The mild Februarys of last year and 2015-2016 led this gardener in a cold climate to believe that an early spring is the norm. Even though the temperatures dropped to -3degF one night and decimated my Japanese maples and four hardy Yews. Snowdrops were blooming in early February, and soil was so thawed that I had to divide perennials by March.

It’s much easier to recall that I divided perennials the 27th of March than it is to remember that sub-zero temperatures followed a week later.

When the weather at the end of February was mild, I was able to separate the grass from the daffodils around the wellhead. I had expected the thawing process to continue in March.

Spring is surely on its way if I can remove the grass from the edges?

I could not have been more wrong. The first week of march, we got 17 inches.

We got several more inches of snow every time we melted the snow off the top of the septic system.

It’s demoralizing.

Cold climate gardeners, however, are resilient and ready to face any setbacks that may occur before the winter season is over.

When I heard that a big storm was approaching, I bought these snowdrops to decorate my house.

The plants are called ‘S. Arnott’, which is known for it’s fragrance and early bloom.

I also bolstered myself with forced hyacinths.

Each bulb was two-sided. These bulbs were purchased at Aldi. The vases will be saved to use with my own bulbs next winter.

The ‘Sweet Nymph’ amaryllis opened up four flowers, one after another.

These are amazing! Longfield Gardens sent a ‘Nymph amaryllis’ to me A few years back. It had bloomed just a few months ago in December. Now, it has sent up a new flower stalk with four flowers. It was fertilized only once between. My other two ‘Nymphs,’ too, have flower stalks beginning to emerge.

The large orchid dates back a few decades, while the miniature orchid was delivered on Valentine’s Day.

Do they not look almost like a mother orchid and a baby orchid? The miniature orchid did not seem to hang on to its flowers very long. I’m not sure if this is typical of the little ones or if they didn’t enjoy the change in scenery.

My clivia is still putting on a good show.

While I was waiting for a warming trend to occur, I checked the 10-day forecast daily. I also wore snowshoes in the sun. I hold on to the hope that Spring flowers are growing under the snow Even as I scan the horizon, I can’t help but notice the First signs of spring . Guess what? Once again, the snow has melted from the septic system!