I Win at Flowers!

Well, I may have lost the concerto competition, but I always have the first flowers on my block! It helps that I have a sunny south-facing lot. Today I had a student cancel her lesson, so I spent about an hour after my teaching day out in the yard cutting down the old dead flowers from last year. I have crocuses BLOOMING, and my paper whites, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and soon to be lilies are all coming up. I can't wait to turn down Woodhaven and look at my house at the end of the street in full bloom! I can't wait to smell the hyacinths as I come up the walk. I still have a few more plants to trim up before it will be perfect, but when I saw color on those little crocuses, I knew it had to be done so everyone would say, "Look at Tawna's yard! It's full of flowers!" rather than, "Why doesn't Tawna clean up the dead leaves from last year out of her nasty yard?" It's going to be gorgeous, yet again. And if you want some purple salvia or orange daisies (both perennials!), come and get 'em, because within a few weeks, I'll be digging up the "volunteers" and throwing them in the trash. What a shame that would be. While you're here, you could take home a sprig of rosemary to season your supper (MMMM! I love how rosemary makes your hands smell). It always surprises me to see how much green is underneath all the dead matter. Maybe plants are kind of like people - kind of crusty on the outside but still soft and full of potential on the inside.