On first look today, our world was enrobed in a down-to-the-ground cloud. It was the thickest fog I can remember in ages. School looked super spooky:
Back at home, I thought how blah and sad the street garden looked, as it has since the deep December freeze killed off so many things that often overwinter and I didn’t plant enough winter interest to keep it looking good all year.
Then I decided to take a closer look to see if I could see something beautiful, something interesting, something worth noticing, signs of spring to come or summer past. In just a few minutes of slowing down and looking closely, here is some of what I found in my seemingly nondescript landscape.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ seedheads
Purple sprouting broccoli sticking out its wet “tongue”
Lemon balm seeds (need to get rid of those pronto!) against Mexican feather grass tendrils
Crocus awaiting the sun’s kiss to open up shop for the day
One giant dewdrop and a million little ones on a lupine leaf
Gossamer strands, evidence of a spider’s presence on iris seedpods
and coneflower too
Then this, which would have been enough on its own to banish the gloom of the day
The first tulip! Don’t scream, yours aren’t behind. This tulipa greigii came up first here last year, before the snowdrops and crocus had stopped blooming, so it must be in its nature to be the earliest bird.
Even in the less spectacular garden seasons, there’s probably always something to notice – even if it’s “just” spiderwebs on a dead flower or, in another climate, bird tracks in the snow. We just have to slow down enough to find it.
