Well, Winter in the Northwest has been more significant than usual and right now I'm looking at 6" of snow in the garden. It gives me time to reflect on what was going on in the garden last year at this time. At work we have started to get in the Primroses (
Primula x polyantha) and soon to follow well be 4" Bulbs, Heathers, Pansies and English Daisies. Every time the first shipment of the early Spring colour appears their is immediate excitement. I believe its because we are well into Winter and seeing all this beautiful colour reminds us that Spring is around the corner.
Last year I planted pots of Primroses and English daisies (
Bellis perennis) to greet guests on there visits to our home and garden. I always select bright colours to offset our grey Northwest days. Both are very easy to grow and are inexpensive. And while both are perennials, generally gardeners in our area discarded them in late Spring using them more as a annual. If you do choose to keep them as perennials be careful with the Bellis, it can reseed into your beds and your lawn (hence one of its common names '
lawn daisy')
Well, it's that time of year when the Moss in the garden starts to really take off. And although many gardeners go to great efforts to remove it from every place, I choose to allow it to pop up here and there adding additional interest in the yard. I do remove it from the lawn, the beds, and hard surfaces like walkways and driveways, but other than that, it's a welcome visitor to trees, shrubs, and boulders.
