It's a Miracle!

April 10th, 2011
Finally.  The snow is gone enough where I can catch a glimpse of green in my garden.  Through the brown, that is.  The Gardener didn’t quite get to her own garden for cleanup last fall.  Lots of debris out there.  But fun none-the-less to watch as the perennials emerge from the soil. 

Virginia Bluebells

My 6 year old daughter, Zilla, and I have been keeping tabs on everybody popping up.  We started barely a week ago.  The day lilies (Hemerocallis),  the Sedum, and the Daffodils (Narcissus) were some of the first to show their little heads.  I love the rosettes of the creeping sedum (Sedum ternatum) and the accordion like leaves on the strawberries (Fragaria vesca) before they spread out their fluffiness.  The purple tops of my Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica are peeking out, wondering if it’s warm enough (yes, it is!) to spike their lovely stems and start showing off their dangling periwinkle bells.

We walk around saying hello to everyone and welcoming them back.  We’ve wandered around the beds every few days to see who else is brave enough to stick their necks out.  I find such pleasure in greeting everyone as they burst through the mulch.  I love that my daughter is picking up on that enthusiasm and carrying it for her own.  She points things out faster than I do, chastising me for not cleaning up in the fall, stating, “The poor Scilla, (Scilla siberica) has to work extra hard to get through all that stuff, Mom!” (Yes, she knows the name Scilla - it rhymes with Zilla! - but not the latin name :) )

Today she noticed the Hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are up about 4 inches, the Daffodils have their flower heads nodding against their stems, and the Spiderwort (Tradescantia) and Agapanthus are about 6” taller than even 5 days ago.  “Spring is a miracle, I tell you!” She exclaims.  Yes, a miracle indeed.  The continuing cycle of life and death.  A miracle to behold, right here in my own front yard.