Mary Claire Rowe

When the sun breaks through the clouds, even if only for a short time, it is easy to begin thinking about spring, and all the wonderful garden events coming our way.

Some daffodils and jonquils have already sent up their green leaves. The oaks are just starting to have swollen leaf-buds. Root systems for many plants are in full swing, working hard to be ready for the spring explosion.

On the best couple of days recently, when the sun was warm and the temperature was higher, the blue birds were scouting our newly denuded garden with the idea of making a nest. I am ever-hopeful that this year a pair will choose us. Perhaps now that there is more open space, they will. I have their little house ready for them to make it a home.

Recently, I visited a large resort on the lake in Grapevine. The weather was cold, windy, and generally miserable, with thick fog each morning. Inside, however, the atrium is filled with an incredible array of fantastic plants, most of which are gigantic. It was an amazing and happy experience for me, as an avid gardener.

Just walking through the space, with the large, beautiful specimens all around and overhead, filled my mind with happy and creative thoughts. It was a modern version of the Garden of Eden, of sorts.

I saw some of the same plants I have in my home, only they were five times larger. I can only imagine how much work went into planning for, growing, moving, and installing all those plants.

Most surprising was a large display of bromeliads, planted in the ground, which were positioned to be first seen when getting to the top of a long stairway. The red-stemmed, blue "flowers" looked at first glance like Texas Bluebonnets on steroids.

They seemed all the more unusual because there were so many of them, arranged in row after row in the bed beside the walkway. Using these plants in such a surprising way is an inspiration. Using the "usual" plants in new and unusual ways is also inspirational and part of the secret of having a wonderful garden. Some gardeners seem to have a natural ability to do just that, while the others of us have to learn.

So, now is just the right time to research and learn, while there are still a couple of months before physical gardening takes the place of wishful thinking.

Oh, only if wishes were horses ... etc.

"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.

Mary Claire Rowe
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