Waiting For Spring

I'm a gardener, I'd rather be in my garden than any other place I can think of.  It is said that God made rainy days so that gardeners would stay inside and clean their houses, and that's probably true.  I'd much rather muck about in my garden than dig in the corners of my house.  But this winter has seemed so long, and I've cleaned more house than I ever wanted to, so now I'm looking for signs of Spring which comes earlier in the South than other places.

One of the first trees to bud out it the Red Maple and they all started about a w

eek ago, freezing weather and all.

The first flowers to bloom are my Red Camelia which is in the garden,  

the Carolina Yellow Jasmine growing around the pool ,

 and  the Loeopetalum, Purple Diamond which is growing in a pot in the 

garden and getting way too  big.

The purple Hyacinths are coming 

up, but so far not as many as last

 year.  

I planted Spanish Bluebells last Fall and they'

re starting to break through the soil.

 I planted 20 of them but only a few have come 

up so far.   I know that in England Bluebells bloom in May, I'm not sure when these will bloom.

Next to them

 I planted Anemones and a couple of them have started peeking up too.

The Freesias are all up but not blooming yet and the daffodils are getting taller each day.

Today I planted California Poppy seeds, I should have put them in last Fall, I hope I'm not too late.

Each year I learn more about gardening and in particular about gardening here in Coastal Georgia.  It's a time an expensive education,  to quote H. Fred Dale, "My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view."

It's been said that what a man (or women) needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it, (Charles Dudley Warner) and I'd certainly agree, but time on my knees in my garden gives me more than time spent  on my knees on my kitchen floor does..  It renews me and makes me more appreciative of all I have.

A friend of mine in going through chemo right now  and says that if she could just sit outside in her garden it would all be so much easier and I know exactly what she means.