Helen Hayes once wrote:

"All through the long winter I dream of my garden.  On the first warm day of spring I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth.  I can feel its energy and my spirits soar."

In March, when the weather teases us, sometimes mercilessly, gardeners yearn to reconnect with tilling and planting.

Spring Chores

When the forsythia blooms it is a sign to begin pruning the rose bushes, cutting back the dead wood, so that the new growth can emerge.

On a warm March day, we can also cut down the brown dead tops of last year's perennials, pick up twigs, and tidy our garden beds.

It is prudent, however, to remind ourselves not to be seduced by a burst of warm weather, as it is still too early to do much except clean up our gardens and admire the flowering bulbs.

Fighting the Storm

The miniature yellow Tete a Tete and the larger creamy "Ice Follus" are the bravest of the early daffodils that bloom in my garden.  Late storms may still coat them in ice and snow, however.

So if storms are predicted, once the buds are showing color, I rush to pick them so that they can open in the warmth of the house.  Flowering quince, pussy willows, and the flowering bulbs make any March day special.

This is Moya Andrews and today we focused on the brave flowers of March.

Photo by artolog