This winter has been a real bear! Spring is barely on the horizon. Not the worst one we’ve ever had, but it has been right up there…the last really long one I can remember was in 1995-96.

That season, here in Connecticut, we got 120″ of snow. The end of our driveway looked like a clogged artery. I think we’ve gotten about 60″ of snow this year. But the big news has been the bone-chilling cold and wind that has left us breathless.

That wind, in combination with single-digit temperatures beginning the second weekend in November, really wreaked havoc with our exposed rose canes. The snow started coming shortly thereafter, but it was too late to protect those canes as the damage had already been done. Here we are, five months later, and it has been 20 degrees colder than normal most days with cloudless nights producing wicked cold temperatures. Brrrrr…will it ever be over?

Signs of Spring

The good news is that March sunshine is warm. Despite the cold days, the days are longer, we’re seeing a little more sunshine, the buds are swelling on the trees, and the snowline in my back yard has almost completely retreated!

In the front yard, not so much, but the sun is getting higher every day, and at least my gardens are pretty much exposed now.

I saw male goldfinches this morning at the bird feeder outside my pantry window, and their plumage is turning yellow again with the lengthening days! I have had robins in my windowboxes all winter long feasting on winterberry, so they aren’t much of a harbinger for me, but the red-winged blackbirds have returned! There was a song sparrow this morning, too, and a bunch of house finches and mourning doves that seem to be very interested in each other…and one male cardinal is chasing all his competition out of the area. Signs of spring…

Sharpen Your Pruners

In some years, I am pruning my roses by now. Not this year! We’ve talked before about letting our gardens speak to us…mine is telling me to rest a bit longer! Don’t garden by the calendar. Your roses tell you when you should get started.

A good reminder to move out into the rose beds is when the forsythia in your neighborhood begins to bloom. Until that happens, it’s never too late to get a really good edge on your pruners and loppers. My husband, Bob, is a whiz at sharpening stuff. He has several different whetstones that he applies a little 3&1 oil to, and then he strokes the blades in circular motion until they are nice and sharp.

I have the sharpest kitchen knives in town, and a sharp knife is a pleasure to use. He sharpens my pruners in a similar manner. He takes them apart, works the blades on the stones for a little while, and then reassembles them. Sharp pruners and loppers make short work of shaping a rose bush.

Start Stretching

Before we reenter the garden, it’s a good idea to start stretching. Go for a walk for half an hour a day. This little exercise regimen will make your gardening much easier once you get started. I know I have experienced springs when I’ve been so sore after pruning marathons that it was hard to get up!! A little stretching…a little walking…it’s good for us, and will make us stronger when the warm spring breezes arrive.

The biggest sign of Spring??? A box of roses arrived on my porch yesterday! They will have to stay in the garage in buckets of water for awhile, but they are here, and so hope springs into my heart!