Spring has begun!

Not counting small weedy winter annuals, like chickweed, the flowering season, our definition of spring, officially began yesterday, the 18th! of February, with the flowering of a witchhazel and snowdrops.  Snowdrops and aconite have been in bloom in warmer sunnier places for a week or more in other places, but our gardens are pretty shady.  Now let's look at the data.  The earliest this witchhazel has flowered in the past was the 9th of March.  The earliest the snowdrops have flowered was the 4th of March.  This puts 2012 15 to 20 days ahead of 2010; 2011 was generally later for everything.  Hellebores and lots of bulbs are getting ready to go.  So the garden log was dusted off, a new column was added, and we're ready to go.