Midwinter Thaw

Last week we had a thaw in the middle of our frigid, Michigan winter. Temperatures reached a high of 55 degrees. The majority of the snow melted from our little city lot. Of course I had to peek in the various beds around our yard to see if anything was stirring. Sure enough, near our garage, some of the bulbs I’d planted last fall were beginning to send up shoots. It’s the first time I’ve planted bulbs, having just acquired the home last spring, so I was pretty geeked.

However, being a Michigan native, I know we will be blasted at least once more by Mother Nature before our true spring season begins. Worried about the new shoots being damaged, I asked a few friends if there was anything I could do. Some suggested covering the anxious bulbs with leaves I hadn’t managed to rake up at the end of last fall. Others believed a new blanket of snow and the proximity of the bulbs to the garage would protect the new shoots. 

I thought I’d try the leaves, but the weather had other plans. By the morning I had a break in my schedule, another blanket of snow covered the back yard and beds. Ah well, I guess it’ll be the snow, garage and finger-crossing then.