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It’s time–
Time to cover the dinning room table with plastic, dust off the grow lights and sow tomato and pepper seeds indoors. 
Timing is critical when it comes to growing from seed. I want to have these plants ready to plant in the garden by our last estimated frost date, April 15th. Too early and they will be floppy and leggy. Too late and the plants will be stunted.
Let’s hope my timing this year is just right. (These plants were started March 8-14.)
It’s time to set out purchased transplants of lettuce, spinach and other cool weather crops in the garden.
And it’s time to eat lots of homegrown kale, collards, cabbage and other greens that wintered over so I’ll have that space empty when the aforementioned tomato plants are ready to set out.
It’s also time to fertilize, mulch, powerwash outdoor furniture, weed the beds, clean the porches etc, etc, etc. Spring is the busiest season in the garden, sort of like Christmas if you’re in retail.
So don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Sit down and take in the view, even if your chairs are covered in winter’s grime. 
Bulbs, like these (Ice Follies and February Gold) daffodils planted in the woods last fall are looking good. 
And here’s another favorite bulb blooming in my garden–Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum and Tristagma uniflorum). It will grow anywhere, even in the dry shade at the base of trees.
This tough little perennial will even grow between pavers, but since the foliage smells a bit like a skunk when it’s bruised, planting starflower on my little patio was not the best idea.
One day, maybe I’ll move these. 
Gardens are like mine are never really finished. Might as well relax and enjoy!
PS. It’s also time to start checking yourself for ticks. Can you believe I got my first tick bite on Sunday? Yikes that’s early.
I usually spend Black Friday planting my spring blooming bulbs–but time got away from me this year.
So when I set down at the computer to check my favorite bulb sources on Thanksgiving night, the Ice Follies daffodils I had my heart set on were ALL SOLD OUT. 
Bad news, since I do want Ice Follies for the new section of woods garden I’ve tamed this year.
If I could only grown one daffodil in my Wake County NC garden, this tried and true early daffodil would be the one.
The blooms are large, strong, fragrant, and great for cutting. The bulb clumps increase year after year.
I finally found some “landscape sized” bulbs at Van Engelen, a wholesale source I’ve used before. Landscape bulbs are smaller sized but Ice Follies are such stong growers, I’m sure they’ll catch up in year or two. And the price– 250 bulbs for $42 is unbeatable. Here’s the link.
http://www.vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Item&_recordnum=8829&_category=Narcissi:
What bulbs did you buy this year? And if you haven’t yet, get busy. Daffodils are great perennial plants. You should grow them.
