I have to admit that on my rainy ride home from the airport last week I despaired of seeing spring anytime soon here. Anyone who has ever ridden down Rt. 24 between Boston and Fall River knows “bleak” - even on a sunny midsummer’s day that’s a dreary drive. But now that I’m off that highway and back at Blithewold I’m convinced that something is really actually happening spring-wise. And it seems like it’s happening a lot sooner than last year. Look at this post from last April 9. - And this is now - almost 2 weeks sooner.

But it all depends on the weather. Last year I noted in my calendar that the 1st daffs were spotted in the Bosquet on April 3 but that peak wasn’t until the week of the 23rd! In between we had had a few monster storms and I sprayed shading on the sweltering greenhouse twice. This year, who knows? (anyone? anyone?)

I think the early Easter has me all unstuck in time - I had to look up how the Church determines the date: It’s set to be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This was the earliest Easter in something like 95 years. Is the early full moon affecting our gardens or just my mind? (–There is a discrepancy some years between the astronomical and ecclesiastical dates of the equinox - to test my early moon= early spring theory I’ll have to start paying closer attention to the sky rather than to the date breakfast is served with a side of jelly beans and marshmellow peeps.)

But I swear something’s happening and it seems early. The birds are making a racket, Gail has heard peepers and we’re all getting out of the house. The volunteers got outside this week to clean up Display Garden beds and start on the Rock Garden and the Florabundas got started with lots of laughs and some Rose Garden pruning. And the guys, who flinched and fled before my camera like paparazzi plagued rock stars, have been busy lifting heavy things in the Display Garden and initiating Joel - I’ll only call him “The New Guy” this once. (Welcome to Blithewold, Joel!)

According to my calendar, we’re right on schedule…

Do you keep a calendar from year to year? Have you felt a difference in timing only to discover from your notes that it’s going like clockwork? Do you dare to make bloom time predictions in your garden?

I’m back! Mostly. Pretty much. Almost. Paris was a fantastical and footsore dream and I’d love nothing better than to go back there right now - we’re scheming about finding grants to attend the beekeeping school at Jardin du Luxembourg (me) and Le Cordon Bleu (he). And if I can’t be in Paris, I’d love nothing better than to be checking on spring at Blithewold. But instead I’m home with a bug. (Perhaps intestinal distress was a gift from the woman who shared my seat on the plane - I’ll have to put her on the ThankYou note list - I have a year, right?)

In Paris spring was on the march (ha! unintentional pun totally intended) with daffs already starting to go by. Here they’re up and budded. Word is, Blithewold’s 50,000 or so might be a titch earlier to bloom this year than last so make sure to stay tuned for my up to the minute updates and daff cam. ‘Little Gem’ planted by the Moon Gate are already out so the biggies starting with ‘Ice Follies’ shouldn’t be too far behind.

In other news, Gail is famous! Check out this article by Linda Borg of the Providence Journal. A couple of amendments are necessary: Gail didn’t say that all of the 600 tulips in the North Garden were eaten by deer - heaven forbid!! She said she hopes they won’t be! (Precautions have been taken because the show must go on!) And to clarify - our resident wild honeybees reside in a horse chestnut stump near the greenhouse - they only come inside for visits, not to stay.

Please catch me up - I’ve been out of the loop! How is spring March-ing on for you?

I’m off to tie the knot and have a voyage de noces (that’s French for honeymoon/wedding trip I’m pretty sure if the online translation site can be trusted) in Paris. I’m armed with a bookcase’s worth of slick guidebooks that we’ll probably ignore in favor of just having a look at what’s around the next corner and through the park gate. And I’ll also be packing copies of letters - more like a carnet de voyage from a 20 year old Margorie Van Wickle in Paris to her mother, Bessie in 1903. When Margorie visited Paris she found it to be quite affordable - “…we went shopping in the ‘Bon Marche’ - a most facinating store where nothing costs anything“. Alas, we might not find that to be the case now… About the dangers of walking in Paris she says, “You get out into the middle of a Rue or Boulevarde and every carriage within hailing distance makes a rush for you…” And by her recommendation we can skip the Pantheon but must see “the Church of St. Etienne du Mont - the most charming one in Paris - I think. It is very old - but Oh so graceful and artistic. It made up for any amount of stupid Pantheons.” Have I mentioned how much I love the archives? I didn’t find any pictures of Margorie in Paris (no doubt there are some - just not scanned in yet) but here she is with her new husband George Lyon in 1914.

I’m hoping it’s spring in Paris already and I’m leaving just as it is starting to emerge here. In two weeks time, who knows how far along she’ll be. I’ll make sure to come back and I hope you do too! Stay tuned…

The Sweet Peas have germinated!! And the cabbages, kale, and onions too! Of all the Sweet Peas only ‘Lilac Ripple’, ‘Chocolate Streamer’ and ‘Blue Streamer’ are lagging behind still snuggly sub-surface.

Beverly, one of the Rockettes, came in this morning to start some more seeds - in earnest now - and Gail was back and forth and up and down like a shooting gallery bear moving plants and trays to make room for all the newbies. Today Bev seeded things like snapdragons, Delphinium, Ammi majus, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Ellagance Sky Blue’ (a dwarf that’s supposed to bloom the first year from seed - we’ll see…), and digitalis, laurentia, limnanthus, asperula and glaucium - most of which I have no memory of ordering but Gail said a lot of them were my must-haves. hmmm…

I still have roses on the brain and am getting really excited about everyone’s suggestions. We’ll be ordering from Heirloom Roses because they have ‘Morning Has Broken’ and I’ve added a couple of Buck’s roses to the list as well as ‘Robusta’, ‘Stanwell Perpetual’ (both recommended by Jodi), ‘Autumn Sunset’ because it’s beeeautiful, and maybe ‘Silver Jubilee’ for the same reason. I also got a very nice email back from Alex Withrow who answered my question about AARS winners being sprayed with fungicide. She said the rule allowing for fungicidal spraying was changed in 2005 but they haven’t yet had any winners under the new conditions. Soon, she says and I hope for all our sakes and the rose growers’ that those winners are well publicized for being extra super-duper. In the meantime she sent this list of roses that she says perform well in the north east:

* Carefree Delight
* Crimson Bouquet
* Julia Child (my personal favorite!) - says Alex
* Knock Out
* Lady Elsie May
* Living Easy
* Rainbow Sorbet
* Memorial Day

Alex ought to know because she grew up in Providence. She said, “[I] have many wonderful memories of Blithewold from my childhood. Thank you for maintaining such a wonderful place!” - That’s just what we love to hear! Thanks, Alex and thank you all for sending your suggestions. (If anyone has more thoughts to share, I’m still listening - always!)