I’m glad I took my photos earlier this week. This is a miserable morning, weather-wise – chilly, rainy, gloomy. But as the Sanford Townsend Band song says, “There’s sunshine in my heart again in the middle of all this rain.”

The garden is coming alive again. The bulbs are doing better than I’ve seen in many years. I think it’s because they had more “chill time” this winter. So many leucojum (snowflake) bulbs are blooming where I’ve only seen foliage for a long time.

Narcissus, daffodil, or jonquil? I can never get it straight. These narcissus bulbs (or narcissuses or narcissi) have been lovely, and I have a daffodil just starting to bloom. I can’t wait for the little Tete-a-tete later in the season.

And oh! The Carolina jessamine! My neighbor’s vine grows up in my red-tip photinas, making a spectacular sight against the blue sky. This week’s rains have sent a gazillion blooms down to carpet the ground. The bottom right frame shows the jessamine intertwining a forsythia out front.

Although many yards (including my neighbor’s) are showing gorgeous oriental magnolias now, my little Jane is a bit slow to get in the game. But she’s only been with us for a year, so I have to give her some grace.

The indica azaleas are barely starting to open, but Pink Ruffles, another variety, is starting to blossom nicely.

My Encore azaleas bloom off and on all year, as the name implies, but not with a remarkable showing. This Autumn Fire does its best in early spring and is beginning now. I was afraid our last freeze had a death grip on its buds, but it seems to be fine.

Lastly, I spied a spiderwort along the verge and admired its deep color. I have an unresolved love-hate relationship with these thuggish perennials. I can’t believe some vendors actually sell these things.

So spring’s new life is coming back with a vengeance, ready to conquer the dead of winter. Don’t we all need this spark in our lives right now? It’s easy to get stuck seeing the life-to-death cycle.

Hmm. How convenient that the transition of Lent will begin soon to prepare our hearts to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. God’s coordination is perfect. It’s really about death to life.

Be blessed, Dottie

Jim Stephens of Garden Ruminations is hosting Six on Saturday now. You can find him here: https://gardenruminations.co.uk/