Last day of Winter! Spring is coming!

GOOD MORNING!! Betty here. Apparently we are experiencing our last day of winter today - and as I look outside and see all this white out here, it is certainly evident that spring has yet to appear. Tomorrow that will all change, right? Actually, probably this long dragged out winter is a good thing for us. Is it possible then, that when spring actually comes, it will do so, and stay, rather than teasing us with the freeze-thaw and snow and melt cycles we have come to expect in the past few years? January gave us a big thaw, followed by HUGE winds and then massive rains and then of course the obligatory -17 temperatures immediately afterwards. Those poor plants.
Having said that, during the last -22 degree temperatures, Marv and I drove to Zeeland Michigan to pick up our new spring plants. We just had the BEST time - oh my - Walters Gardens is a great place. Acres and acres of greenhouses, and they are the largest perennial wholesale supplier in North America. And such very lovely nice people too. Well, with all the snow around, and the cold temperatures, when their president Evan took me on a tour through their greenhouses, it was just overwhelming - and yes - I admit it - I cried with joy. What a sight - all those heuchera in their glorious colours. Of course the plants were all dormant, so there were lots of wintery looking plants too - but oh my - it truly did not matter. If you get a chance - do it - go to a garden show or a greenhouse - it does your heart good. And if you cannot do that, email me, I will go out to our little greenhouse and take some photos and send them - or perhaps post them on here.
What's new this year? Marv says I buy plants "like a drunken sailor". I guess there are so few plants I don't love. In the greenhouse right now are blooming the new pulmonarias. I have photos but at the moment cannot find the link cable to download them to this site - when I find it, I can show you. OH MY - the lovely blooms and the great leaves on those spring plants. The new heucheras are pretty. And with the change in our climate, the much touted Villosa drought hardiness gene is going to be very welcome. Our new Hostas are looking very promising too. Yes, I probably should have left them dormant - but getting boxes of new plants is better than Christmas, and I just couldn't help myself. It's the whole kid-in-a-candy store idea. And my will power is not one of my strong points. There are so many plants I would love to show you that perhaps the best plan is to find that camera cable and write with photos. So I will sign off for now and get back later with more information. If you have suggestions or questions I am happy to try to work those in as well.
Thanks - and have a GREAT last day of Winter.