OLG Old Lady Gardener #115 Up close and Personal:the green of the garden

Early spring has finally reached us here in Minnesota. Our night time temperatures are staying above freezing most nights. We are actually getting rain and not snow or snow flurries. The sound of rain on the windows and roof is glorious in that we are still in the 3rd or 4th year of a drought. The garden is really beginning to wake up. I no longer need to crawl around the garden beds to see if there are plants there. I can actually see them pushing their way through the mulch or old leaves of last year.

I have cautiously cleaning out some of the garden beds. I have waited for the bugs to emerge. Now I need to really remove the remains of last years growth and old leaves that have blown into the gardens. I started the other day hoping just to remove some dreaded Creeping Charlie but that led to clearing away the leaves from the Lily of the Valley and then I just kept going.

This morning I carefully walked around the yard to see what was happening. The whole area outside the beds there is a scant amount of grass and a lot of mud. So walking is not easy but oh the plants to be found were wonderful. Little spots of green all over the yard. The green comes in so many shades it is fabulous to see. There is the bright yellow greens of the rhubarb leaf and the blue green of sedum or the daffodil leaves. There a true green with red edging around the tulip leaves and then a brownish green on the Hellebores stems. I wanted to take my paints out to see if I could match each of the colors but the wetness of the ground made it hard to sit anywhere. I already had soaked knees from crawling around with my camera. Yes – know I said I did not have to crawl this time but I needed to get up close and personal with some of the tiny guys.

It will be weeks or months before most of these plants have flowers but for now the miracle of green, whatever shade it is, is a wonder to behold. I am confused by those who only look from a distance or who do not look at all. They are missing so much of a world around them. Each plant begins its growth in a different way and with different colors and different timing. Thinking about how they evolved is mind boggling, How do they know it is time to grow? I believe most are waiting for the right set of temperature and lighting before they decide it is time. The red coloring is an early protection from UV rays for many plants, it can protect some from cold, it protects from being eaten, it may signal a stress response in others or it may simply be a coloring for this plant. So much to know and learn! Why would you want to miss it?

Oh dear – I went through my photos thinking I have a couple here to show you. Twenty two photos later I think wow – a bit too much to share so will see if I can narrow that down.

Below is a peek at the greens happening right now in my garden:

Hyssops -green with purple that makes it a grey color

Columbine -green with red tint that will fade as it grows

Wild Ginger – yellow green with hits of purple. This will be grey green in about a month

Penstemon Husker Red – red with a hint of green will later be green with a hit of red and white flowers

Lichen and moss – look closely there are three greens here, the grey of the lichen, and a light yellow green and then a darker green

Virginia Blue Bells – a purple green right now with just a hint of the flowers showing. These will be green with lavender flowers in mid May (the orange you see is red pepper to keep the rabbits from eating the plant.

Daffodils – blue green leaves and a more yellow green for the flower bud

Hellebore – blue green in the leaves but purple to brown in the stems – such a cool color

Peony – this will be green with white flowers in June- what a great red with green lines or spots on it. I know its not really green but I could resist sharing this great color.

Tulip leaves – a hint of blue in the green and edged in red with red tips and we don’t even have the flowers up yet.

What colors are you seeing in your garden? Not the flowers look closer and maybe crawl around a bit. It is a wonderful world when you get up close and personal!