Spring's Coming. I Won't Plant Primroses and Risk Jinxing It

Woo-hoo! Spring is coming! Sam and I were walking in the park the other day and there was a little bit of sun peeking through the Pacific Northwest rain clouds and I suddenly was overcome with the warm, fuzzy feeling that spring is on its way. After all, the holidays and Christmas are over, the New Year is here, spring should be next.

I know, I know, I have to be careful about getting carried away with myself because it’s early January, which usually is the coldest and worst weather month of the year here, and then we have to get past February and March, and even April weather can be kind of crappy.

But I can feel spring coming. I feel it in my bones. I can see a little green on the tree buds, especially our neighbor’s forsythia. I saw mass Robins pulling worms out of the ground at the park and that’s a sure sign spring is coming. The grocery stores have even put out their annual displays of primroses.

Primroses

Speaking of primroses, do you happen to recall that old song, “Life’s a holiday on Primrose Lane,” sung by a guy named Jerry Wallace? The song was composed by G. Callendar and W. Shanklin, whoever they were, and first sung in 1959. I didn’t realize it but that song also was the theme music for a short-lived 70's TV show, The Smith Family, staring Henry Fonda as a Los Angeles Police detective trying to cope with his demanding job and a precocious family. Mr. Smith’s eldest son was portrayed by none other than Ron Howard. I never saw the show.

Sorry to say there is no primrose lane on the Perkins property – not anymore. I used to get all excited when the grocery stores and nurseries put them out for sale because they grow well in wet, cold weather like we have here. Trouble is, it seemed like every time I planted primroses in our yard they brought the nastiest, coldest weather imaginable with them. EVERY TIME! I would no sooner stick those little beauties in the ground (and they are beautiful) than we would be buried in snow or clapped in a bitter deep freeze. After a few years of that I gave up. Now when I see them arrayed in colorful displays outside the grocery stores I just walk on by. I don’t care if they are only 69 cents a plant. I’m not buying! It’s worse than dating a pretty girl, spending lots of time and money on her and experiencing the big chill when it comes time for love (don’t hate me now ladies).

This year we’ll probably stick a few red geraniums here and there. I’ll try another fuchsia pot because I love fuchsias, and I’m thinking about planting some nasturtiums; I love their bright yellows and oranges. I’ve got to transplant some hybrid lilies from the side yard to the back because some bushes Kathleen planted along the side yard have grown too big and interfere with the lilies. My prize flower is my black hollyhock, which I’ll also be moving from the side yard to the back. I bought the seeds (heirloom seeds) for the hollyhock a couple of years ago at the Farmer’s Market. I grew up with hollyhocks and growing those makes me nostalgic about my younger years.

I should look to my friend Marianne Binetti for garden ideas too. She’s one of my Facebook friends and if you haven’t noticed her stuff on here you should pay closer attention. She likes hellebores a lot. Hi Marianne!

Hellebores

Well, gotta’ go now. It isn’t really spring yet, it’s just a wintery Saturday afternoon, so planting myself on the couch for some serious hibernating seems like my best good gardening idea.