The Thawing.

We’ve still got snow. And ice. And slush. And a whole boatload of water that alternately freezes at night and runs like small streams downward towards the road during the day.

Today we topped out at 60F! It has been so long since we’ve felt that warm outside. The dog is thrilled to bits and putting in her miles (and therefore snoring at night). I’m pottering (somewhat aimlessly given the snow) and pruning and searching for signs of growth (alas, none so far). Rich is wandering through the woods selecting trees to fell for next winter’s firewood and lamenting the stands of Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) that need yanking.

The top/North half of the Dry Garden is the officially the first area clear of snow. It surely helps that it is situated along a long line of (rather unattractive) retaining wall. God Bless Radiant Heat. Alas, my excitement is always tempered by how awful everything looks.

Ugh.

I so wanted to share a photo, to share the progress and my excitement. But the disheveled dead tops of perennials, bunny gnawed twigs of willow, and the utter soggy brownness of it all stopped me from taking that photo.

I wonder if other gardeners and/or bloggers feel the same way about their spaces as they shake off the cold, wet covers of winter?

I, of course, leave almost all of the dead plant material standing over winter. Partly for interest but mostly for habitat. Its something I’m always glad to do, but goodness me it leaves a ugly mess come this time of year. Every year I’m happy to have tasks to work on come decent weather and, indeed, I did just that with today’s warm weather. I started cleaning up the dead remnants of last year, hoping that it would look better once I was done.

In any event, I stopped being a vain coward and took the photo. Here it is. Its so gross and brown and dead.

So I set to tidying up the grasses and clipping the half-gnawed yuccas. I pulled out everything from this particular bed just to see if it a) made me feel better and b) made this area any prettier.

Both yes and no. Yes, it felt great to be out there, but it only looks marginally better. On the plus side, the Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) are already greening up. Progress!

How is your thaw going? Are you already all thawed out or is your snow lingering?