I've noticed that many gardener bloggers have new pictures on their sites--lovely spring flowers, garden views etc. Every year when Spring begins I am mindful that no matter how old we get, it is as though this is the first Spring of our lives and we are seeing it for the first time. It is a miraculous thing to behold and everything we see is completely new.

We are having a spring rain today that is washing away the dirt from the snows of winter. It actually takes more than one rain--and this is about the fourth one we've had. The garden is showing a bit of color; crocus, a few lonely jonquils, pink at the end of the buds of the Jane magnolias. I hope Jane and her cohorts hold off on opening their flowers--we have always called them 'the heartbreak trees' as so many times they are hit by frost and turn brown.

I have worked in the garden for several weeks now gradually clearing out the detritus of fall and winter. The pruning is almost finished except for the yew hedge. The yew hedge is homage to my love of English gardens (and a desperate need to block off my neighbor's yard and dogs). I planted it when I first moved to this house in 2000 and it is now very lovely and dark and affords the privacy I want. It is also a beautiful background for the shrubs and flowers in front of it. My sister, who is not a gardener, calls them Hughes. In honor of her charming malaprop, friends and family have named them all: Hugh Grant (my favorite), Hugh Walpole, Hugh Hefner(ugh), Hugh Downs, Humongous, and Hugenot. Not very many but...

this is a verrry small garden, only 35x70 feet. I think it is most beautiful and it keeps me happy in a neighborhood that is not very lovely. My little Eden. I think that this is what is so grand about gardening. It does not matter how huge, how grand, or how well designed--each of our own gardens are simply the best and most beautiful--and provide us with a creative outlet an individual needs--without regard to talent. "All you need is love".