There is a little rhyme my Aunt Jeanne used to say to us when we were little and impatiently waiting and whining for Thanksgiving Dinner/Easter egg Hunt/Christmas to begin.

It went

Patience is a virtue

Virtue is   a grace

Put them all together and you get a happy face.

Because I am a smart- ass I used to rewrite it to say

Patience is a virtue

Virtue is a grace

put them all together and you DON”T GET CHERYL!

only also being a smart person I would sing song it to myself in my own head ( the smartness at play here) so as not to get punished for my mouthiness and miss the very thing I was aching for to begin with.

Well, now it is Spring, or more precisely spring weather, I am impatient for. According to the counter I posted here  we are already over a week into Spring, yet my yard looks like this with nary a daffodil in sight. Daffodil?? What am I thinking ! We have yet to see the first snowdrop or hellebore  whose common name is Lenten Rose and has thus  missed the boat . Lent has sailed on by, Easter is upon us.

The temps have moderated a little , but the snow is melting ever so slowly. I truly do  love the snow and the winter but prefer  everything in its own  time and place , so feet of snow on the gardens in late March is not appreciated .I have faith that once it gets going it will all but dissapear in minutes but for now it is trying my not so present patience.

In a move that stunned my daughters, I purchased, yep you read that right, purchased a pot of blooming  Daffodils. Despaerate times call for desperate measures.

Our Easter Sunday will be spent indoors , no rush to clean up the Dog’s Garden where we usually egg hunt as even if a miracle occurs and the snow is gone there will be mud….which is worse.

The very good thing about all of this as far as my lack of patience goes, is that the plants don’t have any either.Once that snow cover is gone the first warm day will bring an explosion of little green heads poking out of the ground quickly followed by flowers. Then it will be a virtual landslide of bloom until we get back on track  probably in May.

The very bad thing about this is the workload will be a virtual landslide too and I may all but disappear outside for days at a time trying to keep up.

Meanwhile I have been busy inside, I got  a new office space, re-painted the dining room and am at work on another large project ( which may or may not be my kitchen..I can’t say because it might jinx the spell I seem to have placed on the  ever reluctant to home improve Wil  ). I figure right with the going gets rough indoors with what is or is not a kitchen renovation  the garden will be screaming my name simultaneously, isn’t that always the way?

Happy Easter  and Springtime to you all!

 

 

A peek inside for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

 

 

 

I am thinking green, and not just because I have pre-spring fever, but because I am suffering from jealousy and am green with envy to see snowdrops and witch hazel blooming in Maine( The Coastal Maine Botanic Garden posted photos on their facebook page),and  tulips and daffodils poking out their first feelers to check if it is indeed time to emerge all over the place, except here ,where everything is still covered in snow ( 24.4 new inches last week)

But mine is not to question why, instead I will revel in my own little spring I have created inside the house. As you recall I was busily cutting  branches from spring blooming trees and shrubs when I last posted, and the  results have been wildly successful.

Forsythia, one of the easiest of plants to force into bloom has been coming on in waves here as I venture out to cut more every few days, the whole understory outback is planted with them so I have a great supply. While such a bright golden yellow can often be garish in the garden, when one is awaiting the burst of color that is spring  ,forsythia yellow is nothing short of perfect.

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.The redbuds are playing along , just starting to show the first hints of color

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.The cherry blossoms have already arrived to the party, although the hamemelis ‘purple ribbons’ has already left

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.The magnolia is by far the most intriguing to watch as it  sheds its fuzzy coat to show off  that flamboyant  purple flower….don’t you want to shed yours too?

 

 

 

 

The pear branches  are changing daily,each morning  more puffed and closer to bursting open

I never know where I stand with the finicky viburum carlessii , every year it taunts and teases looking for all the world like it will bloom at any second, only to break my heart and stubbornly remain closed. But I will never stop trying or loose hope for it’s scent is one of my absolute favorite parts of spring and I would camp under the bush every night it was in bloom if I wasn’t such a sissy about critters. Having it bloom inside is the most rare and delectable treat.

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.This cuphea I bought on clearance at the end of the season last summer and thus was not ready to part with, has grown and thrived from a small cutting I took in September and has been blooming in the window for a few weeks now, Isn’t it  sweet?.

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And a big pat on the back to the clematis florida that has lit up my picture window since December and is still loaded with blooms and  buds.

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.I am still awaiting lilacs, (fingers crossed..so far so good) and  crab apple blossoms which I cut later than the rest. But no worries there as my indoor spring is well under way and I couldn’t be happier

oh..wait..yes I could! My dear friend Barbara  dropped by yesterday as I was on my way to work and gave me this adorable little shamrock plant which I used along with a precious little nest and eggs and some pussy willows as my table centerpiece. Nothing says “lucky” like shamrocks from a friend! Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and the luck ‘o the Irish to you as well.