Signs of Spring

We've been on a springtime weather roller coaster here the past several days, bouncing from balmy to brisk and back again. It was another big weekend in the garden, with lots of bed prep and planting (leeks, onions, carrots, parsnips, radishes, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, and potatoes). My hamstrings and hands are still sore, but we got a lot done.

It would be a shame, though, to focus only on the to-do list without enjoying all the little changes that spring brings to the garden. Here's what's blooming:

Bulbs are up in the perennial border, and these blue glory-of-the-snow get better each year. We inherited them and they have naturalized nicely. There are also some darker blue Siberian squill, which are just starting to come up.

We removed the spills from the sugar maple now that sugaring season is done. The wound should heal over by autumn.

More blue! These sky blue muscari bulbs are in the cutting bed, but I never actually cut them down. 

Rhubarb stalks have also made an appearance. They're always a little on the creepy side, but soon that curly bit will start looking more a life a leaf and less like brains. This year our rhubarb is fully established, so we can eat as much as we want!

One full "C" is planted already! This one has onions and garlic, and the part that looks like plain dirt has been sown with carrots, parsnips, and snap peas. 

One of our own seed potatoes (Kennebec) is sprouting and ready to be planted. The potatoes stored really well over the winter, and we made sure to keep a planting box's worth of both white and red in reserve for the this year.  

Finally, a stop at the nursery to grab radish seeds led me to pick up some pansies to plant in our containers. I don't think we've had pansies since we lived in the Red House, so I'm enjoying their cheery color quite a bit. 

But …

… that's a weird bit of product synergy, no? Is there a ton of crossover with gardeners and sci-fi fans? 

Obviously, I have removed the tag. I'd prefer not to recall one of my least favorite cinema experiences while enjoying my spring flowers, thank you very much.