We have certainly seen plenty of rain to start the month of March this year, but it’s also been quite mild. Average temperatures are over 6 degrees above normal with every day this month at least reaching the 40s and today will make a full week over 50 degrees for most areas away from the coastline.
There’s actually only been one day below average the entire month so far. With all this warm and wet weather, flowers are emerging quickly and the grass is greening.
One of my favorite early spring perennials is the hellebore. This is also called the Lenten rose and thrives in partial shade. It’s also generally deer resistant and very hardy. The flowers last for at least a month and range in colors from white to yellow to pink to burgundy and there’s even some variegated varieties.
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If you put in a little bit of effort last fall, your bulbs are also emerging and flowering. It’s been such an early spring that the earliest crocus and winter aconite are getting past peak and some of the other bulbs like the puschkinia are also in flower. I love these little guys. Native to the Middle East and Caucasus, they are very delicate but reliable.
In terms of vegetables, I’ve already started planting seeds of spinach, arugula, and peas. I’ve covered these with some plastic just to keep any of the cold damp weather off the soil, but as soon as the sun comes up, I uncover them. This keeps the soil warm.
This year I’ve been fighting voles and have already had to replant my piece twice. It seems like the warm winter left an abundance of these little critters running around the yard.
Also, you may have already noticed hamamelis, also known as witch hazel, in full bloom. Many of these started blooming in January and will continue into early April. The yellow ones can be confused with forsythia but that is still a few weeks away from emerging.
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Cornus mas and some of the early cherry trees are also about to bloom if they haven’t already. Usually protected areas that face south end up seeing the first emergence of these plants, but it will quickly spread in all directions.
If you have no color in your yard yet and you want to get some, pansies are available at most of the garden centers. These are very hardy and can handle temperatures below freezing. If you do hear that the weather is going to be under 28 degrees, however, just throw a sheet or even bring them in the garage and they will be fine. If the blooms get blasted by cold, it won’t kill the plant, it’ll just mean you’ll have to wait a little while to get some more flowers.
Spring is emerging rapidly and it’s time to enjoy nature’s awakening, even if the sleep wasn’t very deep this year.
