Mid-January discord, mid-March dreams.
I am a naturally cold person at this stage in my life, to the point where I'm not sure if I dread menopause's hot flashes or am excited for them. There comes a point in winter, usually mid-January, when I both acclimate to the winter weather and accept that I'll be typing with stiff fingers for the foreseeable future. It seems it will last forever. Yet when I look around at what's actually happening around me, I see change brewing for warmer weather. Tree buds are swelling, and daffofils are poking up out of the ground.
I grew up in Wisconsin, where signs like this would still be a long way off on January 22nd, so each year in East Tennessee the signs of spring still catch me by surprise. Spring is unabashedly my favorite season. My cold tolerance is up, my wardrobe is in order for colder weather, so I can handle those days no problem. I love a rainy day in hot or cold weather, so those days I always appreciate. And the warm days are a delicious treat.
Plus the flowers are on parade. It's not the fireworks display of late summer when everything booms at once, but a more restrained procession. There's more time to enjoy each one, from the early arrival of blue speedwell to endless tulip varieties to the divine display that is a fruit tree in full bloom.
I yearn for those flowers at this time of year. It feels like it will be forever before that happens-- until I get a big work deadline for mid-March, and then mid-March feels dreadfully soon.
But mid-March is tree bloom time! I think to myself. And tree bloom time means forsythia time is over, crocus time too, and how are we going to fit all this work and tulip season into seven weeks? That's no time at all!
And if that's not a way to pass the coldest night of the year, I don't know what is.
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As our January break winds down, we're eager to start the growing year ahead. Vicki has been stocking us up on seeds and plugs as well as making sure the overwintered plants do overwinter. I've been mulling over garden tip topics for upcoming newsletter editions (it was all I could do earlier to not tangent about speedwell and how I love it and what it tells us about where it's growing. More on that later. Though if I'm being honest I did just go on a mini-rabbit hole journey learning about different weeds and their growth habits before I remembered what I had originally set out to do and returned to find I'd left this letter dangling mid-sentence).
The bouquet pictured above is hopefully a preview of what July will look like at The Flower Girl. We're planting hot biscuits amaranth again this year after skipping it last year, and trying our hand at hibiscus leaves for the first time (the ones pictured above were grown by Mary at Greenwood Oaks). Plus those usual beloved suspects: cosmos and terra cotta celosia.
It's not too late to make sure you get your share if you're local. We still have spring and summer subscriptions left. Great way to make a whopper of a Valentine's impression, if you're into that sort of thing. (Not local to us? You probably have your very own flower nerd nearby).
We're also mulling over some changes to our newsletter. It will still arrive in your inbox in a weekly fashion... though we're considering a "Plus" section for those who really want to get in the weeds with us via a paid subscription. It's also a way for folks to support us from a distance when you can't make it to the market.
Let me know what you think-- would you become a paid newsletter subscriber to The Flower Girl for a few bucks a month?
Here's hoping you're keeping the right temperature for your body. I'll be under a blanket until further notice, desperately dreaming of spring.
xo
Meg
P.S. Save the dates for GTG's Enchanted April for another flower-filled way to enter into spring! Tickets will go on sale two weeks before opening.