The Window Between Winter and Spring

Story by: Will Funk - Photos by: Gene Sasse

This is the time of year when gardeners around country the have an eye looking toward spring.  Some of us reside in the still cool climes of the Northeast and Canada, where snow still blankets our yards while leafless trees stand watch over gardens just waiting for a chance to emerge.  Others call the gradually warming areas of the Southwest home, with plants already sending buds skyward seeking the warmth of the sun’s rays.  Although spring is not quite here, gardeners are already thinking about the delights and surprises waiting for them in the year to come.

Gardens provide us a healthy distraction from life’s everyday grind.  From a place to go after a long day’s work or a chance to turn off the television and tune out the chatter, even a small plot of dirt provides us the opportunity to reconnect with something real, something tangible and something beautiful.  The fact that we share responsibility for design, color choices and even fragrance of our landscapes makes it even more special.

Even if the ground around our homes is still too hard to penetrate with a hand trowel we can still use this time to imagine what our gardens will look like this year and what changes we would like to make.  Perhaps a new trellis covered with a colorful climbing rose or a bench to sit and enjoy a part of the yard that we never really had a chance to benefit from last season.  This is the time to let our imaginations run free with ideas.