Tuesday, February 8, 2011

First Signs of Life

One of those "getting to know you" questions is, "What is your favorite season and why?" For most of my life, my answer has been: summer. Summer is beautiful and sunny. Flowers are fully in bloom and the air is filled with their fragrance. The temperature is warm, providing the opportunity for summer activities such as running through the sprinkler, swimming and water gun fights.

Over the last few years, though, my favorite season has been changing. How can you top spring? Spring is full of new life, bulbs emerging out of the earth, trees budding and blooming, the sound of birds returning and celebrating eternal new life at Easter. Spring is when I begin to dream of my vegetable garden and plant those first seeds. The anticipation of the vegetables is almost more exciting than the harvest. Being the fan of flowers that I am, I love each stage of spring: crocuses emerge, tulips bud, daffodils bloom, lilacs spread their perfume. It is nearly a magical season.

Yet before spring arrives, my beds surprise me. Before my thoughts return to gardening, flowers bud and bloom. As I walk around the yard and observe perennials barely beginning to revive, it catches me off guard and brings a smile to my face. Oh, beautiful Hellebores, how I love you!

Hellebores are a beautiful, evergreen perennial and come in a variety of colors. These flowers bloom from mid January to April and sometimes even beyond. They start out small, as mine are now, but continue to grow increase in size throughout the growing season. The foliage is evergreen and a nice addition to the flower beds year round. For me, these are the signs that spring is on its way. They are the first flowers to bloom in my yard.

Need a flower to brighten your day in late winter? Plant some Hellebores and enjoy the delightful surprise of flowers out of season.

3 comments:

  1. My hellebores are blooming too, love them!

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  2. My snow drop flowers are in bloom and are always the first flower I notice and make me happy that spring is indeed around the corner. As a kid, summer was always my favorite season too (I think some of that had to do with no school! :). But the older I get the more I've come to appreciate spring and fall too and I don't think I could even pick a favorite. Winter I just don't love though. Never been a fan of the cold and how everything looks so dead.

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  3. You know, Sara, I have to agree that I also have begun to appreciate all of the seasons more every year. The way I figure, winter helps me appreciate the other seasons more. But then again, those sunny, winter mornings when everything is covered with frost are just hard to beat.

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