My goal for this blog is to encourage everyone, including myself to plant more bulbs next fall!!

It is an instant high for me when the first crocus, scilla or any early bulb pop through the earth in the early spring.

Often times these early bulbs are playing "peek a boo" with a late snow or garden debris, but

they are relentless in their mission to show off their beautiful hues.  It is as if they are boldly

stating SPRING IS COMING.

Now is the time to look at the catalogs picking out a few new bulbs. I search for the ones that proclaim that they bloom very early. I then walk around the yard and gardens looking for bare spots, that yearn for a early burst of life!!

There is a yard on main street in my hometown that is planted totally in crocus.When I pass it

in all its blooming glory, I am so excited.  Guess what?  It is blooming now!!!!

Last year I could not get in the garden early, so I improvised!  I planted my outside pots with salad greens, violas, and herbs.  It worked out great.  I used all different varieties of lettuce and spinach. I found that the different colors and leaf textures adding to the fun of the pots. (Mesclun seed mixes,pablo lettuce,royal red lettuce,spinach, buttercrunch lettuce, black seeded simpson,and much more)  The only requirement was that is was edible.  I added some fresh herbs, parsley, the shorter fernleaf dill, and some "johnny jump ups" for color.

It made my early spring pots look amazing and we ate great fresh greens earlier then if I had waited until this crazy Kentucky weather allowed me to plant in the garden. By the time the lettuce was starting to bolt, the weather was cooperating and I was able to change the pots out to annuals.

I hope you will give this a try, it was a very tasty success.

                  " Let us give thanks for loving friends, who wind around us like

                 tendrils and hold us, despite out blights, wilts and witherings" 

                                                                      Reverend Max Coots

         I garden not just due to the love of plants, or the feel of the earth, or the gratification of harvest, I garden for friendship as well.  My love of nature and plants has been handed down to me from some of my best friends, my grandmother, my mother and my father. Garden friends are a special lot.  Perhaps it is because we all "grow together", sharing plants, tips, information and life's happenings. A wise women once said "No gardener is ever too poor to have something to share with others" ( Nita Waxelman )

        This last week, a fellow Master Gardener's life long family home burned totally to the ground. Fortunately, she was away on a trip and had taken her dog!! Linda has been a rock in our group, heading up the plantings for the Garden Fair, working on all the downtown planters and much much more.  So when we heard the news, we needed somehow to help.

        The construction crew is scheduled next week to bulldoze the house and Linda was very concerned about her plantings around the house. Mother Nature shined her face on us by suppling us with a mild dry day, so Carolyn hatched a plan. We all met yesterday and moved the plants.  Who would have thought that we would be able to dig and replant hundreds of plants on February 2nd.

         A nice pitch- in lunch was enjoyed by all. I cannot imagine losing everything you have collected and gathered during a lifetime, but thanks to some garden friends, she has not lost her plants. When the time comes and her house is rebuilt, I am sure we will all return to help her.

        Once again, I was reminded why I garden.

Thanks to Pam for the group picture and caption!