Vernal Equinox

The vernal equinox arrived on March 20th this year.  It was a pretty day, perfect for the first day of spring.  Of course it would have been an even nicer day had I not spent the majority of it getting tested for allergies and having my oil changed.  For with spring comes pollen; it won't be long before cars and sidewalks are covered in the yellow stickiness.  But between sniffles, I think we should thank the gods for the mess, because it does allow pollination to take place for many trees that we would not like to be without.

We should defnitely be thanking the gods for the equinox itself.  Equinox is Latin meaning "equal night"; in other words, the day and the night are of equal length.  From now on, as we (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway) tilt toward the sun, the day will be longer than the night until it reaches its peak at midsummer.  Then in the fall, on the autumnal equinox, the day and night will once again be equal, and we will begin the slide back into the shortened days of winter.  A very important moment in days past; the vernal equinox indicated that spring was in fact coming (the ancients were for some reason never quite sure of its return, and prayed and even sacrificed to the gods to ensure its arrival).  There were moments this winter when I wasn't exactly sure if spring would return again.  But it seems to be on its way now and things in the garden are preparing themselves for its imminent arrival.

Spring is all around us in Atlanta.  The daffodils and crocus have been lovely at the Atlanta Botanical Garden lately, and now tulips have joined the show.  Hyacinths are just poking up out of the soil in the big pots lining the allee (can't wait to sniff those!).

Daffodils at ABG

 The Paperbush shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera) at the garden has been a delight to walk by, although I can't pass by without stopping for a sniff. Its fragrance is one of the loveliest of the early-blooming shrubs.

The Paperbush (Edgeworthia papyrifera) has a lovely scent.

Bright red tulips underplanted with blue pansies and parsley

This appears to be an 'Angelique' tulip; one of my favorites

My own garden is preparing itself for spring as well.  The red creole onion seedlings have been set out in a raised bed, and the spring kale, lettuce, cabbage and brussels sprouts are doing well.  My tomatoes under the gro-lights have just been potted on for the second time, and even the celery seedlings are looking lively this week.

The weather report for this coming week indicates we may have some cool nights ahead of us (in the 20s anyway), but I still have faith that the spring is here (and thankfully, without having to do any animal sacrifices).


Wishing you happiness in spades,

M.R.S.