The increasing daylight length has added to the welcoming of spring. It’s especially exciting to see “carpets” of crocuses and blue Siberian squill blossoms. Interestingly, many of the crocuses are not where their bulbs were originally planted. For that, we have to thank the rascally chipmunks and squirrels for digging them up.

During the winter months houseplants are supposed to help us take care of the urge “to grow” something indoors. Of course, some of us are better at that than others. Although we’ve often failed, interestingly, we’ve had a couple of air plants (Tillandsia) for about 15 years, liking the fact that they are easy to grow and don’t need any soil.

However, someone on Facebook recently posted photos of air plants in bloom, and they were beautiful. Never knew that they bloomed! So, I’ve got some researching and learning to do.

Something that I miss for sure at this time of the year is the Boston Flower and Garden Show. I have so many wonderful memories through the years of the special people I met and how much I learned from them. Let’s hope that the show returns in 2023.

Sadly, I’m reminded of New England Grows, another yearly event where I learned so much. In 2018 after 25 years, the award-winning horticultural tradeshow discontinued operation. Their board of directors made the decision to dissolve and disband both the event and the not-for-profit organization.

In a great prelude to spring, it was so nice to be reminded by the noted writer Tovah Martin to snip some branches of flowering trees and shrubs, like magnolias and forsythias, and “tuck them” into vases of water to watch them “unfold indoors.”

Now that our soil is no longer “squishy,” we have begun to do some careful cleaning-up since we don’t want to harm beneficial insects and pollinators, such as ladybugs and native bees that overwinter in the garden as eggs, pupae, or adults. Some adult butterflies, such as the mourning cloaks, actually “nestle into leaf litter” for the winter.

Speaking of butterflies, we are told that the monarchs are now leaving their winter nesting grounds in Mexico, where millions of them migrate each year from the U.S. Looking forward to welcoming them when the time comes.

This year will mark the 150th anniversary of the tree planter’s holiday, National Arbor Day. Usually celebrated on the last Friday in April, some states observe it on other dates based on the best tree-planting time in their area. For us in Massachusetts it will be April 29.

So, yes, there’s much to look forward to and celebrate!