It's springtime in Wisconsin, and after the long, very hard winter we've experienced, everyone I know is eager to get out into the yard and work in their gardens. Bitter cold temperatures and frequent snowfalls alternated daily during the short days and long nights of our Midwestern winter.
It's time to CELEBRATE that Spring has arrived. Already my tiny tete-a-tete daffodils are blooming, and some of the larger daffodils are, too. Some early tulips are showing their flower heads, and it won't be long until they open their blooms to the warming sun.
Spring bulbs are the cheery harbingers of the summer blooms to come. Planted in the fall, after the nights become cold, the bulbs sleep undisturbed under the ground. Bulbs can be planted anytime until the ground freezes. I've been known to be out planting them when snowflakes are already flying in the cold wind. And I've had great success even then.
Most bulbs require a period of freezing, or very cold, weather for their life cycle. Once the spring rains pour into the earth, warming the soil and sending nutrients to the plants, the bulbs send out roots into the soil, and soon thereafter, shoots reach against gravity to break through the hard ground in search of daylight.
What joy we find in that first crocus or daffodil bloom! We celebrate springtime and the end of the bitter cold months of winter by digging in the soil and preparing our gardens for the new growth of summer. I love the smell of the damp earth, and the feel of the soil in my hands. Yep, I've got it bad, and I couldn't be happier. It's finally SPRING!Happy Gardening, Everyone!