Spring Fever... Already

Once again, I have gardening fever. It never fails that when the weather is at its worst and I'm trapped inside trying to get a fire started in the fireplace, that I find myself dreaming about the garden. I always imagine that this year is going to be the year that my garden really comes into its own: the beds will be weed-free, the perennials will be mature and flourishing, the annuals will bloom nonstop without wilting, and the Japanese Beetles will decide they don't like roses after all.

I've already sent away for every gardening catalog that I've ever heard of, and as they start to arrive, I make long lists of flowers, herbs, and vegetables that sound heavenly to my garden-starved ears. So far, my list includes Agastache 'Sunset Hyssop', Amaranthus caudatus (Love-Lies-Bleeding), Verbascum phoeniceum (Mullein), tall snapdragons, Asclepias incarnata and tuberosa, several different poppies, rue, Queen Anne's Lace, and borage. Most of these I have chosen to attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. I'd also like to add more varieties of daylily and iris this year, as those are two of my favorites.

We've already had a few beautiful spring-like days in my zone 7b area northwest of Atlanta. Yesterday was one of them. I did get many of my February tasks done, such as cutting the butterfly bushes back, mulching the front beds, and weeding. I also righted the bird feeder post which had fallen over and filled the feeders with fresh thistle seed and a spicy mix that squirrels supposedly don't like. Sorry, squirrels. After a gorgeous, perfect, 65-degree day, I found it hard to take today's rainy, 40-something degree weather. But that's how it normally is in Georgia in February: winter with an occasional spring day. This winter has been unusually warm so far, with just a few days of low temperatures (low 20s). Normally we have days in the teens and possibly lower, but not this year. There were only a couple of days of snow and it didn't stick because the temperature wasn't low enough.

I visited Pike's Nurseries today to satisfy my craving for gardening supplies. I got several of the seeds that I was looking for, with the exception of rue and Queen Anne's Lace. I'll be using Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for my rue source, as well as 'Red Cherry' Marigolds, spearmint, caraway, and 'Starlight Scentsation' stock. I'll have to continue to search for Queen Anne's Lace; I thought this one would be easy to find, but I was wrong. It must have fallen out of favor with gardeners for some reason. I also got a gaura plant at Pike's; I grew them at my old house in Milton and they were cheerful all summer long.

My list of garden tasks grows to unrealistic lengths as I scan the catalogs, but I figure I can edit it later as I set priorities for my garden this year. One of the things I know I have to do is to move my herb garden so I can create a larger green space for my poodle. The herbs get caught up in her rambunctious play, and have suffered greatly for it. Also, no one really wants to eat the thyme after the poodle has peed on it, so the herbs need to be moved to a spot where she won't be inclined to go. Maybe this year the herbs won't be trampled, and we might even get to cook with the thyme again.

Another priority is to spruce up the two large beds in the front yard. They've been languishing since I tend to give most of my atttention to the gardens in back. Just getting them weeded and free of bermuda grass will be a challenge, but it's something I need to do, and tackling it before the bermuda greens up is ideal.

An inspiration for me at the moment is Elizabeth Lawrence's A Southern Garden, which I've started reading. Last year, I read the letters between Lawrence and Katharine White, which inspired me to read more about and by these two fascinating women. Next on my reading list is White's out-of-print Onward and Upward in the Garden, which I found on eBay.

I'm also already making plans to attend the spring garden shows around Atlanta, namely the Southeastern Flower Show, March 15-17, at the Cobb Galleria. I bought tickets online so I wouldn't miss the Peter Hatch lecture on the 16th. I'd also like to attend the Georgia Native Plant Society Symposium on February 16 in Stone Mountain, but I'm not yet sure if I'll be able to go. I will definitely go to their Native Plant Society Sale on April 20 at McFarlane Nature Park in Marietta.

Other awesome-sounding shows include the Plant Fair and Sale at Callaway Gardens on March 21, and the Incredible Edible Grow-It-Yourself Fruit Tree, Vine, and Berry Bush Sale at the Georgia International Convention Center on February 23.

I know my gardening fever will wane this summer when it's too hot and humid to go outside, and the mosquitoes are out looking for blood (literally), but for the moment, I'm excited about the possibilities of the garden. I hope I'll have much to post here (and lots of photos, if all goes well) as my dreams start to take shape.

Wishing you happiness in spades,

M.R.S.