Tree buds are swelling, snowdrops are blooming, Sand Hill Cranes are migrating, and I have spring fever.

It’s cold and dreary in Indiana today, but the sight of bulbs popping up all over town lifted my spirits as I made the rounds to my interior plant accounts. Tending the plants in offices and lobbies is a great way to spend a day like this, but part of this job also includes making a loop around the buildings for litter control. I wearily eyed the cold rain through the windows, knowing I had to go out there and pick up soggy trash.

Garden Care

Once I watered all the plants and removed all the yellow leaves, I pulled on my hood, switched from my interior bucket to the trash bucket, and set off, trash grabbers in hand. I’m always amazed by the amount of litter blowing around these parking lots every week, but occasionally find something valuable or at least interesting, like a Garmin or a pink tutu. Even trash duty has its perks. All I found today though, was soggy, uninteresting trash.

What I did find interesting, however, were the number of bulbs that emerged from the ground since my visit last week to these properties. All of the sudden the daffodils are six inches tall and where last week was bare mulch, there’s another little patch of snowdrops blooming away, telling winter it’s time to go. Winter seems to have other ideas today, but all signs point to spring. Hence the spring fever.

The other day I had to stop myself from going to see if pansies were in local nurseries yet. I know better, it’s still too early, but I can’t help it. I’m excited to try one of the newer spreading pansy varieties, like Cool Wave or Plentifall, in several containers this spring and hope they will provide the cascading color promised by the promotional pictures. But for now, I’ll keep getting my winter plant fix through indoor containers, while, of course, keeping an eye on the local nursery I pass every day for that first splash of spring color to appear on its shelves.