Yellow crocus 'Zwanenberg Bronze'

Signs of Spring.

Posted on by Ann Mackay

The first crocuses are in flower and it feels as if spring is on its way. The sun grows brighter and stronger, the air is quite a few degrees warmer, and the daylight is lasting for longer. Winter, at last, is receding and it feels good to get outside and enjoy the re-emergence of life in the garden.

Winter can be a time when life runs at a bit of a low ebb. Most days are too cold and grey to wish to spend a lot of time outdoors and you really just want to keep warm and dry. (But, if there is a warmish winter day, with perhaps a little bit of sun, then I do try to get some gardening done. It raises my spirits and allows me to escape the incarceration of being stuck indoors.)

Spring is an invitation to go out into the garden and look for the start of new growth. Right now the snowdrops are still in flower, crocuses are showing as little flashes of colour here and there, and the daffodils are promising flowers soon, as their leaves lengthen and their buds fatten.

The long wait of winter is almost over. It’s time to start work in the garden again.

There’s lots to do – new borders to dig, weeds to get rid of, and old dead growth to be cleared away to allow room for the new shoots. The work is invigorating and brings a connection to the earth and the life that is quietly pulsing within it.  That connection creates an awareness of the natural world. It gives a feeling of being part of that world, and of well-being and pleasure at being able to contribute to it.

If you’re coming to the end of winter wherever you live, I hope that you’re starting to see the signs of spring. Do enjoy them!

Published by Ann Mackay

Photographer, mixed-media art adventurer and completely daft about plants.......

20 thoughts on “Signs of Spring.”

    1. Thank you Syd, glad you like the little crocus! It is starting to feel quite spring-y here. It’s amazing what a difference a few days can make!

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    1. Thank you Liz! The blue background is a very large sheet of blue card which I simply put behind the pot that the crocuses were growing in. (Instant ‘blue sky’ effect – useful at this time of year!)

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  4. Thanks for posting your cheerful blooms. We’re still waiting for any little sign of spring here in Indiana. Yes, the days are getting a bit longer which is lovely, but Snow on the way again and still too cold to work outdoors comfortably. I still have borders to clear of last year’s old growth so when the bulbs do begin they have a pretty setting. So, thanks for sharing your crocus!

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    1. Thank you for the lovely comment, Carolee! I hope that spring arrives soon for you. We’ve been very lucky here this year and have had very little snow and fairly mild weather. I have lots of clearing to here too…otherwise my spring plants will be lost in the undergrowth!

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  5. Ann, I’m glad you have signs of spring where you are! No signs here. Not for another 2 months at least, but at least there’s lots of time to plan😊

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    1. Oh, Laurel – two months sounds like a long time! Mind you, I need all the time in the garden that I can get, so that I can make up for the neglect it suffered during the years that Mum and Dad were ill. At the time, they were far more important than the garden, so it’s the garden’s turn now…

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    1. The coming of spring can be quite gradual here – a period of ‘is it or isn’t it’ as we switch between periods of warmer or cooler weather. Nothing can be taken for granted – there could easily be snow next month! (I really hope not!)

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