I know it's still winter, but I think we've turned the corner here in the pacific northwest. Things are starting to grow. Snowdrops and crocus are coming up, it's almost time to prune the roses AND it's definitely time to plant sweet peas -- I didn't do any last year but I want to do some this year. They smell so good! And they'll bloom well into the summer if you can keep their feet cool. Thing I've learned: plant them in a pot, or at least start them inside because tiny sweet pea starts are a slug delicacy. SLUGS! Ugh. The ugh is built right into their name.
TREE OUT MY WINDOW REPORT: its skinny little tree fingers are starting to thicken up with what will become pink blooms and later red leaves. There are two very busy squirrel nests - residents are always carrying up mouthfuls of leaves and are savvy about not going directly home when there's a tree-climbing cat sitting on the brick wall right next to the tree.
(photo is from a few years ago. You have to soak sweet pea seeds before planting because they have a very tough outer shell.)
