Coming home from an afternoon walk I was floored to see the snowdrops bursting forth through the rocks. Where had they come from? I had been looking for tulips in the front flower bed but had neglected to check the rocky area near our front door. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed them when I left the house an hour earlier. But here they were... not quite open yet but with more mild weather in the forecast they'll just keep pushing upwards. And so the cycle continues...amazing!
I checked back to last year's photos and to my surprise found that I'd taken pictures of the snowdrops on January 13 then as well. They were only buds last year on this day but then we'd had record snowfalls and extended periods of cold weather earlier.
Taking my veggie scraps out to the compost later today, I stopped to check the parsley and there, sure enough, was plenty of fresh parsley to add to the soup. On the somewhat protected bank along our backyard I noticed the grape hyacinths already long and leggy...and there were the bluebells and dwarf daffodils and crocuses all showing up at once. I hope we don't have a severe cold snap to dampen their efforts.
My friend Hazel next door has lent me a book on gardening: An Ecology of Enchantment - A Year in the Life of a Garden by Des Kennedy. It begins with this month, January. It looks like it will be worth the read one month at a time. When I come upon something really "enchanting" I will try to include it over the course of the coming year.
