Feels great to be digging in the dirt again :)

[Chris_W]

I think we are finally over winter here and it feels great to finally be digging in the dirt again. We've been digging and shipping orders and potting up plants for the nursery for about a week and a half now. Normally we would have been digging and potting for about a month by now but I'm glad that things are probably going to stay dormant longer this year. It is tougher dealing with plants that wake up too soon.

And although it was a tough winter we didn't have too many losses and the frost heaving was minimal. Normally this time of year we are spending a lot of time re-tagging rows and putting baby hostas back into the ground but there is very little of that

How is your spring going? Have your hands been in dirt yet?

[Pieter]

Chris, my spring has been here for a long time, being in Canada's Banana Belt. While I don't have any hostas showing scapes as yet, with the exception of the hyacinthina family most everything else has unfurled. Our daffodils are just past their prime and the tulips are making a grand showing. I seeded a fair bit of last year's hosta seed harvest a little over a week ago - I do that outdoors for lack of indoor space - and I'm anxiously awaiting the first of those to start sprouting.

[kHT]

Oh Chris, so sorry you are way behind.......ya might want to move to a warmer climate? Here we have put out 20 yards of mulch already.
Painted the house inside and out! I have cleaned the north rainbarrels and just have the south side to go beside staining the deck for the year.
This past week we had two days in the 70s back to back so everything is popping like crazy. Would you believe I'm seeing bearded irises with
buds already? Even got the gardens tilled so we are getting ready to plant a cool crop soon. Hostas are looking great already too.

Did you get hit with any of the snow they got back east?

[Linda P]

No dirty hands here yet, just endless raking. Hoping to get back at it again today after a couple of days of snow/wind/downright nasty weather. Today is not so windy. It's a serious issue here on my hilltop when the winds are howling. On the other hand, I used a strong south wind to help me get the huge seedling bed raked off. I just flung each rake-full up in the air and it blew it near the back of the bed. Didn't have to pick up or drag it across the ground.

[rosemarie]

Like Karma we had a couple days of warm(er) weather I got my order from Chris today in great shape as usual. Thank you Chris for H.Flamenco Mouse!! It is my first 'mouse'. Probably won't be my last! I ordered Kaleidochrome, Warwick Comet, Sky Dancer,NIghtlife, Fire Island Dragon Fire, Blue Hawaii and Queen of the Sea.I have several orders of other shade plants ordered. We are getting rain, and my go-to-guy was outside setting my last line of sprinklers - in the rain. Sort of like taking coals to Newcastle!! But the sprinklers have made everything grow like Gangbusters. It is so pretty out there. Got to get some pix!!! Thanks again, Chris!!

[Mark Raw]

Over here in Britain ALL my hosta seem to be up early ( rather a warm winter) there is usually an order and a few dont seem to push through until much later than others. The exceptions this year have been Praying Hands (very early) June (as good as open) Golden and Emerald tiara (open fully)

[ViolaAnn]

Pieter - you had crocuses and early daffodils blooming when we were in Vancouver in mid-March!

We, OTOH, have been under a heavy blanket of snow. The crocuses are still blooming now and today, my earliest little tulips bloomed. The Scilla are beginning. And today I got my fingertips in the dirt when I poked around 'Liberty' and found a few eyes about to poke up.

Exceptionally busy time and I've not had time to get into grubby clothes and actually get out there yet.