March is a crazy month. The bright sun and sometimes warm temperatures have us longing for spring. But then Mother Nature will whip in with a harsh cold snap, or a few bitterly windy days, reminding us that spring isn't here quite yet. It's already hard enough for gardeners to resist planting blooming things when we have a warm, 70-degree afternoon, and walking through the garden centers full of beautiful plants and flowers doesn't do much to help that yearning.

I remember a few years ago, looking out our back window and the field of naturalized daffodils in full bloom on a day when the high temperature only reached 45. My husband, who is from Ohio originally but is spoiled in our milder climate, said it was a joke of a day, because it looked like it should be warm outside but when you went out you were knocked in the face with a cold reminder to bundle up.

I'm reminded of that on this chilly March day, because as I walk to the end of the driveway to meet my daughter's school bus I pass by daffodils blooming, periwinkle spotted with purple flowers and maple trees with the first hint of red leaf buds. And then as we come back up to the house, we're welcomed not only by the patiently waiting Pepper, but also this blooming pot full of sunshine-colored pansies.

Sure, it might be too early to plant tomatoes in the vegetable garden and pick up the latest colors of petunias. But there's plenty of signs of spring all around us, to cheer up even the coldest March day.

When we moved here, my grandmother graciously offered for us to dig up her two crape myrtles and bring them to our new house. I was scared to death. I don't have good luck with transplanting things. And these were already well established. I don't know how old they are, but they're 6 feet tall, at least.

So we did it. My husband did A LOT of digging, brought them up in his truck, and I tried hard to plant them with a lot of love and good wishes. And they not only have lived, but they've grown!

Because I love big, bushy crape myrtles, I've been scared to prune them at all. Also because I didn't want to do anything to shock them at first. But it's been two years now, and they were in definite need of some careful pruning.

Granted, it's a little hard to see in this picture, just leaf-less branches against a bunch of trees. But it was a mess. I've read a lot about crape myrtles over the years, but have never had to prune one, so with great trepidation I walked out with my pruning shears. I even told the kids to go away so I could think. I cleaned out criss-crossing branches and thinned out some shoots so the bigger branches could grow stronger, but didn't lop anything off the top.

I was very wary of pruning at all, but I have to admit, I'm very pleased with the results. Now it's a great plant to look at in the winter garden. And I can't wait to see how getting rid of some extra growth will help it take off this summer!

This week I’ve been reading and editing all of the great article for our April issue. A lot of them are topics that work around a “green” theme. For years I’ve seen other magazines do green issues in April, around Earth Day and all of its celebrations. It only seemed to make sense to do a green issue for a gardening publication, although in many ways all of our issues are green.

It’s been very interesting to read about organic fertilizers, landscaping plans that work with existing plants and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). It turns out, without really making a conscious decision, I’m pretty much a green gardener already. I don’t use any fertilizers, just amend with Black Kow, I rarely pull the hose out to water my vegetables and I definitely don’t use pesticides. Of course, I also haven’t gotten more than 3 tomatoes and a few peppers out of my very small attempts at vegetable gardening so far! But I am hoping for better results this year, thanks to the soil preparation we did this fall.

The articles also have me thinking about conservation in general. This time of year, and in the midst of summer when the heat is so intense, our HVAC systems are going full force. That’s a lot of energy right there. Then there’s the computer on all the time, the TV and Playstation, the hot water my family of 5 can quickly use up taking showers … the list could go on and on.

There are some people who live completely off the grid, so to speak, and while I admire their goals, I’m not one of them. I do like heat. But we have an electric thermostat, which I keep on 68 for most of the time. I try to wash my clothes in cold water. We are lucky enough to own energy star appliances. And of course, there’s no question about recycling at my house! With three kids it’s crazy how much milk we drink, and every single one of those big plastic jugs gets taken to the recycling center.

It might be too soon to go out and buy an organic fertilizer that’s less harmful to the soil, or purchase some ladybugs at the garden supply center to help cut down on harmful insects in a natural way. But there are plenty of ways to be good stewards of the environment, even in the middle of winter. Go ahead, drink that Diet Coke while you plan your rain garden to conserve water, but be sure to recycle the can!