The Miracle of Spring

I never get tired of the miracle that is spring. It begins with the lengthening days that tell us that spring is on its way, even as the snow continues to pile up on the ground. Then, as snow begins to melt around the foundation of the house and in the garden, new growth appears and crocuses splash their vibrant colors around a landscape that has come to seem drab and dreary.

By early April, enough snow has melted that I can resume my “morning tour of the garden,” a ritual of taking my first mug of tea out with me as I walk slowly through the garden to see what is happening – and at this time of year, there is something new happening almost every day. In mid-April, enough snow has melted that I can begin spring cleanup in the garden; removing spent plant debris reveals still more new growth pushing up through the soil.

Part of the miracle of spring is its predictability, the way the cycle of the seasons brings it back around each year. On my morning walks through the garden, I greet old friends as they return for another year. And, because I know what is coming, part of the magic is the delight of anticipation. I find myself counting the clumps of crocus that have emerged from under the snow, the clumps of daffodils with flower buds showing, or the number of hostas with nubs of new growth breaking the surface of the soil.

But, even as the spring miracle is predictable, it is also different each year. This year, for example, a string of unseasonably warm days in April meant that the crocuses went by in a flash. But the warmth was followed by a stretch of cool, rainy days that have resulted in an exceptionally long-lasting and luxurious display of daffodils. Last year, a woodchuck (Marmota monax) feeding in the garden in spring ate many plants down to the ground, especially in the new woodland border, so that they never had a chance to bloom. This year, with no woodchuck in evidence, I am enjoying the sight of the first flowers on early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum) and woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata ‘Blue Moon’).

In April, each instance of new foliage appearing and each flower is a special event. By May, however, most plants are up out of the ground and the pace of blooming picks up dramatically. During the past week, I have seen flowers open on a number of spring-flowering native plants in my garden, including bluets (Houstonia caerulea), wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana) and sweet white violets (Viola blanda). As the garden season progresses, the miracle of early spring will give way to the beautiful floral display of late spring and then to the exuberant bounty of color that is high summer. And every day will thrill me.