Signs of Spring

Ahhh, it looks like spring has finally arrived here in Upstate NY.  Barely.

We may still have permafrost 3 inches down, the high might only be 50, and there could still always be another light snowfall. . . but some true blue signs have appeared this week proving that winter is finally on it’s way out.

The first rosy red buds of my rhubarb plants are up!  God Bless the rhubarb–the very first perennial edible to appear each year.  I love it’s tart flavor and can’t wait until the month or so until it is up enough to make rhubarb pie, stewed rhubarb and rhubarb jam. Mmmm.

The chives have just barely begun to poke their little green heads up next to the back stoop.  All spring, summer and fall we enjoy their onion-y goodness in salads, soups, dips and sprinkled on top of vegetables.  I just love how chives are so faithful and care free–you literally do nothing except plant them the first year and then enjoy them from then on.  I swear, they actually thrive on neglect.

Several years ago my friend Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening gave me some of her snowdrops.  Well, she’s actually the one who gave me my rhubarb as well.  The snowdrops are always the first flower that pops through in the spring–literally while snow is still on the ground–giving us hope that spring truly is on the way.   Then they fade away and disappear before the other flowers arrive.  It’s fate really–if they appeared while everything else was in bloom they’d be this little unassuming flower that you’d barely notice–but since they appear as the first herald of spring and well before any other flowers they have a cherished spotlight!

Finally when the weather turns for the better I give the neighborhood my own sign of spring–laundry going out on the line.   It’s just too damp and cold all winter to even bother trying the line.  Getting the sheets and blankets aired out and clothing dried on the line is it’s own kind of homey little treat.

What signs of spring do you cherish?