The past week has made all the difference in the garden. We've clearly crossed a quantum threshhold for green-ness. :-> Probably helps that last weekend was supposed to be constant rain (except when it was snow), and instead was bright and sunny and 50degF or higher.

Two weeks ago, the front yard was mostly hard-packed clay (and moss, near the house), the violets were alien-looking green masses of rooty tuber, and all the bushes and woody plants were bundles of sticks awkwardly standing around in sheepish clusters. This morning, the violets all have leaves bigger than loonies (and we have a LOT of violets!), the bushes are budding out or leafing (the spicebush up front looks like it's been flocked chartreuse; the nannyberries and elderberries out back are quite respectably leafed already -- in a week flat!), and even the new fruit trees I just planted are showing signs of wanting to make themselves to home and settle in. The columbines, even the ones that were just babies last year, all have at least three leaves out, and the older ones are knee-high mounds of foliage. The beans I've been sprouting inside have two creditable leaves each, and are almost ready to go out. And we have our first purple tulip bloom!

I need to go around and take pictures when I get home, document how it's boinging, and maybe even make a 'Welcome to my garden! Here, have a virtual tour' lj post. We'll see.