"Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom."
- E. B. White
- E. B. White
It's a cold rainy night with a prediction of snow in the wee hours of the morning.
While the rain falls and the wind blows, I'm cozy inside dreaming of seeds and blooms and thinking of the green shoots appearing in my garden.
I'll be ordering some seeds later tonight, but there are a few blooms that I won't have to wait for.
This African Daisy has survived all winter in a container on my deck.
This bud and another appeared this week. It's my hope that tonight's cold snap won't destroy them.
And one of my favorites, the pincushion flower, has begun to bloom. I love the way it looked earlier this week in the morning light with raindrops glistening on it. It's not a showy flower, but a reliable one that blooms much of the year. When it's at it's flowering peak in the Spring, I love to use it in little nosegay vases with dianthus blooms.
Yesterday was a warm day, and the rain earlier this week softened the ground around the weeds making them easier to pull out by hand. I spent several hours cleaning and clearing the beds all the while thinking of how it would be transformed in just another month or two. I was reminded of the scene in "The Secret Garden" when Mary first discovered the tender shoots of green, for there were shoots of green everywhere in my garden - daffodils, Easter lilies, columbine, daylilies, salvia, sedum, verbena, and more.
“However many years she lived, Mary always felt that 'she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow'.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Each year, when the green shoots appear, it's like a miracle all over again -
as if it's the first time those green shoots have appeared. What joy!
Is this what we wait eagerly for - not the blooms - but instead the first signs of new growth?
Even though the winter has been warm and we have early and unexpected blooms, the thrill that I receive from the miracle of Spring will not be diminished.
16 comments:
We miss the distinct change of seasons here in my part of the world, and the first discovery of shoots is not quite the thrill it would be if we had been waiting through a cold snowy winter. I think though that all gardeners get so excited at signs of new growth. Enjoy the coming growing season.
Nicely put. I love the pincushion flower - mine has bloomed all winter! And isn't it exciting to think that in another month we will be in the middle of new growth all over the garden!
So well-put, Ginny! I just noticed Daffodil buds here yesterday. So early for us up here in the north country. But I'm not complaining. Beautiful blooms in your garden!
Spring is well under way here on my corner of Katy. After 3 harsh winters in a row, we've returned to the mild winter weather we took as our due for so long. I hope Mother Nature doesn't deal y'all an icy blast to nip some of those green shoots you're seeing!
Beautiful Ginny. I do love the first blooms and mine seem to be snowdrops and only a few...apparently I had a couple of early crocus that the voles ate before they opened
The Secret Garden..... what a wonderful influence to have in your thoughts ....even better than green fingers......green visions!
The secret garden is one of my favorite books and I didn't even read it until I turned 40!
Spring takes such a long time toget here in Colorado!
Oh, what pretty photos!
Spring is wonderful in California and sometimes starts in November! I'm glad you quoted The Secret Garden - one of my favorite childhood books - and a magical garden space.
The Secret Garden is a classic. I loved it in childhood and still loved it when heard on audiotape recently. I agree - I may like seeing the green shoots even more than the blooms. Hope embodied. Spring is spring, even if it comes in winter!
I, too, experience that feeling of 'newness' when spring brings forth plants and blooms. It is always a thrill.
Wonderful post, Ginny.
Spring still seems distant, here in Ontario, and it's snowing as I type, but like you, I'm also dreaming of seeds!
Like many other's here, The Secret Garden is one of my favourite books. A lovely reference!
I couldn't agree more...spring is such a fun time in the garden, every days seems to hold a new surprise!
You're so right, Ginny! Those early green shoots are the most satisfying thing, even more than the flowers later. In my climate, many plants keep growing through winter, but I also grow many of the same plants you mentioned and it's always exciting to see those fresh,bright greens when they break dormancy. They never look quite so perfect and pristine again.
A lovely post.
I always want to run out and make pics of the earliest bit of buds opening and then forget when the glorious full flowers are at their height because I'm looking for the next miracle to emerge.
We are enjoying rain today.
That is so true, Ginny. The miracle of spring never ceases to amaze and mystify me...it's just a joy to behold!
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