Considering that it is still pretty darn cold out there, I thought it might be interesting to digress a bit and talk about how some plants go through the “change of life” as they grow up into adult plants.  Here goes nothing...

This recent spate of freezing temperatures has got me thinking about how some plants in my garden seem to be unfazed while others turn to mush.  I find it fascinating that the flowers on my witch hazel, Cornelian cherry, Sarcococca, and even my beloved winter daphne haven’t skipped a beat while the early blooms of the Christmas Cheer and Olive rhodies and Camellias have turned completely brown.  Some plants just seem to be better adapted to dealing with freezing temperatures.  Why is this?  

Considering all the rain that we have received lately, it is probably safe to assume that most of us have not completed the tasks I wrote about last week.  I managed to hoe out some of my shot weed and spent one hour pruning some shrubs, but that was about it.  Hopefully the rest of you were able to do a little better.  Just in case you have run out of chores, here are a few more to consider...

Okay folks, it’s time to get serious about gardening again.  Like I mentioned last time, it feela to me like we are going to have an early spring (unless it continues to rain like crazy and it stays dark, in which case it will be a late spring!  How’s that for some confusing information?)  Actually, when it is all said and done, spring never varies by more than a week or two, so I guess it is a moot point.  Here are a couple of areas to focus on for this week.  There will be more to come later…