It is beautiful outside and you can finally tell that spring is here!

It is amazing to see the differences from last year in the same season.

We planted and worked on the front garden beds of the house very late into the summer. For more on this see

Some of the plants we transplanted or moved did not do well or never bloomed. New plants we bought were the “rejects” of the end of the season at the garden centers. I was worried that although they were all perennials they would not show up again this year.

I have been waiting anxiously the last few weeks to see the plants come up from the ground. Just this past week I saw the bleeding hearts we bought last year actually have bells on them! We never got that last year.

Also our oriental plum tree we planted when we buried Sienna is actually blooming with delicate white blossoms.

So what has been the major change?

Well first, we had a much milder winter in 2015. This means we have had more sunny days and not as hard or long of a frost. Also, because of this, we had less salt. Salt is used to melt the snow and the snow ploughs use it throughout the winter to clear road. This year the astible and peonies planted near the road are growing like crazy, no blooms yet, but they look so healthy because they are not salt damaged.

Second, since last summer we have removed several trees and branches. Our property is found in a very wooded valley. Our house can be 5 degrees cooler than it is even 2 minutes down the road. Because of this it is difficult to get blooms on plants or their growth is stunted by the lack of sun and lower temperature.

But where we planted or vegetable garden, L cut down quite a few large branches, this is why our plum tree is doing so well, it has more sun. Also, because we have had more sun earlier this year the plants in the front of the house have received plenty of sunshine as the trees are just now beginning to bud.  So most plants are receiving full sun or partial shade instead of the late summer full shade.

It is exciting to see all of last summers hard work paying off and to learn what grows better in this environment. We just recently planted our vegetable and herb garden, this summer we have added several more rows and many new plants so it will be fun to see what we end up with.