The gardening season has begun early this year, too early for this gardener who enjoys her months off and would prefer things stayed as they always were  without disruption of the natural rhythm I have grown quite accustomed to.

I see on social media that gardeners are out gardening, flowers are jumping the gun, ….. someone apparently yelled “GO!” while I was still perusing garden magazines and catalogs in front of the fire.  I am not ready.

I pulled out my garden log from last year, there was ( as there usually is) snow on the ground and still two storms yet to come as of this date.

While the gardens here may still be very far behind many I am reading about in locations that are a tad bit warmer,they are still way ahead of their normal schedule

We  have iris reticulata , including the lovely Katherine Hodgkins blooming in the rock garden ( in the last photo, where you can also see the stalks that were left after some flower picking with my great nieces on Easter Sunday)

few hellebores, (  no photos ) siberian squill, and in more sheltered locations the tete a tete daffodils are bloomingthe pussy willows are also at the peak of perfection  for picking. In a few days the chionodoxa out back will be in full swing as will  a few more varieties of daffodils, with hyacinth and tulips not far behind. I have gone out in the few moments of spare time I have had to clear off leaves and dead stuff from around the early bloomers but there is so much more to do and with no remaining snow cover there is no way to hide the messiness.  Oh well, it will get done when it gets done.

This weekend I will be speaking twice at the Western MA Master Gardeners Symposium ( on Clematis and Hydrangeas)  in Holyoke and I can’t wait! Western MA is a much easier commute than where I usually speak,  and meeting some fellow MG’s will be a treat.

Next week I will be at Tower Hill in Boylston for the Home Hort series and in Concord  “Hydrangeas for the Northeast” on 4/4

The rest of the month:

Peterboro NH “Shrubs for Year Round Interest” 4/11

Boxboro Evening Garden Club  “Grow it! Cut it! Arrange it! ” 4/12

Hopkinton  “Design with Vines” 4/19

Bridgewater  ,MA   “Get Ready! The Spring Garden” 4/27

and I will be at the Garden Federation of MA  Programs Forum on 4/13  at Tower Hill in Boylston and  4/19 at Elm Bank in Wellesley