The Simple Life: Goodbye winter, hello spring!
Spring is nearly here, and in a collective sigh of relief,we can say, “Goodbye for now, winter. See you just before Christmas!"
For those of you who read my columns from time to time, you are aware that I do enjoy the winter months just as much as the other three seasons. I love the cold, crisp air, the walks in the snow, the winter holidays, making soups and baking goodies, and even that biting wind that zipped around last weekend.
But I'm with most of you in saying we've had enough. Let's move forward on to longer days in the daylight, and crocus and daffodils popping up through the ground! We have all bid our time so that we can start getting ready for nature to spring back to greens and many other colors. These winter months seemed so long some days, and we felt March 20 might never come. Yet, here it is. Now, the work begins.
I just love these last days of March! This is the time when I dust off all of those cobwebs in my noggin' and start making plans for spring cleaning, vegetable and flower gardens, outdoor lighting, setting the date for opening the pool, ordering swimsuits and beach towels, planning vacations...you know, all of the things and all of the ways we can wake up from our winter slumber and get busy again! Now, THAT was a long sentence! My apologies, Mrs. Dye.
As is true each "last days of March,” my plans include ALL of those things and more! It makes my heart happy to visualize all of the areas around my house that can spring up with beautiful colors and an accent lighting. The ideas are already starting to formulate.
There were a couple of new small garden spots that were on last year's list that didn't get accomplished, so they were moved to this season. One will be a garden of new spring and summer bulbs - a vast array of every color and height imaginable. The other will be a nice collection of assorted wildflowers to use as picnic and kitchen table centerpieces throughout the summer. I will have to be careful that this garden stays within the river rock borders, however, or else the flowers will spread from here to eternity!
Each spring season, one of the highlights is visiting local nurseries and flower stands for my favorite annuals and a few perennials to add vibrant colors to my landscaping. I don't have much shade here, so I have to carefully choose flowers that can take the hot afternoon sun. Some of my favorite flowers are fuschias and double impatiens, but the afternoon sun will kill those in no time, even with aggressive watering.
When I'm choosing flowers to build gardens or add into spaces available in existing gardens, I do have a color wheel in mind and where exactly those flowers will go. My preferences lean toward reds, purples, blues and pinks almost always - and mainly I don't choose white because my home's exterior is white and those flowers just don't stand out. I can't really say why, but it is rare you would find too much yellow in my gardens except the Black Eyed Susans - Maryland's state flower. Those are just glorious in ANY garden!!
As far as vegetables, I tend to grow the same vegetables each season, and also make plans to can some of those veggies and make jam. Last year I didn't get around to the canning part or the freezing bags of fresh corn on the cob. So, these have been added to the list of 2022. My veggies to grow this season are pickling cucumbers, Golden Boy yellow tomatoes, Beefsteak red tomatoes, and container green beans. I plan to can strawberry and peach jam, fresh green beans and bread and butter pickles. I also plan to freeze fresh-off-the-cob corn - grown and purchased from Higson's Farm in Wiley Ford (the same place I purchase the freshest and sweetest strawberries in the region). Home grown from Higson's - THE BEST.
Ambitious plans for planting, growing, canning and freezing - but the hard work results in such beauty and deliciousness.
For my flower shopping, I mail order from Spring Hill and Breck's, and support local farms. I purchase from Flower Haven in Bedford, Pennsylvania and LaVale, Maryland; I also go to Downtown Dollar and Blue Line Design (both in Cumberland), Harvey's in Frostburg and Lowe's in LaVale. Plus, at times there are spontaneous stops along my travels when the mood strikes. One such stop is always Abundant Life in Augusta - excellent selection there if you get there before they sell out! It is a very popular destination.
There are numerous hours of travel and time I devote to my gardens, and the season runs April through October here. But, what fun! One thing I truly look forward to is the return each year of my purple clematis and the growing of my moon flowers from seed. It is magnificent to see God's bounty!
What are your plans for the growing season? Do you love playing in the warm dirt? Do you enjoy watching flowers bloom?
Soon, it's time, and many folks will be venturing out and about to get everything they need for a fruitful growing season. It won't be long until we start hearing the hum of lawn mowers and weed eaters, and start going to farmers' markets and fruit and vegetable stands on the side of the road.
Farmers' markets. I CANNOT wait until these start opening! Nothing like huge selections of farm-grown meats, vegetables, flowers, jams and jellies, and fruits - plus arts and crafts and homemade goodies to choose from, too. If you enjoy these as much as I do, you can find these markets all over the area on just about every day of the week! Keyser, Westernport, Frostburg, Lonaconing, Romney, Piedmont, LaVale, Cumberland, Bedford. I'll keep a master list on my Facebook and post once a week, May through October, so you can get the days on your calendar.
There is a great possibility that yours truly will be setting up every Friday at one of the local farmers' markets - with special orders and regular menu items of fresh-baked, made-from-scratch goodies. Stay tuned!
Happy Spring 2022, y'all! Here's to lots of freshness, hours in the sun, fruitfulness and God's blessings.
This article originally appeared on Mineral Daily News-Tribune: Trish Morgan: The Simple Life: Goodbye winter, hello spring!
