We have now had two weeks of warming temperatures in the Ozarks, the latter of which has brought rain. Today has been dark, with light fog and just a spatter of rain, but we are not done yet. As I began this sentence, a bolt of lightning cut across the sky to the east, and more rain began to fall, first gently and then with force, splashing up four inches off the surface of our picnic table and sending a sheet of water down our drive.
When the weather dries out later this week, then, it will be spring here in earnest. Hints have already begun to appear, a tinge of green on the roadside, a few crocuses and daffodils, red buds bright on bare gray branches.
We are feeling the spring energy too. Before the rain, we had been spending every evening in the garden, finally dragging ourselves indoors at sunset to eat a hasty dinner and put the kids to bed. Even today, between showers, we wandered about in the yard, muddying our boots in a reassuring way.
Much of the time we have gotten outside has been spent moving and dividing herbacious perennials. Two plants in particular have received much of our attention: yarrow, and alpine strawberries. I’m pleased with both. Rachel had started dozens of yarrow plants from seed last year, the majority of which we more or less neglected, consigning them to weedy corners and the edges of beds where they had to compete with grass. Despite these conditions, the yarrow thrived, competing favorably with the weeds and even spreading. Perhaps this is not surprising given that native yarrow grows abundantly just across the road, but in a difficult garden year the plant was a bright spot. The plant accumulates nutrients from the soil and attracts beneficial insects with its umbel-shaped flowers, so I’m glad to have it spread under all our fruit trees.
My own labor at division has been focused on our alpine strawberries, which I am moving to make way for this year’s tomatoes. I had a few packets of old alpine strawberry seed that I got free somewhere, and so last year I started them in a plug tray without hoping for much. When it took them over a month to germinate into incredibly tiny plants, my non-hopes seemed to be confirmed. Somehow, though, by the end of the season they had grown to robust plants that were even setting fruit, which I found tastier than ordinary garden strawberries. So I am keeping them, dividing the largest ones, and even starting more.
A rainy week in early spring is a great time for moving plants, by the way. The cool temperatures minimize the shock to the plants, and the damp soil means you may not even have to water them in. Everything we have transplanted over the last couple of weeks has taken and appears to be thriving.
Other spring things are taking place as well. I mentioned daffodils and crocuses before. Among the spring flowers, I’m most excited, though, about the first blossoms emerging on the Nanking bush cherries we planted last year. I had not expected them to flower so quickly, but earlier this week I noticed that their buds had begun to swell and show pink. I hastily ordered some bird netting. Probably the bushes will produce only a handful of cherries, and those cherries are going to be mine.
The rain has died down now, but another front should move through in an hour or so. A breeze rattles the bird feeder against our window. It is wet out, but warm. Maybe I’ll just step back outside for a minute before the storm descends.