Spring is my favorite time of year—there's something about the promise it brings that makes me feel so hopeful and energized.
Here’s Comes the Snow…and then the Flowers
It can be such a tease in Colorado though, and such an exercise in patience. It will start to warm up, you might see some crocuses popping up through the ground—and then, of course, we get a huge snowstorm. March is often the heaviest snowfall of the year in Colorado, but let's not forget that our reward will be a more beautiful spring of flowers.
And then it keeps going. April and May warm up, but we might still get surprisingly cold days. I plan a park date, and still regret not bringing my puffy coat. You start to see your neighbors emerging, there’s a buzz of anticipation and energy. If you’re doing a good spring clean, there’s nothing like airing out the house and putting out some fresh blooms.
I love the days slowly getting longer, getting to be outside later in the evenings, seeing all the plant life that survived the winter. When it felt like life was sleeping and the ground was dormant, little tulip leaves start to pop up, foliage greens up right at the ground level, and seedlings start to peek through.
Daily Garden Walkabouts
You can find me once or twice a day just walking around the yard looking closely at the ground. And without fail, every year I forget what I've even planted. Oh yeah, those hyacinth! Those daffodils! Those new varieties of tulips! What are those strange brown curly leaves? That's right—peonies! This year will be my third year of my lilac, which means it might finally bloom. That's what my fingers are crossed for this spring.
It's the most rewarding feeling that the hard work of years or months ago is now being rewarded with these little bursts of life that I forgot about.
Not everything makes it. That's ok—that's life. If anything, it offers a lovely excuse to go back to the plant nursery. This is potentially one of the most hopeful places to be in the spring months—with the others who are anxious to get their hands in the dirt, to get their summer starters going, to breathe in the scent of new plant life. The joy at the nursery is totally infectious.
While I've been cozy inside—hibernating, enjoying my own quiet rest and unfolding—these little babies were doing all this work on their own. The only requirement is that I have to stop and look. DAILY. Because it's like a new treasure hunt each morning.
Happy spring, friends!