Ten Things I Love About Sping

1.  The strawberries are getting ready to start our first harvest of the season.

2.  The mint and oregano are still behaving enough that I can still see my little bear statue.  By the end of summer, they'll be duking it out in this corner of the shed garden. (See the mint in the front and oregano in the back.)

3.  Not everything died over the winter.  That alone is reason to celebrate. (See the fennel and a rouge holly.)

4.  Lily of the Valley is starting to emerge.  I was told when I planted it that there is some lore surrounding the effect Lily of the Valley may have on the gardener's heart, but I'm glad to say that several years later my heart is still beating. That is just another reason to be glad.

5.  Apple blossoms! And this year, with our new hive, it is fun to watch honeybees on the blossoms.

6.  The tulips weren't eaten!  This is only the second time in eleven years that we've gotten to enjoy tulips.  The tulips usually are eaten as soon as the leaves spring up.  I'd like to think our fantastic abstract art scared away the culprit this spring.

7.  Cherry blossoms fall like snow in our front yard each spring. The children sometimes dance around in them.  The chickens eat them.  It is all very enchanting.

8.  The Bleeding Heart is taking over.  Maybe soon it will camouflage the hose that I can't seem to correctly coil.

9.  These irises are refreshingly low-maintenance -- my kind of plant.

10.  I don't mind dandelions. I know most people hate these little guys, but they make me happy.  That little Lemon Balm growing near the center is another story (Argh!! It's everywhere!), but the dandelions are yellow, free, apparently nutritious, and good for the honeybees. I hear they make good wine, too (we'll have to try that).  They are endless fun for children. They are a sure sign that spring is here.