDE, enjoying SUNSHINE and MILD TEMPERATURES! It makes me feel like I have just been brought back from a semi-comatose state and have returned again to the Land of the Living. The agony, on the other hand, comes from the intensive use of joints and muscles (mainly those involved in bending and kneeling) that have been taking it easy for the past few months.”
I couldn’t agree more, Jason. And I too can’t wait to be outside again plunging my hands in the soil, snapping off dead stalks and rubbing liniment into my sore muscles. All ecstasy I think!
Also in Illinois, Rose@Prairie Rose’s Garden is ready for spring. As she says,
“But the best part about winter is simply this: it makes me appreciate Spring so much more! I don’t think I could live in a climate without the four seasons. Unless you have suffered through endless days of cold and a garden either muddy brown or buried under snow, I’m not sure you could appreciate a scene like this. As the snow melts, it’s so exciting to find little surprises.”
I love this perspective Rose. Winter does indeed make us appreciate spring, once spring does finally come. It is exciting to to find those treasures under the snow….lots of tiny dots of color to delight us.
It is time to head to the Northeast where winter has been very cold and snowy. And spring is slow to 
show itself. In Pennsylvania, Pam@Pam’s English Cottage Garden is celebrating the arrival of spring.
“To celebrate, I indulged in my first-day-of spring traditions: forcing branches and buying pots of spring flowers. I decided to force some branches first, as there was a snow storm forecast for later that morning….On the way, I was thrilled to find the first snowdrop, peeping through leaf debris in the shade garden. Yes, spring has arrived in my garden!”
What wonderful news Pam that spring has arrived even with the snow and cold there. I eagerly await my first spring bloom.
Further north is Jean@Jean’s Garden, in Maine. Jean is seeing hints of spring’s arrival through the snow and 
cold. The March sun is melting the snow slowly showing bare ground under trees and along foundations. But the best part of spring as Jean says:
“…. there are sweeter signs of spring’s approach. Around my neighborhood, taps have appeared on sugar maple trees. This is Maine Maple Sunday, when farmers open their sugar houses to visitors and ply them with various maple sugar treats.”
What a sweet way to celebrate the coming of spring.
And lastly, a wonderful reader and subscriber of this blog, Debbie, celebrated the start of spring by making this wonderful live pansy wreath. I love this:
“I made this wreath in a class at a local nursery. We had so much fun and it turned out so pretty! Happy Spring!”
Thank you Debbie for sharing this stunning wreath as you celebrate the start of spring.
Well there you have it…bloggers from all over celebrating the new season. I hope you will join me in the summer or winter (depending where you live) for another Seasonal Celebrations. What will the next season hold….lots of surprises….of that I am sure!
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In A Vase On Monday
Lots of Hippeastrum ‘Red Lion’ still blooming. And as this is all that is blooming now, I am creating another arrangement using these deep red flowers.
I placed this vase near a front window where late afternoon sun streams in to highlight the blooms.
To my surprise, the red-twig dogwood I cut in fall is now leafing out. And the green vase, I chose for this arrangement, is a lovely match to the new green leaves.
I am also using my tried and true Chinese Evergreen or Aglaonema ‘Emerald Beauty’ along with the dried seed pods of Baptisia as a perfect addition to this vase. And it looks great perched on the black cabinet, just under my baby picture.
As it is getting toward the end of the month, and I had an extra bud of ‘Red Lion’ (looks like 5 in all-1 more to go), I thought I would make a second vase with more of the leafing out dogwood, Peace lily or Spathiphyllum leaves, dried grasses, dried boxwood foliage and barberry berries. I am using all the plant material I have now.
It really did make for a festive arrangement and the dogwood brought me some new growth sorely missing from my garden.
I am joining in with a few memes this week as I prepare this vase: Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful meme, In a Vase on Monday, Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles and Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday.
And as a special note….don’t forget that this coming Sunday is Earth Hour. Join in by going dark for an hour, and help be a part of changing climate change. Check out the website to get more details.
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Next up on the blog:
Next Monday, I will have another wildflower profile.
I am linking in with Michelle for her Nature Notes meme at her new blog just for Nature Notes. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Tuesday.
I am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.
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