The Power of Positive Thinking

In keeping with my usual cheery self and being the positive thinker that I am (and on the heels of a bleak, wintery post), I took to the great outdoors once again, in search of spring. Now with snow on the ground (some melted away this afternoon) and more to come, you might think it would be difficult to find. But I knew it was out there if I just knew where to look.

You know, Mother Nature is smarter and more clever than all of us put together and no doubt she is getting weary of hearing us whine. I'm even getting tired of doing the whining. And just as I suspected, I didn't have to look all that far!

Behold! There are buds!



The Buckeye (Aesculus sp.) has the largest of the buds I saw. They probably looked like this last fall, but it doesn't look like the winter has hurt them any. It's a native tree, so it's used to just about any kind of winter you throw at it.








The dogwood (Cornus sp.) that has only bloomed twice in the 15-plus years we've had it, is once again loaded with buds. These too were present last fall, but I just know there are some pretty white flowers inside the onion-shaped buds.





This Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Emperor') is poised and ready to go.






The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) has bunches of buds and they're showing a bit of green at the tips!














Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') has little buds at the base of its catkins.















I don't know what type of viburnum this is, but it's got gorgeous red foliage in the fall and white flowers in the spring. Its blushed buds remind me of Spanish peanuts.












The white lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is preparing for its spring show.










This isn't the greatest photo of rosebuds (it's too cold to go back out and take it again), but take my word for it: that nub on the left, opposite a thorn is a bud on the English Rose 'Falstaff'.








Out in the back garden, the gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) is actually putting up new foliage! And you-know-who has gotten to it already. (Rabbits. Meh.)






Now here's something that makes me really happy to see. The Monarda punctata 'Fantasy', which some sources say is only hardy to zone 6, is looking pretty darn good. But I did mulch it pretty well.






As I was walking back to the house with frozen fingers, I thought I detected a faint "squish" as I walked across the yard where there was no snow. The ground felt hard as a rock, but there must be a little bit of thawing going on. And I know that in spite of the coming snow, at this time of year, a week can make a big difference. So I continue to think positively and busy myself with other things. We'll be swamped with gardening chores soon enough. (Bring 'em on!)