The same patch of daffs that was opening up last week is still in a state of suspended animation due to the decidedly winterish temps. Most of the rest of the Narcissus in the Bosquet are snuggly budded and will probably wake bright-eyed sometime during the 3rd week in April. It’s so great when the big show (50,000 altogether – it’s daffolicious!) coincides with Blithewold’s ‘Daffodil Days’ opening festivities!

Other bloomers at this very moment (not to be outdone by a couple of early daffodils) are Scilla siberica, Iris reticulata and this Petasites japonicus aka Butterbur.These sweet fist-sized clusters of flowers are followed by ginormous leaves the size of mini Coopers (I exaggerate – but only a little). They prefer moist shady locations where they can run (say it with me: “invasive”) and sometimes look a little wimpy (say “flopsy mopsy”) in the full heat of summer. But they’re COOL (says me) from the start!

For anyone who might be inclined to think that gardeners don’t ever suffer stress and anxiety, allow me to burst the bubble!

It’s Spring. The season of renewal and awakening and limitless potential. There’s so much potential out there I want to tuck up under the potting bench where it maybe can’t find me! But the sun’s climb always teases me out of hiding and gets me running around like that awful chicken. Where to start is one of Spring’s biggest questions along with WHEN to start. That very question got me this year.

I was prodded by this year’s false start to spray the shading on the greenhouse. (Shading is a spray whitewash that sticks to the exterior glass panes and is worn off by – you guessed it – frost.) It seemed like such a good idea at the time – I felt SO on the ball!

Bitter cold nights, a little sleet, a little snow and out come’s the sun, streaming through, casting shadows and everything. (sigh) All’s not really lost though – I’ll just have to spend another warm, windless morning up a ladder with a few gallons strapped to my back. Maybe I’ll give ol’ Mother Nature a week or two this time to decide what season it is…

My other nearly debilitating anxiety this time of year comes with the seeding. We sow thousands of seeds and you’d think by now, I’d be fairly confident but I can’t help worrying – what if they’re planted too deep?! What if I didn’t cover them enough?! Oh the anxiety. Is that my hair falling out?

But, then – look! It’s a miracle! Those little seeds just WANT to germinate. (now what do we do with all these seedlings?!)

I have to admit, as job stress goes, this is cake and the anxiety is always followed by a blissed out serenity. No matter what, gardening (being surrounded by green growing things) is really good for your blood pressure. Just look at these beauties!…

They’re baaaaa-aack!

These are the very first daffs in the Bosquet to peek out! It’s early days and pretty chilly. Temperatures in the 40′s will keep them from opening too quickly – it’s a florist’s refridgerator out there right now. Stay tuned – the show will begin soon!

I can’t imagine a better day for Blithewold’s first blog post: it’s a rainy Monday at the very start of Spring! Welcome to Blithewold’s new garden weblog!

Last week we started the big spring tidy-up in the gardens. A small representation from Tuesday’s volunteer group (the Deadheads) had it easy: They transplanted seedlings and potted up cuttings in the deliciously toasty greenhouse. — They’ll have their turn outside soon enough! The Wednesday volunteers (The Rockettes) braved a biting wind off the water and soggy boggy ground to rake up hosta leaves and cut back perennials in the Rock Garden. The Thursday group (the Florabundas) were wind AND rose whipped as they started cutting back the climbers. Gail and I cut back the front row of the North Garden on Friday – there’s something so satisfying about revealing those teeny kitten soft Lady’s mantle leaves hiding under last year’s scrunky looking dead stuff!

Not only is it time to get to work outside, but it’s also time to start fertilizing your houseplants again and spruce them up for their outdoor debut. As soon as the night temperatures reach a consistent 50-55 degrees plus, they’ll be be as happy as you to be outside.