Can Spring be far behind?

Sunday we had rain showers and periods of sunshine so I took a very short walk around our gardens to check out how the plants have been faring with our recent cold temperatures. I was surprised to find a few signs of the garden waking up and getting ready for Spring.

Always the first to bloom, you can see in the 2nd picture that the snowdrop bulbs are up and waving their sweet blossoms in the wind. We were given a large clump of these by our next door neighbor almost 25 years ago when we first moved in. A couple years ago G divided up the clump and replanted these in the beds around our swimming pool. This year they are looking more well-established and the old clump, still there, even looks like it could be divided again!

Since the first year the Snowdrops have reminded me of the Lilies of the Valley that I remember as a child. Unfortunately I've tried to grow those here, but for some reason I cannot get them to grow.

The 1st picture is of the berries on a plant I think is called Heavenly Bamboo. This plant is at least 20 yrs old and this is the first time I recall ever seeing such pretty red berries on it. Nearby in the same area is a potted jade plant that is also blooming. I thought I took a picture of it's pretty pink blossom clusters, but I couldn't find it on my disk this morning and it's now raining again, so you'll just have to take my word on it. The jade usually blooms at Christmas time, but perhaps because it got left in the garden in it's pot instead of being brought in under the patio cover, it was too cold to bloom until now.

For those looking for my February BOM free redwork pattern, please be patient. I'm having a couple technical issues which I hopefully resolve later today and get it posted. For now I am off to my yoga class to rejuvenate!

LouAnne