Everything’s Coming Up!

This is the time of year when I go from feeling so far ahead to panicking that I’m too far behind. The hot days last week invited all the plants to start growing at once, and now the trees are flowering, the weeds are encroaching on the beds, and I’m looking at the first harvests of forsythia and violet starting soon.

Daffodils are finally emerging in the north country. It has been so warm that they feel late, but they are always right on time.

the first few forsythia blossoms

The ground under one of the maple trees is littered with twigs and buds that the critters have been nibbling.

The hawthorn leaves are coming! Known and bread and cheese for being a tasty trailside snack.

I am patiently awaiting the nettles to grow a little taller before harvesting them for drying. They can be eaten this time of year, but I orefer to preserve them to make “green milk” the rest of the year.

Maple buds. Spring foliage season is almost here!

I have been cultivating the violets for a few years now, and they are just loving the space and care they are receiving. They are quickly colonizing the beds that I have set aside for them.

I can’t believe the ground ivy is blooming already! This really is one of the hardiest plants. It is invasive in the garden beds but fills a niche in the rest of the yard where it is too shady for grass to thrive. And the pollinators love it!

Mugwort! We have new mugwort products this year, and I am thrilled that the plants are already returning.

Wild lettuce. Inwish it was tasty like the domestic varieties, but I have come to appreciate its pain medicine.

Hopefully we have enough garlic planted this year. Last year’s harvest just ran out, and we are months from another harvest.

The lilacs are coming! The lilacs are coming!

Hostas coming up slowly. They are technically edible, but I have never enjoyed them when a sampled them.

Last year was a bad year for St. John’s wort, but the beds and volunteers are growing strong already this year.

Rhubard coming up slowly.

The dandelions are all over one of the garden beds, but I use them for green mulch along with plantain, so it is good to see them. They don’t need to be weeded.

My favorite flowering quince is about to pop off!