Spring Treasures

The green shines through the dark wet earth.. the first treasures of spring poking up... and life everywhere is filled again with hope.

The cycle of the seasons to me reflect the cycles of life.

That is why gardening brings me such a sense of peace ... I guess. It is reassuring to see the cycles go by and see so much has survived a harsh winter.

Those first sightings of green make me want to grab that shovel and ...... DIG. The feeling is so strong I have to physically tell myself ... "NO." I can however.. go out and pull .. and that I do... pull out the old flower stalks from last year that looked so great covered with snow during the winter .... while protecting their roots from the extreme cold.

I can also pull some of those weeds that have such an easy way of growing and taking over the flowers home space... or I can use a good organic weed killer to get at their roots. This is the only time of the year I concentrate on weeding.

Once the flowers take over... the poor weeds can have their way.. to a degree. The big ones get yanked throughout the summer.

This is the time of the year the roses get fertilized around the roots .... then if I forget to do it regularly.. I know they hae had one good dose.

Spring is a great time to be outdoors ... and somthing about "in the garden" belongs to spring. The work done now will shine back on me all summer long to enjoy in the form of the splash of flowers that flow from May through September.

This is when I am driven to gardening sites and catalogs ... just to see what is new and what new plant I will try this year.

Each spring I try one new plant .. just for the fun of it.

The sunflower and morning glory seeds I bought a week ago stare me in the face from the kitchen counter. I will not plant them inside as I just never have luck with transplanting seedlings I start indoors. Instead... I plant these seeds directly outdoors when the ground has warmed sufficiently.

The morning glory seeds I split with a small sharp knife and soak in water overnight before planting. The sunflower seeds go directly into the ground.

Zinnia seeds are other seeds that grow easily from seeds planted directly into the ground.

You just need to be sure you recognize the plants as they begin to grow so you do not pull them out thinking they are weeds.