A bank of primroses can look almost uniform from the path: low wrinkled leaves, pale yellow flowers, and a scatter of gold across the last brown leaves of winter. Kneel down, however, and look into the flowers. Some have a small green button at the center. Others have a ring of yellow anthers. The difference is not age, weather, or…
In early March, the edge of a snowbank can reveal a lawn that looks as if it has been badly stored. The grass is flattened into pale circles. Some blades are glued together in a papery crust. In the dampest places, fine gray-white threads stretch across the surface like cobwebs laid down overnight. Spiders are not the only explanation. Those…
Read more about Those cobwebs beneath melting snow may be snow mold
In mid-March, a peony bed can look empty until it suddenly does not. The soil is still dark and cold. Last year’s stems have been cut away. Mulch lies flat, and the rest of the border is only beginning to loosen. Then, from the crown, a cluster of red points breaks the surface. They do not look like the flowers…
