From this on March 14....














...to this, on April 6.

The Lenten Rose missed Lent by only a couple of days, an amazing example of perseverance and a testament to our early spring, no doubt. In March, the leaves emerged from winter's leafy mulch sleepy but green, despite bird feeder litter and squirrels thrashing through in all directions. They woke up, stretched, and got right on task.

Most spring flowers are tiny compared to their summer cousins. Hellebores, however, hit six to eight inches with a two-inch bloom that instead of lifting its face to the sun like bloodroot, prefers to look down at the earth--even at those pesky sunflower seeds. I just couldn't get a picture up into the center of this one, though I tried and got sunflower seed hulls stuck to my elbows for my trouble. Not having succeeded, I will have to be satisfied with the sight of white and green amid the winter brown, with the new growth promising a long period of bloom to come, and with the large showy leaves that will grace the shade garden all summer.

So the Lenten Rose missed Lent by a few days--so what? If we had had a late Easter, it would have been right on schedule. I'm going to try to remember that when I neglect to bring in tender plants before the first frost: if we had a late frost, I would have been right on schedule. I'm cutting the Lenten Rose some slack--and while I'm at it, I'm cutting myself some slack, too. It's a good way to begin the gardening season. Or any season.