Heather, great topic. I know Spring is around the corner when I see gardening magazines hit the shelf, my tulips are popping up, the bugs start returning and the sun sets a little later everyday. You can smell Spring in the air and feel it in your bones.

I've got to try your pine cone and peanut butter recipe. I normally just put out suet.

Edna

... when you see people strip the leaves off their Mai trees to help the trees get into buds. Vietnamese usually do this two weeks before (Lunar) New Year Day. DH did so to our Mai tree too, yesterday.
This year, the New Year day arrives on February 17. The city has already planned for a bigger floral display in the city center this year (look back at My Photosite for last year display). It will be The Year of the Pig so there will bound to be some plants in the form of pigs! Every Vietnamese is preparing for Spring!
It's so exciting to watch the seasons silently screeping in onto you!

Xuan

When a HUGE flock (yes, you read it) FLOCK of robins decends on the garden to pick you clean of every worm you might have. Clearly they are flocking because they are flying from somewhere warm to somewhere cooler. They were heading that direction! I have never seen a whole flock of robins before!

GGG

With apologies to T.S. Elliot:
February is the crulest month.

I'll know spring is NEAR in New England when I see the word MARCH on the calendar!

If I start thinking about spring now I'll go mad,
MAD I TELL YOU!!!!! LOL!

PattiOh

When BLT's beging to sound yummy...

It's official! The groundhog didn't see his shadow in these parts yesterday, so winter is on the outs. Of course, if you are IN these parts that's kind of a tongue-in-cheek statement because it's currently -7C (or a balmy 19.4F) and snow is forecast for this afternoon and night. Oh well, we are over the hurdle of January and the weather is warming up significantly (compared to the past three weeks of frigid temps).

I'm with Pattioh, however. I have to not think about spring until March. BUT HOW can I not think of spring???? I've been reading the February/March entries of my garden journal of the past several years and it's driving me crazy! I just want to garden.

I should have seeds arriving next week so I think I'll start getting my grow lights and planting table in order. I could be happily digging in the soil next weekend (indoors, of course) ;) THIS is what tells me it's nearly Spring...........

Balsam

They already have herbs and veggies out at WM! My friend was their the other day and saw it. We had spring most of this winter and now the past couple weeks it has decided to become winter! UGH! When WM and Lowes start putting out the plants and garden stuff in the parking lot I know spring is near. Then I go crazy and my head spins and I have to drag my kids out to get or even just look at the flowers! Anytime we have to go to WM I must go through the garden section even if it's just to get a gal of milk on the other side. MY DH sees me coming home from a shopping trip and asks NOW what did you get?! Oh spring happy spring!!

I don't get the whole groundhog thing. How does anyone even know if the dang thing sees it's shadow or not? It's not like we can ask him/her/it. I know it's all in good fun, but it's always reported as if it's actually true. Odd.
Around here, Spring is WAY far way. I try not to get into that mode too early, because it ends up causing me too much anguish. Don't take this the wrong way, but I chuckle when I read about warm climate people anticipating Spring. You people don't count! lol.

Daffodils have sprouted, so spring is near.

Since rose pruning time in this region is around Valentines Day, in my mind Valentines Day is the first day of spring!

momof2 - I'm surprised you didn't say azeleas. :-) I am very familiar with the Summerville area. My in-laws used to live in Pine Forest.

Marilyn

Marilyn- Well yes that is true I am surprised I didn't say that as well especially living in this city as it burting with them here in the spring. Ok I take it back or rather I add that. LOL
mrmorton- Hey we count too ya know!LOL When everything is dead and I have to drip the faucets at night to keep the pipes from freezing (had it happen twice not fun) I consider that winter. I'm from RI so I know winter but I definatly would say this is winter even if we don't have 30 degree high's. Then again I last moved from south Florida (short lived!)where we had no winter or spring or fall for that matter!LOL

I nearly spit out my coffee I'm laughing so hard at these posts. I'm glad to know I'm not the only mad gardner out there. LOL!!

Mama always said, "February's a short month," as if it were two weeks instead of two days shorter. It can also be a vicious month for us. Already a tornado watch yesterday and the whole month is one of alternating freezing cold days and warm southerly winds to keep the weather disruptive.

The groundhog cannot see his shadow if the sky is overcast and grey as it is today.

I have my eye on tulip mugs to bring out, and put away the snowman mugs soon. We'll change from hot chocolate to black raspberry tea to celebrate.

Nell

"Around here, Spring is WAY far way. I try not to get into that mode too early, because it ends up causing me too much anguish. Don't take this the wrong way, but I chuckle when I read about warm climate people anticipating Spring. You people don't count! lol."

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! hahahahaha!!!

Sierra

Well, this year has been so wierd it is hard to say. A couple weeks ago, it was 70 degress and everything was popping. While it is distressing that it is 70 degrees in January, I was kinda getting used to the idea, then BAMM! It is now freezing, the ground is frost-heaving, and there is ice everywhere. I need to focused on getting everything inside done before March arrives and spring starts in earnest! Clean out closets, finish indoor crafts, all that stuff. Nowhere near as fun as gardening though so I find myself looking through catalogs, planning, going through seeds etc. Who wants to clean out those dumb old closets???

"Around here, Spring is WAY far way. I try not to get into that mode too early, because it ends up causing me too much anguish. Don't take this the wrong way, but I chuckle when I read about warm climate people anticipating Spring. You people don't count! lol."

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! hahahahaha!!!

Sierra

You could probably say the same thing about us zone 5ers huh, Sierra?
I don't know how you do it.
; - )

LOL!!!

We all have challenges in our zones....thats what makes this forum so interesting....all the zones comming together.

You know Spring is near when....

the thunder storms and HAIL try to wipe out all my nice tender plants and seedlings.....garden blankets, cozy coats and domes fill the yard. LOL! Oh ya, and I can run pretty fast when these storms appear..to bring in the trays and planters....that can be moved.

Sierra :-))

Oh yes we DO count!!! We're the ones that try and help get you through those long winter days with our "early" spring pics. Or do those pics just drive you nuts? ; ) We'll try not to torment you too terribly but hey, if one can garden 10 months a year, one's gonna! lol!

Diana

Marilyn- I just noticed that you said your in-laws used to live in Pine Forest. Was it Pine Forest Country Club off Butternut Rd(their are 2 PF)? That would be so funny because my parents live there and I live just around the corner from them! Have you ever been here during the Flowertown Festival? I just love Summerville in the spring! The plantations are also breataking at peak azalea time. Where do you live now because I can't figure out what DFW is?

I know spring is near when my VISA bill (nursery purchases) is bigger then my monthly mortgage payment, and Home Depot people in a garden department say: Oh, nice to see you again today! We missed you!

I'm not Marilyn but DFW means Dallas/FortWorth as in Texas. She has a piece of my husband's granny's hydrangea bush in her garden!

You can actually see the ground! this year at least. We are just coming off the worst ice storm in history and now have about three inches of snow on the ground which I haven't seen since January 12. No power for 11 days; city in-laws with us during the no heat; no water; no lights ordeal. It was an experience...believe me!

I plan to actually plant some snaps today to go under the lights. I need something growing!

I posted a couple of pics in the Gallery to show you what I mean about seeing the ground and some damage from the ICE STORM. It will now be indelibly imprinted in my mind as the ICE STORM. Haven't seen the ground in 3 weeks.

Momof2,

They lived in Pine Forest Country Club, on Innisbrook Bend right across from the golf course, tennis courts and swimming pool. You live in such a beautiful area! :-) We always had such a wonderful time visiting family and enjoying the Charleston area.

With kids in school, we were never able to make it to your Flowertown Festival but saw many pictures taken around town during the festival and it is very impressive, to say the least!

Nannahanna,

Your granny's hydrangea took off for me last summer, despite the harsh drought. I've got my fingers crossed for some blooms this year. I can't thank you enough for sharing a piece of it with me!

Marilyn

"We're the ones that try and help get you through those long winter days with our "early" spring pics. Or do those pics just drive you nuts?"
They do not help the situation AT ALL,Diana! You people are mean. lol.
; - )

By the way, it is -9F out right now. Without the wind chill factored in. Yup. Spring is on the way.

Spring is not here, (a foot of snow on the ground and 8 F) and spring will not be here for a while. THat's OK! I have too many winter projects that haven't even been started yet! If spring comes soon, I won't get anything done. In the warm weather I spend ALL free time in the garden. So I need cold weather to clean the attic, clean the garage, paint the office, etc.

You know Spring is near when....

You no longer have to scrape frost from the windsheild
When the Robins return
When the ice on the chicken's water is a film and doesn't require a hammer to break
When the Daffs start peaking their leaves through the soil

Two more months for me most likely....
The days ARE getting longer now though.

MeMo

I know Spring is near when my old-fashioned Jonquils emerge. They will bloom even in the snow.

I know Spring is near when the days grow longer.

I know Spring is near when the Robins return in flocks.

I know Spring is near when the wild grass suddenly appears in my lawn and dandylions.

I know Spring is near when all my favorite stores put out their seeds and garden supplies.

I know Spring is near when my chickens begin laying eggs again.

I know Spring is near when the Peeper Frogs emerge and begin to "sing" in the evening.
-------------------------------------------

There are already Daffodills up and the Grape Muscari are growing, despite the arctic winter weather. Some of the flowering shrubs have flower buds swelling.

My Lilacs are budding (oh, too early I fear, my pretties!)
----------------------------
February is a Winter month, but it is a great time to prepare for Spring.

You can plan on paper any changes you might want to make. List them and then check them off as you accomplish them. You will be amazed at how much you actually do accomplish and this will give you a great deal of satisfaction.

Make a list of any new plants or seeds or trees, etc. Find out where you can purchase them (or dig them up - hahaha) and how much it will cost you, and write that down next to the plant name.

It's a good time to go rock hunting for garden rocks - no snakes or other creepy crawlies!

It is a good time to clean up the yard (if you didn't do it in the Fall). It is a good month to plant your garden peas and plant flowering sweet peas for Spring blooms.

It is a good month to start flats or pots of tomatoes, broccoli, onions, lettuces, cabbages, peppers and flowers, both perennials and annuals if you have a sunny place for them.

Many Spring veggies can be started now in cold frames and have excellent results. It is a great time to grow cool weather crops in a cold frame, as the sun's rays are becoming stronger and the days are getting longer.

If you have a small homestead like me, it is a good time to clean out old hay and animal manure and spread in your gardens, layered with leaves and kitchen scraps, it adds nutrients and tilth top your soil. I regularly shred (or cut) up all my paper products and after soaking them in water in a mop bucket for an hour, pour that in the garden as well. This reduces paper waste and adds more tilth to my soil. By Spring, these will have rotted well enough to be spaded into your soil.

I have my potato patch ready for planting in March. I begin adding hay and chicken litter to it in the Fall. By Spring, it is great stuff and I get a tremendous harvest of Red Pontiac potatoes and green beans from that little strip of soil. They are easy to dig in that loose, fertile soil, and the potatoes are creamy and buttery and good - they don't need any butter. My husband's favorite thing I grow because they remind him of his childhood years in Scotland with his grandfather.
February is a good time to get out all your garden tools and sharpen them. Get some course sand - mix in just a little mineral oil and put it in a tub or wooden box big enouogh to hold your shovels and hoes and other bladed tools, including clippers and shears. Place your shovels and other metal tools in it. This keeps their blades clean, and sharpens them each time you stick them into the sand, and prevents them from rusting, kind of like a pin cushion for your garden tools.

It's a good time to repair fences and gates, and make plans for any new ones.

Design on paper any new gardens areas or elements you would like to add this year.

If you don't have a compost pile, February is a good month to start one. Then, clean out all spent plant debris and put it into your NEW compost. Compost all your kitchen scraps, coffee and tea grounds, and shredded paper and cardboard, like cereal boxes, and etc.

Cut back those dried Asparagus ferns and put them into your compost. Then give your Asparagus beds a good side dressing of composted manure and cover with a layer of hay mulch so they will be ready for Spring. They will thank you with tender, delicious spears in Spring.

Rake up any pine straw you may have in your yard (or someone else's) and put it on your strawberry plants and under your berry vines. They love the acidic value it adds to their soil and gives them extra covers this time of year, since by now much of their Fall mulch has composted into the soil. They may be exposed! Oh dear! Oh my!

It's a good month to start new cuttings of lavender, rosemary, and other herbs to increase and/or renew your herb garden and start new seedlings.

Build some Bluebird houses now and put them out in March.
Make gourds birdhouses for the little wrens to hang out in the spring, as well.
Both of these birds are big insect eaters and you will want to encourage them to live in your yard.
Clean out and repair any existing birdhouses and get them ready for the birds to nest in come Spring.
Mix up some organic Dormant Spray and spray your fruit trees NOW for insect-free fruit this summer.

It's also a good month to get yourself in shape, too, so that when Spring inally does arrive, you will be able to work out in the garden with ease and not have an aching back. Ouch!

Don't look at winter as the time of the year you can't garden. There are dozens of things you CAN DO as part of the gardening continuum...it is part of Nature's cycle.

"To everything there is a season...
and a time to every purpose unto heaven."

On miserable days, sit back, drink a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate and look at gardening catalogs and magazines and read good books and relax. Crochet a gardening hat or scarf -sew up a gardening apron or do something artistically creative with those gourds you grew last year...and soon Spring will arrive!

Happy Gardening!
~ Annie

Annie, what a great list you've provided and a great reminder of all the little things we can do in preparation.

For me...the snow's still on the ground and more coming tomorrow so for now I'm going to make a list. When the snow is gone I'll begin.

MeMo

Annie that was a great list! Maybe I WILL do potatoes this year after all . . .

I know when it's almost spring when my chiropractor starts warming up his hands!!!!! LOL
This year, though, he got a head start cause I was in a wreck and have been going for about 2 months now. Soon to be released.
Almost spring when those #@$%%^(*() Acacia (sp?) start blooming!
I start sneezing.
This year has been strange for No CA. We had record freezing temps last month and record dry January. Very little snow at Tahoe. This all might change starting tomorrow. The rain is coming! Could make up for January.
Nancy

Well,
Thanks people.

Mighty kind of ya'.

I just thought of another thing I do this time of the year - I save my wood ashes and in late winter sprinkle them over where I have irises and spring bulbs. I sprinkle them all around and under my flowering shrubs and fruit trees, too. The natural Potash helps sweeten the soil to produce more beautiful flowers. My Lilacs really love it. Everything in my gardens love a dose of wood ashes except potatoes. They hate it.

If you have trouble with root maggots, wood ashes will remedy the problem. Srinkle on a nice coat of ashes and spade it into the soil where you plant your carrots, onions, radishes and etc, and say "Bye, bye" to root maggots.

It was warm and sunny and beautiful here today. Temperature went way up into the 70s here in Okie. What a blessing to get a break from the winter woes.

Don't you just love the smell of good garden dirt! I spaded for awhile today - a place where I am expanding my new rose garden by the patio.
"Inch by Inch - Row by Row..."

Tomorrow that arctic blast that has been hitting all you Midwesterners and Northerners the past few days is moving down into Oklahoma and temps will plummet...again. Bummer!
Those poor folks southeast of here that got hit so hard last week are going to be in double trouble once again. Man oh, man!

I went shopping today and bought two 60 watt flourescent light bulbs to help save energy and do my part to turn the tide from Global Warming. I will eventually change out all the bulbs with these. Each bulb can save me as much as $28 on my energy bill every year and reduce my fuel consumption which in turn will reduce Carbon and deadly Methane emissions up into the Earth's thin and fragile atmosphere.

I also ordered 15 pine trees to plant. They are super air cleaners and will provide shelter and food for birds and small mammals while adding their beauty to my property.

These two things I did as a birthday present to myself - as a gift to my progeny who will one day inherit the Earth and become it's caretakers. I couldn't ask for more than that to know that I am doing what I can every day to help save our dying planet. It has been my mission since 1971.

I also got a big bag of potting mix so I can start my onion seeds and some perennials that need the cold to germinate. Onions are so easy to grow and you can save a gob of money growing your own from seeds and not have to worry about "dangerous ecoli", except for the ecoli in your garden that is also found everywhere in world and in every spec of soil on the face of the earth! (dude!)

We love green onions, especially with Southern fried chicken, hot biscuits, mashed garden potatoes and white gravy and some sweet little English Peas, fresh out of my very own garden. Top that with a tall glass of iced tea and I am in sweet heaven!

I got three lovely gardening books in the mail today. I ordered two books from a dear lady who sells them on eBay. We have become friends in the past few years of doing business. She always tucks in an extra book or something as a "Thank you". What a great gal! It was perfect timing as my birthday draws nigh.

So tomorrow when that nasty arctic blast arrives (here too MeMo), I will snuggle up in my chair with my 'blankie' with a beaker of fresh coffee and peruse my new garden books...dreaming of the warm sunny days I will soon be enjoying in my gardens.

Take care and have heart - winter will end soon enough.
Adieu! Adieu! Adieu! To you and you and you!
~ Annie

Spring must be near -- yesterday on the way to town, I saw an 84 y.o. man out in a flower bed with a hoe.

foxearth,

That wasn't an 80 y.o. man...that was me!

(that was a great one, foxearth...and btw, I love your ID)

Spring is near when I go to the library and get out half a dozen gardening books, which I've just done.

Annie, your posts have simply made my day.

When you can hear the frogs singing.

The frogs don't start singing hear until summer. They like it warm. i can't believe no has mentioned the crocus. you know you have Spring Fever when you notice the extra 15 min of daylight.lol

Annie, your post was so uplifting, how can anyone wail about winter now? We have planty to do to keep busy and get ready for the upcoming season.
Thanks for brightening my day!

Spring is coming....I spent yesterday outside cleaning up 3 of the flowerbeds in front of the house. Pruning a rose bush. I have some mini-daffs blooming. But was able to see many poppies and larkspur (self-sown, maybe a little help from me) 2"-4". Also many bulbs are peeking through the mulch. The dirt was soft and smelled so good, even pulling weeds was a joy.

amazon,

Our weather here in Okieland is so radical that it even confuses the crocuses. They don't know when it's time to come up and announce that Spring has sprung!

For the first two years after I first planted crocuses on my 'ranch', they came up early as harbingers of Spring. They were so pretty and cheerful.
Normally, the last frost date is between April 1st and April 15th, but the following year we had an arctic blast move down into the Southern Plains and winter returned with single digit temps, snow and fierce winds for 2 weeks in April, and needless to say, it bit the crocuses poor little heads off and melted their delicate flowers to a frozen, slimy blob.

Every year since then they have come up (or not come up) whenever they chose to do so. Last year they came up AFTER the Jonquils and after the tulips. They were nearly hidden behind the Oriental Poppy leaves that had been up several days. I nearly missed seeing them!
They sure were pretty though.

I guess they just decided to wait until it was safe to come up!

bump

You'll know spring is here when I stop spending hours on GW everyday!!

Ha! Good one gottagarden!!

Annie, are you getting eggs yet? I got 4 yesterday! Yippee!!!
And the Robbins are back...saw one sitting on my gate post yesterday.

MeMo

Spring is near when the salamanders start appearing in my garden. Found a cute little bugger yesterday.